Connecting with Nature
My connection with nature started as a place to go to feel at peace. Yet the more time I spent in nature, the more I began to create an actual relationship with her. I began to experience her as if she was a person – a companion & a teacher. As a companion, nature gives me a place where I feel safe, seen & known, and free to be my truest self. As a teacher, nature shows me what it means to live from the inside out, and to find wonder & wisdom in all the ways life shows up.
As I embrace nature as a companion and teacher, I notice that I take on the traits of a mermaid. A mermaid is a mystical creature who is half human and half nature. I dive deep into my life with curiosity, and I find beauty in hidden places. Then I rise quietly yet surely to share the treasures I discover. Thus the name of my work and website – The Mermaid Spirit.
Nature and creativity go hand in hand, as nature is creation herself. Nature is the form that has emerged from the inherent wisdom of the universe. And I am part of that evolution. The more time I spend in nature, the more she reveals herself to me! And the more she reveals myself to me!
Noticing with Nature
When I am in nature, my senses are fully engaged. I find myself drawn to particular things in my surroundings. From ferns and the way their delicate fronds unfold with amazing precision & order, to rose blossoms and how they hang on their stems after it rains, nature reveals herself to me. My entire being opens to the beauty of the ordinary around me. That makes it extraordinary!
Over time, I have learned to pay attention to what I notice around me, as there is almost always a message for me within. It is as if nature reminds me of what I already know within, but have forgotten.
Being in nature teaches me how to notice. I bring a spirit of curiosity instead of judgment, and in a way that seeks to understand instead of to fix or change. The more I practice this way of noticing in nature, the more I practice it in the whole of my life. As nature has been present to me, so I am learning to be present to myself and to others.
Creating with Nature
Nature IS creation, and thus, she creates! To create is to step into the unknown guided from within & beyond, and to revisit similar places, but with more lived experience. Nature does this faithfully in & through the seasons. From her first bud in the spring to her bare branches in the winter, she comes full circle and then does it all over again. Nature carries her wisdom with her and adapts to her surroundings accordingly. Her spiral-like journey even takes on physical & energetic form in the ways she shows up around us. Think of the patterns of galaxies, the shape of the Nautilus shell, the double helix structure of our DNA & beyond.
Similarly, when I create a piece of art, I am venturing into the unknown according to a vision I carry within. First, I collect things that draw my attention when I am in nature, from shells to leaves to flowers to rocks. Then I take them piece by piece to create a larger image. A beautiful conversation happens between my inner knowing and what is taking shape on the blank page in front of me. One step informs the next, and previous experiences inform future ones. This same creative process is also what it means to learn and grow, and it is our birthright!
To create is a gradual process that reveals its treasures over time. As I let my intuition lead the way, each step reveals the next. I love using the very sources of beauty & wisdom I experience in nature as my medium. They draw out the inner truth emerging inside of me.