Rebecca DeLore: Four Ways to Discover Art in Your Next Nature Walk

As a nature writer I enjoy finding ways to slow down and embrace wild spaces—inching through a forest after snowfall, climbing a mountain to reach greater heights, smelling damp sand on a beach, and in general discovering and exploring micro and macro ecosystems. In my mind, my nature walk then becomes a narration, sometimes transformative, that includes myself and wilderness, and that buzzes with rich and palatable experiences.

With some practice and experimentation, I found my writing could transcend the traditional narrative form of an arc to become a different type of action. Let the narrative “meander” like a tranquil river, or “wave” like the constant rhythm of an ocean, or even become a “tsunami” and surge into being. All these fresh textual forms excite me, and I became more enthusiastic about my writing and its multitude of possibilities, widening my craft with a new palette and canvas. Nature’s canvas contains colors, designs, and patterns to which our senses are naturally drawn to. By paying close attention to nature’s phenomena, the boundary between self and nature becomes more porous. 

In particular, Jane Alison’s book Meander, Spiral, Explode: Design and Pattern in Narrative helped me recognize nature’s universal designs and patterns inherent in wild spaces. These environments hold organisms and elements that can germinate stories, plots, and tales. Alison’s book also brought to my attention how I can become more meditative, thoughtful, and precise during my walks as both a writer and lover of nature. If my observations and senses slow down, I can draw more fully on my surroundings and enhance my appreciation for the intricate art and design found out of doors. Applying Alison’s narrative “patterns” and “elements” in Meander, Spiral, Explode, here are five ways to discover art in your next walk in nature:

Texture: Notice the texture beneath your shoes as you walk. Does it feel rocky, bumpy, bouncy, hard, soft, mushy, or slippery? Texture can give you information about the terrain, landscape or the broader ecosystem. Use your fingers and palm to feel the texture of plants and soil. Go ahead and rub your palms together with these things in hand. Raise your palms to your nose and smell. What memories do the scents elicit?

Movement and Flow: How does your body move on your walk? Is your walk slow, relaxed, or fast? Are your shoulders relaxed? Are your feet comfortable? Is your back flexible or stiff? Your movement naturally follows your physical and mental state. Notice the movement and flow of the wind that ripples through branch and bough. Wind and water flow is directional. Are you in accordance with the flow of nature around you?

Color: All of us notice color, but do you see the nuance of shades and hues? Can you detect contrasting and complimentary colors? What effect do the colors around you have on your mood? Have you wondered what nature would look like in a different palette of color and hue? How does color affect what you might expect to see?

Patterns in nature often repeat themselves. Some of these patterns can be explained as a phenomenon of mathematics, laws of energy, or the result of chemical interactions. Some patterns have yet to be explained. Regardless of the mechanism involved in their creation, we tend to enjoy observing patterns in flora, fauna, and funga while hiking and exploring. Identifying patterns and examining them carefully provides information about our natural environments and also a glimpse into our perceptions of chaos and order.  Some of the general patterns that can be observed in nature include symmetry, branching, spirals, cracks, spots, stripes, chaos, flows, meanders, waves, dunes, bubbles, foam, arrays, crystals, and tilings.

After exploring all of the above, what art and narrative does your journey reveal and what does it say about your wilderness experience? Most importantly, enjoy the journey!