Day 2: The Gift of Deep Observation
9 Days of Wild Creative Connection
How did you go yesterday? Did some wolves start to fall out of your pencils?
A sketchbook is more than paper between covers - it's an invitation to slow down, to truly see.
A tiny gallery and a secret garden wrapped up in one.
To share, or just for you, a sketchbook is a place of abundance. In a world of quick glances and scrolling screens, the simple act of sitting with your sketchbook and really observing a subject is a profound gift both to yourself and to the wild being you're honouring.
🌿 Today's Reflection: When we open our sketchbooks with the intention to observe deeply, something magical happens. Time seems to expand. The rustling of leaves becomes more distinct. The subtle shifts in a bird's feathers catch our eye. The more we see, the more we see - and our sketchbooks become not just a record of what we've observed, but a testament to our growing ability to notice the extraordinary in the ordinary.
Your sketchbook is a safe space to practice this deep observation.
There's no pressure to create a masterpiece, only an invitation to be present with whatever catches your curious eye.
Whether you're watching a garden bird through your window or studying the intricate patterns of a leaf found on your morning walk, or revelling in wildlife reference photos that repeal the wonder of our wild kin, each moment of attention is a thread connecting you more deeply to the wild world.
🖋️ Gentle Invitation: Choose one subject today - a photograph of a wild being that moves you, or perhaps a houseplant, or a sleeping pet. Before you pick up your pencil:
Spend three full minutes just looking
Notice three details you might have missed at first glance
Imagine what it might feel like to be this being
Let your breath slow to match their rhythm
Only then, begin to make your first marks
Remember: Deep observation isn't about perfect rendering. It's about building a relationship with your subject through the intimate act of really seeing them.
🦉The FULL narrated tutorial and eBook are available inside Hedgerow - come check it out!
You can find the reference images here
With my whole wild heart,
Get the beautiful eBook, the full narrated videos for this series, a vibrant community, lots of workshops and tutorials and mindset coaching and SO MUCH MORE inside Hedgerow. In Hedgerow we do gentle, quiet, and connected - we move at the pace of our own wild hearts, we thrive, we unfurl, and we celebrate this gorgeous wild world. Doors are open until 3rd December.
