Get Your Creative Groove Going — Inspiration Cues from Mar Estarellas

INSPIRATION CUES

for the Nature Art Challenge

courtesy of Mar Estarellas

Let’s begin by engaging all your senses. Close your eyes and focus on the sounds around you—the rustling of leaves, the chirping of birds, the gentle hum of insects. Notice the textures under your feet, the scent of the earth and plants. By grounding yourself in the sensory experience of the moment, you open yourself up to inspiration from the natural world.

Some examples to get you started…

Shadow Tracing

Find a spot where shadows are cast by plants, trees, or other natural objects. Place a piece of paper on the ground and use a pencil or pen to trace the outline of the shadows. You can leave the traced shadows as they are or turn them into something more abstract by adding patterns, colors, or textures inspired by what the shadows evoke for you.

Draw a Tree Without Looking at the Paper

Focus on the tree, its details, and let your hand move freely on the paper without looking. This exercise helps you connect more deeply with the subject, without worrying if you are ‘doing it right’.

Drawing Blindfolded

Find a comfortable spot in Nature and blindfold yourself or close your eyes. With your sense of sight removed, use your other senses to guide your hand as you draw. You might focus on the feeling of the ground beneath you, the sound of the wind, or the smell of the trees. When you remove the blindfold, reflect on the experience and what your drawing reveals about your sensory connection to the environment.

Leaf Stamping

Collect a variety of leaves with interesting shapes and veins. Dip the leaves in natural dyes or paint and press them onto paper to create leaf prints. You can experiment with overlapping prints, different colors and leafs. This can be a great way to explore the natural diversity in your surroundings.

You may also want to do these practices in a group or with a partner, here there are a few ideas, but the possibilities are limitless!

Joint Mandala Creation

Work together with a partner or a group to create a large mandala on the ground using natural materials.

Each person can bring different items to the mandala, and you can take turns adding to the design. This collaborative effort will result in a beautiful piece of art that we may gift to Nature as a gratitude present. Of course, you could also do this as an individual practice.

Group Landscape Painting

Spread out a large canvas or a roll of paper outdoors, and provide everyone with paints and brushes.

Each person starts painting a different part of the landscape—one might begin with the sky, another with trees, and another with the ground. As the painting progresses, participants move around, adding to each other’s sections, blending elements together to create a cohesive group landscape. Remember, it doesn’t have to be exact or realistic – capturing the essence and being true to how your body wants to move is the most important (and fun!) way of interacting.