Cricklewood Nature Journal Is On Hiatus Until The End of August 2024

New free subscribers are welcome to sign up, but paid subscriptions are paused while I plan the future of Cricklewood. Open to learn why and to participate in a brief survey.

The original graphite pencil sketch of Cricklewood, our Burrowing owl mascot.

Hiya!

Try as I might, I’m faltering trying to do “all the things.” I hate to admit defeat! I have an opportunity to exhibit my portraiture later this year, and I’m madly putting together a collection of twenty-six to thirty paintings and drawings. I naively thought I could juggle it all - exhibition planning and prep, Cricklewood, personal commitments, life in general, illustration projects, etc, like I did in my previous work life. Only I didn’t factor in that my life looks different now, and that I no longer buy into living/working as a race to the end.

So while I work on creating this body of work for the exhibit, I am putting Cricklewood on hiatus until the end of August. I won’t be publishing new content until the Fall (northern hemisphere), but all the previous prompts, essays, and the like will be available. Please make use of the archives this summer. There are a lot of good posts and prompts to invigorate your nature journaling practice. Paid subscribers will retain access to paid content, but will not be charged while paid subscriptions are paused. I may also send out a quick missive of a relevant newsy-type item (if there is one), and I’ll be active in Notes.

During this time I am also making plans for improving Cricklewood Nature Journal. The publication’s mission of exploring our environment through nature journaling has not changed, but I’ve been struggling lately with what that looks like – monthly theme essay with weekly prompts, draw-with-me style videos, and other activities (I have a ton of ideas) – and how much of this content to paywall, if any.

I hope you’ll stick around for the two months of waiting until Cricklewood is back in full swing. Since I’d love your input, I”ll send out a few quick polls to see what you find interesting for the next iteration of this publication, but first I’d love to know a little about why you signed up in the first place, what you appreciate about Cricklewood, and in what form you like your content.

Please take a moment to respond as this will give me some initial direction designing this next phase.

We have new community members, and I’d like to welcome you (I hope this isn’t too much of a shock!). And I’d like to thank everyone in the community for your enthusiasm, patience and understanding.

xoSusannah

P.S. Did I ever show you the original sketch of our mascot? I actually drew this back in 2014. I had just taken what would become my last job in the nonprofit sector – I worked for 20+ years as a donor communications and fundraising writer for higher education, arts organizations, and NGOs. This one was for a director of grants and foundation relations for a food security NGO operating in Central America. While I was excited to have this opportunity, I was also giving up on my art. The job was intense, and I knew from experience would be all-consuming. It was a bittersweet time in my life because I was doing something impactful and in service of others, but shelving my dream (again!). Drawing this little fellow was one of a series of bird drawings from that year that served as salve to the hurt and disappointment I felt at the time.

Hmmm, doing something impactful and in service of others… That’s what I want Cricklewood Nature Journal to become, too!

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P.P.S: If you like figurative art, portraiture, the human condition, and are curious about the forthcoming exhibit I hope you’ll join me over at The Portrait Project.