Field-Bag for Nature Journaling
Backpack vs. field-bag; here’s why I think the field-bag is a big win over a backpack if you’re on a nature journaling adventure.
Wait, What is a Field-Bag?
Technically, any bag that you carry your work or hobby-related items in, is a field bag. That means that a plastic bag from the grocery could be your field-bag. (I actually used that idea for the grandkids on a spur of the moment trip. It works, though it doesn’t last for more than one trip!) That means that your backpack could be called a field bag if you’re out hiking and nature sketching. And that is a perfectly acceptable bag for toting your hiking supplies and your nature journaling supplies all in one convenient spot, leaving you hands free to explore and draw.
Why a Cross-Body Bag is Better
For a long time, I simply tossed all my supplies into my backpack and took off for the nearest trail. It worked pretty well and I didn’t have to purchase another bag. If that’s what you have, by all means use it! However, I found myself more and more often, frustrated with my backpack solution. Every time I wanted to snap a quick photo or stop and do a quick sketch, I had to take my backpack all the way off and root around trying to find the supplies I wanted. It can be disruptive and take enough time that your subject flies, walks, or runs away!
A much better solution is a cross-body bag. If you wear your bag at hip level, on the side of your drawing hand, you’ll have quick access to your sketchbook. It works kind of like a holster, but for your sketchbook! Gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘quick-draw’!
Not everyone has the desire to make their own bag! A great option is a waterproof laptop bag. Most have plenty of pockets for your supplies, an adjustable over the shoulder strap, and are a great size for most sketchbooks. They come in all price ranges.
What to Carry in Your Field-Bag
Ultimately the choice is up to you, of course; but here are the things that I find essential to carry in my field-bag:
Make sure to visit My Favorite Supplies page for links to my specific favorites!
- My favorite sketchbook — This is a very personal choice and one you’ll need to make depending upon what types of tools you prefer to sketch with. I have settled on a spiral-bound pad of 98 lb. mixed media paper. There is just enough tooth to the paper to hold on to my media of choice — graphite — with very little smearing. It’s also thick enough to take a light watercolor wash so that I can capture accurate colors in the field.
- A mechanical graphite pencil — I prefer a mechanical pencil in the field — no need to worry about stopping to sharpen a pencil in the middle of sketching! I always have a container of graphite refills also.
- A small, portable watercolor set — I have a 12 color half-pan set. That’s more than enough colors for me to mix whatever I need.
- A water brush — This is a watercolor brush that holds water in the brush handle. I prefer a small round brush.
- An old bar-mop towel (or old tube sock) for cleaning out the waterbrush.
- Colored pencils — I carry a non-photo blue for quick, light under-sketches and a white or cream that I use under watercolors to keep lighter areas light. (ie: white or light colored veining in a leaf.) I also carry a small pencil sharpener for these.
- A permanent ink pen — I carry an 02 or an 03 size pen for detail. Permanent ink allows me to draw both under and over watercolors without smearing.
- Insect Repellent — OK, so this is not technically a sketching supply, . . . or is it? I keep a small spray bottle of DIY insect repellent in my kit also. It’s tough to sketch when you’re being eaten alive!
There are tons of insect repellent recipes out there, but here’s a quick run-down on my recipe for safe DIY insect repellent: start with a small spray bottle. Fill it about 3/4 full with 1 part water and 1 part witch hazel. Add in a TOTAL of 20 – 30 drops of at least 2 of these essential oils: lavender, rosemary, eucalyptus, and tea tree. Shake well before spritzing, and apply as needed. **Disclaimer — ALWAYS do your own research on essential oils. Although usually safe, occasionally people are allergic to certain oils and a few can cause sensitivities in pets and children.
What Type of Bag?
The tools and supplies you carry with you when journaling will dictate what type of field-bag you need. I hunted around for a couple of months and couldn’t quite find one that fit the bill for me; well, at least one within my budget! So I scouted around on Pinterest looking at patterns for messenger bags and cross-body bags and every other type of bag you can imagine. OK, I admit it, I’m a Pinterest junkie! I felt like Goldilocks. One was too big, the next one too small. One didn’t have any pockets. Another required a zipper — to hard to get quick access. I was ready to give up. I figured I was just being too picky.
Then one day as I was wandering through clothing racks at my local thrift store, I got an idea! I bought a pair of men’s cargo pants with tons of pockets! Then, I created the bag and the flap out of the pocket areas and used a plain part of the leg for the back of the bag. I pieced together random scraps of the pants for the strap. Then I lined the whole thing with fabric I had left over from another project. An old laptop bag (also purchased at the thrift store years ago) supplied the buckles and hardware. Voila! A custom-made field bag that I created for about $5.00 U.S.!
