Much of what you said resonates with me. I am a zoologist by training but have always had the urge to be creative. Though I have been immersed in photography all my life, I can still experience that imposter feeling when reaching outside my formal qualifications. There is, I believe, some evidence that the strongest connections with nature are forged through creative activity, not through being able to identify every last thing you find. I appreciate your posts and envy your artistic skills!
@janewisbey thank you so much. A zoologist! Oh, I wish I had that background! But I do agree that creativity can be another lens (pardon the pun) through which to learn about the world around us. I think you make beautiful images, btw. 😄
Hi Susannah! I just stumbled on your page on Notes. So excited to have found you and looking forward to reading more. I loved your rumination about anthropomorphising and empathy here. I'm very interested in this link, especially in how anthropomorphism influences scientific findings (i.e. when scientists look at results through an anthropomorphic versus non-anthropomorphic lens, how does it change our findings?) and whether it can be used as a conservation tool. Anyway, super interesting thoughts and can't wait to see more of your art/read more of your words :)
Welcome, welcome – so happy you found my Substack! Evolutionary biology is a fascinating field, and I'm looking forward to your perspective. I'm very interested in nature's processes. It's the underpinning of all my exploration.
So happy to see you here again. I've been dipping in and out in recent months, but fully intending to return properly, imminently. Seeing your own return gives me a fresh spring in my proverbial step and a sense of excitement at the coming words and images. Hopefully I'll remember how to leave more interesting comments than this again, soon! Haha. Good to see you though.
Oh thank you! I was really glad I had the stories to share, to keep sending something out during the past few months. I still want to work out a way to make the .epub or other ebook files available for paid subscribers, so they can download and read the whole stories. I know there has been considerable talk of this on Notes, of writers being able to share (or sell) their books here on the platform, and I think it might happen at some point. Meanwhile, I’ll try and come up with a workaround when I get a moment!
This has been a tricky year for me, but I do feel more positive and awake, I guess, than I have for some time. Hopefully, this will translate into more shared words!
I know what you mean. It's been like that for me, too, and from what I pick up around me, for others as well. We all have different stories, but we're not alone, right?
I think that is a really good point—I have found myself feeling much more lonely lately, which coincides with not being as present here. Seems there’s a simple resolution for that particular problem!
You wrote “The fact that I’m not trained in the sciences has given me a big, fat case of imposter syndrome.” and also “I can’t identify plants or most birds without the aid of apps, my Sibley’s Guide, and copious amounts of research. At best, I’m merely a keen observer. What can I contribute to this conversation?” Well, I am a biologist and I’ll let you into a secret … I don’t know the names of all the plants and animals that I encounter either and I’ll wager that is fairly general. What biologists know though is where to find the information they need to identify the species that are not specific to their personal field of study. As to what can you contribute - well, your journals and artwork seem to be a fair contribution but if you want to do more check out https://www.inaturalist.org/ and https://ebird.org and add your daily observations to databases that rely on “citizen scientists” like yourself to gather information.
I am so with you on this train of thought. You don’t need to be a botanist or versed in zoology to appreciate the natural world. In fact, sometimes getting out of your brain and into your heart, eyes and senses is what appreciating beauty and having gratitude is all about.
How exciting! So glad you're starting up again. Earlier this summer, a friend showed me that feather database - it's wonderful. I love that our government dedicates resources to such marvels.
Much of what you said resonates with me. I am a zoologist by training but have always had the urge to be creative. Though I have been immersed in photography all my life, I can still experience that imposter feeling when reaching outside my formal qualifications. There is, I believe, some evidence that the strongest connections with nature are forged through creative activity, not through being able to identify every last thing you find. I appreciate your posts and envy your artistic skills!
@janewisbey thank you so much. A zoologist! Oh, I wish I had that background! But I do agree that creativity can be another lens (pardon the pun) through which to learn about the world around us. I think you make beautiful images, btw. 😄
Hi Susannah! I just stumbled on your page on Notes. So excited to have found you and looking forward to reading more. I loved your rumination about anthropomorphising and empathy here. I'm very interested in this link, especially in how anthropomorphism influences scientific findings (i.e. when scientists look at results through an anthropomorphic versus non-anthropomorphic lens, how does it change our findings?) and whether it can be used as a conservation tool. Anyway, super interesting thoughts and can't wait to see more of your art/read more of your words :)
Welcome, welcome – so happy you found my Substack! Evolutionary biology is a fascinating field, and I'm looking forward to your perspective. I'm very interested in nature's processes. It's the underpinning of all my exploration.
Welcome home
So happy to see you here again. I've been dipping in and out in recent months, but fully intending to return properly, imminently. Seeing your own return gives me a fresh spring in my proverbial step and a sense of excitement at the coming words and images. Hopefully I'll remember how to leave more interesting comments than this again, soon! Haha. Good to see you though.
👋 Thanks! I’m looking forward to your return, too. Meanwhile I’ve been enjoying catching up on your fiction installments.
Oh thank you! I was really glad I had the stories to share, to keep sending something out during the past few months. I still want to work out a way to make the .epub or other ebook files available for paid subscribers, so they can download and read the whole stories. I know there has been considerable talk of this on Notes, of writers being able to share (or sell) their books here on the platform, and I think it might happen at some point. Meanwhile, I’ll try and come up with a workaround when I get a moment!
This has been a tricky year for me, but I do feel more positive and awake, I guess, than I have for some time. Hopefully, this will translate into more shared words!
I know what you mean. It's been like that for me, too, and from what I pick up around me, for others as well. We all have different stories, but we're not alone, right?
I hope epub is in Substack's (near) future!
I think that is a really good point—I have found myself feeling much more lonely lately, which coincides with not being as present here. Seems there’s a simple resolution for that particular problem!
You wrote “The fact that I’m not trained in the sciences has given me a big, fat case of imposter syndrome.” and also “I can’t identify plants or most birds without the aid of apps, my Sibley’s Guide, and copious amounts of research. At best, I’m merely a keen observer. What can I contribute to this conversation?” Well, I am a biologist and I’ll let you into a secret … I don’t know the names of all the plants and animals that I encounter either and I’ll wager that is fairly general. What biologists know though is where to find the information they need to identify the species that are not specific to their personal field of study. As to what can you contribute - well, your journals and artwork seem to be a fair contribution but if you want to do more check out https://www.inaturalist.org/ and https://ebird.org and add your daily observations to databases that rely on “citizen scientists” like yourself to gather information.
Aw, thanks, Richard, for your kind words. I love iNaturalist and eBird - they are my go-to mobile resource when I'm out in the field.
I am so with you on this train of thought. You don’t need to be a botanist or versed in zoology to appreciate the natural world. In fact, sometimes getting out of your brain and into your heart, eyes and senses is what appreciating beauty and having gratitude is all about.
Keep spreading your wonder. ✨
I love that - “getting out of your brain and into your heart…” - that perfectly expresses nature journaling. Thank you so much!
You’re so very welcome. 🙏 I enjoyed and related to this very much.
How exciting! So glad you're starting up again. Earlier this summer, a friend showed me that feather database - it's wonderful. I love that our government dedicates resources to such marvels.
Welcome, welcome!