Hi everyone, and welcome to the March newsletter. I write these each month to share some of the things you might enjoy noticing in nature this month along with some ideas for keeping a regular creative practice going. You’ll also find details of upcoming workshops further down.
As we go into March I start to feel quite excited because it feels like an energy is returning. There have sunny days here and there with lovely blue skies which remind me how much I’ve missed the warmth of the sun. I’ve seen the sharp edges of the trees and branches softened by buds and green shoots are rising from the ground beckoned by the sun’s rays. I visited my dad’s garden at the weekend and his pond is full of frogs which have bizarrely been hibernating in the mud underwater but are now coming to the surface. March will also bring blackthorn blossom – those delicate white flowers which look so pretty against a blue sky – and I’m looking forward to hearing the sound of the chiffchaff (who’s song is just like its name), filling the woods.
Knowing this is all about to happen and feeling the lighter days ahead gives me an energy too and I feel like getting out more, drawing and painting more of what I see. I often find my own creative practice naturally dips over the winter. I certainly have to work harder to keep it going because one thing I’ve learned is that creativity does require energy. I think many people feel like creativity just happens for some people without them trying, but that’s not the case. I find just as I have to step outside to experience the light and growth of early spring, I have to get into my creative practice and work at it.
“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working” Pablo Picasso
Keeping a regular nature journal does help with this. It gets you outside (or at least looking closely at what’s around you), noticing the increasing green, the returning colour, the small signs of steady growth. And when you’re regularly drawing and observing, you’re much more likely to catch those moments of energy when they appear.
Why not try nature journalling?
If you’re curious to explore this alongside others, my nature journalling workshops offer time, space and guidance to practise this way of seeing together. We spend time looking closely at the small changes around us, practising simple drawing and observation techniques, and building confidence through regular, low-pressure creative practice.
Whether you’re new to journalling or have been keeping a sketchbook for a while, these sessions provide a supportive space to slow down, notice, and create alongside others who enjoy doing the same.
Both of my March nature journalling workshops are now fully booked, which feels like a lovely reflection of this returning energy. If you weren’t able to join us this time, I’ll be running another session in June, when the landscape will look very different again — and booking is now open.
Other workshops booking now:
Other ways to enjoy the renewed energy of March
- Take a mindful walk – with lighter evenings you might even get out after work. Look out for the daffodils coming into bloom, green buds, and early pollinators like bees and Brimstone butterflies.
- Get inspired to go on an adventure – Sheffield Adventure Film Festival (SHAFF) is on in March with films for everyone to entice you into adventure. We love the ‘Adventure Bites’ film which has a range of short films just right for kids.
- Learn to recognise bird song – You’ll soon notice that the birds are busy in March and once you tune in to it, their songs can be heard whereever you go. If you’d like to learn about what you are hearing there is an excellent app called ‘Merlin Bird ID‘. You simply ask it to record the song you can hear and it will tell you which birds you are listening to. It can also help you identify birds you can see and you can use it to log birds, if you like that sort of thing.
If you enjoy gentle creative ideas, nature-based inspiration, and invitations to slow art workshops in Sheffield, you’re very welcome to stay subscribed — and to share this with anyone who might enjoy making a little more space for creativity.
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