Me cheesing with my NEW custom made bag! (I may be a little too excited about this) Now, making your own bag may not be your thing. I get it! There are tons of great field-bags and messenger bags available out there. There is one for every budget. The point? Find something that works for you — and get busy exploring and sketching!
If you’d like to have a go at making your own field bag, the instructions and YouTube tutorial can be found HERE.
New to nature journaling? Check out ‘Keeping A Nature Journal’ on the blog. Also grab a FREE copy of my Quick Start Guide to Nature Journaling from the Freebie Library.
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Forest Bathing: What, Why and How
Forest bathing, translated from the Japanese phrase shinrin-yoku, is the simple practice of spending time in nature — doing nothing in particular. I can’t think of a better place to begin your journey to reconnect with nature!
Forest Bathing: What It Is
Forest bathing is simple in concept. You go to a natural setting. A forest is ideal, but if you don’t live near one, any city park with a tree or two will work also.
A proper forest bath has no agenda, no direction, no goal. Turn off your phone! You are going to amble, wander, sit, explore, wonder, and experience whatever happens. Most people treat a hike in the forest as only exercise. ‘Let’s walk really fast and get some cardio in today!’ It can be that; but it is so much more.
Forest bathing is going to a park — you may follow a trail; you may not. Stop when you feel like stopping, move when you feel like moving. Engage your senses: feel the breeze on your skin, listen to the wind in the trees, take in the scents, touch rough bark, or dangle your feet in the stream. Sit under a tree and munch on the snack you brought. Follow a bird, or sit in the dirt and follow an ant. Talk to a tree. Just be.
Nothing New
What’s currently ‘trending’ comes and goes in cycles. Forest bathing is one of those things that feels new because it’s popping up everywhere you look at the moment. In spite of its trending status it is, in fact, a practice that has been around since the beginning of time.
Before the mass migration into urban and suburban areas after the industrial revolution, everyone everywhere lived in nature. It’s where the food was, and the community activities, the entertainment. It was where you could go to be alone for a while and gather your thoughts. It didn’t have a name, it was life.
Forest Bathing: The ‘Why’
Deadlines, to-do lists, work schedules, getting kids where they need to be on time, . . . need I say more? Current society seems to dictate our every waking minute. Many of us equate busyness and a full schedule with success. But is it?
Are we, as a people, stressed because of our jobs and to-do lists, or does the stress come from lack of connection to nature? I believe it is a bit of both. We need times of deadlines and schedules as much as we need time to ‘do nothing’.
- Decreases stress (decreases cortisol production)
- Reduces sleeplessness
- Reduces depression
- Decreases blood pressure
- Reduces anger
- Increases happiness
- Increases concentration
- Boosts immune system
- Increases the amount of NK (natural killer cells)
There is solid science behind these claims. Dr. Qing Li , an immunologist in Japan, has been conducting research for several years. For an overview of his science check out this YouTube video interview of Dr. Qing Li. He has also written a book: Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness.
Forest Bathing: How Often
In listening to Dr. Qing Li, we learned that he discovered that part of the secret is the volatile oils given off by the trees, so forest bathing must literally include trees! Further, spending time in an actual dense forest creates a much longer-lasting effect than an urban park.
His studies taught us that the effects of spending an hour or so in a real forest last from 2 weeks to one month. He states that once a week in an urban park with trees should be adequate to maintain the effects.
I believe, however, that once you begin to add forest bathing to your regular routine, you’ll want to spend as much time as you can out there–deepening your own special connection with nature!
For more information on just how being in nature can improve mental health, you might enjoy this article. You might also enjoy this article on Hiking for Mental Health.
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A Nature Hike Improves Mental Health
Can taking a nature hike improve mental health? According to several current scientific studies, it can! Deadlines. Schedules. Concrete. Traffic. Cell Phones. Email. Cubicles. Windowless offices. Stress. Just writing the words has me feeling tight, pinched, and stressed! Even when we love our jobs and our lives, we need to make time for rest and renewal.
More and more studies are proving that time in a natural setting on a regular basis is the best way to reboot. Here are 10 ways that a hike in the woods can improve your mental health.
1. Hiking Boosts Endorphins
Endorphins are a feel-good hormone. They are released by the body as a natural pain killer — ie: when you’re walking uphill on the trail. Studies show that as little as 20 minutes of exercise is all it takes to get a boost of endorphin.
