How Nature Inspires Us
The unpredictable force of nature. The one minute, one thing and the next minute something else. You never know just what you will experience each time you immerse yourself into a natural setting. Once, when walking outside, I startled a heron who had walked into the pond to get his lunch. I was as startled when he flew away right in front of me. Or that one time I happened upon a mama bear with her three new cubs while going down a trail I had been on many times before. The sounds, colors, smells, and even the wind blowing or not is a part of the experience which ignites the soul and awakens the spirit. Nature provides us with an endless source of inspiration and beauty that can fill us with wonder and awe.
Once when all alone writing down some thoughts while sitting in a lovely park in Alaska, I was so into what I was writing, I don’t know how long I had my head down. When I looked up, I was looking into the eyes of a black bear ready to cross the stream between us. I quickly gathered up my belongings because there was little time to get away in the event he would not be friendly. I was several minutes from where I parked my jeep. I spoke to the bear in a nice, quiet voice simply saying I would be taking a couple pictures and then I’d be on my way. I walked backwards and kept talking to the bear all the way to jeep. This bear seemed friendly enough but you never know. I don’t know if he was already there or if the 30 minutes I played my harp by the river brought him closer to hear the music. You may laugh, but, truth be told, I think the animals enjoy my music too. The fish come closer and line up and keep still during performances sometimes. The birds will start to mimic me and sometimes I play and they sing. Once a seal in Alaska came very close to the beach I was sitting on playing my harp. He just stayed the whole time and listened. I think there’s so much we miss, we don't see or understand when we zoom through life so fast to get everything done that we think we need to do.
The benefits of being in nature are numerous but here’s a few to think about.
1-Taking a walk in nature has been shown to have many positive benefits like reducing symptoms of anxiety or depression, improving overall well-being, and increasing feelings of calmness and relaxation. Studies have found that exposure to nature can lower cortisol levels, decrease blood pressure, and improve mood.
2-Sounds of nature that help promote well-being can be those simple sounds of flowing water, bird songs, gentle rain, ocean waves, rustling leaves to name just a few. These can promote relaxation and improve the mood.
3-Silence in the wild places is a gentle but strong force which allows us time for introspection and reflection.
4-For the musician, there’s so much inspiration that comes from nature in the form of rhythmic ideas, bird song melodies, the tones and sounds of water, or even in my experience, how the wind can play the harp and create a nature song. I’ve personally noticed increased cognitive function, creativity, and focus. The nature studio dream is one of the most amazing places to be.
Sitting on the dock by a pond at sunset or playing music in an outdoor nature studio or sailing on the water while writing music or just pondering your thoughts has to be the best day ever.