2. Hiking Boosts Serotonin
Serotonin has many roles and purposes in our bodies, but for this discussion we’re looking at its role as a mood regulator. Serotonin is a chemical produced in the body, mostly in the gut. Its production and release requires exposure to sunlight.
Besides sunlight your body also requires tryptophan to produce serotonin. How do you get tryptophan? It’s in the trail mix of nuts, seeds, and dark chocolate that makes a perfect hiking snack! So make sure to pack some along on your hike along with a banana. Take a break, have a snack, absorb some sun on your skin and get your serotonin levels humming!
3. A Nature Hike Reduces Cortisol Levels
Cortisol is a regulator. It helps us keep a rhythm of day and night. Our constant exposure to the blue light used in technology; computers, cell phones, TVs, etc., tricks our body into thinking it is perpetually morning.
There is a difference in the light of morning and the light of evening. Morning light is blue and causes a rush of cortisol to wake us up and get our day going. At night the light is a soft orange, signaling the reduction in cortisol so that we can wind down and go to sleep.
Spending time in nature, no matter what time of day, can help our bodies reset the cortisol cycle.
4. Time in Nature Increases Our Level of Negative Ions
Ions surround us. There are both positive and negative ions found naturally in our living world. In a perfect environment, they are balanced. However, in our current world we are constantly bombarded by excess positive ions emitted by all of our electronic gadgets and gizmos. We are out of balance.
Time in nature can even out that balance. Forests, waterfalls, and the ocean all create an abundance of negative ions!
5. A Nature Hike Boosts Our Oxygen Levels
We all learned this is school, but how often do we think about it as adults? Trees breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen! Yep, get out in an area with plenty of trees and you get an oxygen boost. A bit of exercise, deeper breaths, and increased oxygen levels can amount to boosting brain power and creativity.
Science has also shown us that there are essential oils called phytoncides released into the air from trees and plants. Breathing in these naturally occurring phytoncides helps not only to boost your immune system, but also to assist in stress reduction.
6. Walking Meditation is Easier in Nature
Meditating while walking in nature can have tremendous benefits. It’s much easier to focus on being mindful and present when your body is engaged in physical activity. Many people who struggle with seated meditation have no problem with walking meditation. There’s something about the forward motion of your body that causes your mind to move forward as well.
7. A Nature Hike Allows A Closer Connection to Nature
Spending time in nature, taking your time, and noticing all of the awe-inspiring wonder around you can help you feel connected. We forget because we are so isolated from nature most of the time, but we are nature. Loneliness abounds in our society. We can feel most alone in a crowd of people. That kind of loneliness comes from disconnection. While we absolutely still need close relationships with people in our lives, there is a vital connection to be had in nature as well.
We can find a sense of our belonging to nature. The exciting part? It takes time. Developing a connection to nature doesn’t happen overnight–it takes time and commitment, just like any long-term relationship. The more time you spend in that connection, the more in love with nature you become and, . . . the bigger that sense of belonging becomes.
8. Creative Thinking Gets a Boost From A Nature Hike
There are multiple studies that show spending time in nature and away from technology can boost your ability to solve problems in a more creative way by up to 50%. Taking away the noise of the city and your office allows you time to think, increasing both your memory and your ability to use creative problem-solving skills.
9. Nature’s Antidepressant Bacteria
Soil can make you happy and smarter! Scientists have discovered a bacteria called Mycobacterium vaccae. This beneficial bacteria resides in the soil and works like an antidepressant in our system. It works on many chemical levels that are still being studied, but we now know that it affects serotonin in a positive way, giving our brains a boost as well as our mood.
How do we access this miracle microbe? Hiking along a dirt path through the forest causes the bacteria to be released from the soil as we walk. We breathe it in. Playing with our hands in the dirt both releases it to our lungs as we breathe, and also through our skin through direct contact. Give yourself permission to get dirty and enjoy those antidepressant effects!
10. Forests Buffer Noise
Sounds — man-made sounds, . . . we are inundated by the sounds of traffic, sirens, construction equipment, lawn mowers, as well as the constant hum of computers, video games, and TV. This constant noise takes a toll on our physical bodies as well as our minds.
Step out into the forest where the trees and underbrush filter out much of that man-made noise. Listen to the sounds of wind through the trees, singing birds, and hear the crunch of leaves under your feet. Giving your ears a break from the noise of the city is yet another way to boost brain power and increase your access to your own creativity.
Interested in the scientific studies? PubMed has over 100 studies on the health impacts of forest bathing (spending time in nature).
Now that you have 10 more reasons to get out in the woods and take a hike, what are you waiting for?!
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