- I studied Art at the end of my school days, focusing on wildlife art.
- I studied some Ecology and Ornithology at the University of East Anglia.
- I studied Mental Health First Aid and well-being with Norwich MIND.
- I have discovered the whole Nature Connection campaign which gives a whole insight into the world of play, too.
"Awareness" is key. My former tutor at the university, Erica Towner, often wrote of impact of children's background when studying at university. Those who were from a background of an educated family, often found success at university much easier to attain. Those who were the first in their family to go to university were really making an important step, not one to by underestimated. Erica Towner, pioneered the Continuing Education programme at the University of East Anglia, for this reason. She recieved and MBE for her work, on her retirement in 2013. Very well deserved!
From looking first at science, then at ecology, I turned to understanding my own experiences growing up with a parent with disabilities. My mother severe epilepsy which was the result of early, 'experimental', treatments for mental disorders during her teenage years when suffered from overwhelming OCD which was in turn a result of depression because of intense family disputes as she grew up. It was a very unfortunate life although she could also be larger-than-life and a heck-of-a-lot-of-fun!
Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong generation. I like science. But then again, sometimes not! There are many things we do better now, but there is a resiliance in the past from simpler technologies, something which we can learnt from.
I have found statutory services to be truely acrimonious. However, I found 'salvation' in the work of Norwich MIND. Through their first aid training you gain an awareness of what good people are trying to acheive and what people who are suffering difficulties might be experiencing, as well as a little insight into what they might wish to acheive in their own lives. With awareness, you automatically respond in a more appropriate fashion. You can engage better and people can feel more confident to open up. You learn more and you can offer more.
Through both the statutary services (one way or another) and the training from Norwich MIND I have gained an understanding of what was important to me when I was growing up and what is important to me now!
The Nature Connection campaign has shed a lot of light on why my teenage sketchbooks were so important to me. In truth, the campaign can be focused on children of all ages! Particularly when you consider the writing of one of my favourite authors, Clare Walker Leslie. It is only her latest books which have developed the concept, of sketching and "learning about nature through drawing", enough to apply it appropriately and directly to children, families and national curriculums (teachers). Probably 40 years work involved there. What a terrific effort! And, it was a great way to learn.
The writing of nature connection and Nature deficit Disorder is usually focused on children. And with it comes a little insight into the world of Play. You discover that play has a structure to it, a structure all of its' own. The best book by far, I have found on the subject so far is; "Playing Outdoors in the Early Years", 2nd edition, by Ros Garrick, a lecturer at the Sheffield Hallum University, England. It is a slim book intended for practioners but it is written with such clarity and in plain english that it is suitable for anyone and gives a real awareness as to what a practioner and children are doing.
There is "guided play", where children are supported, guided and supervised. I guess, this can continue to older children and young adults with outdoor adventures. What is said to be missing is "unstructured play" where children play self-guided and build social skills and resilience. With high cost pursuits requiring equipment, club membership and so on, this can only really happen once a youngster becomes a young adult. Other opportunities might be being missed early on. Lastly, comes a development of "familiarisation". This might be mastering a skill; music, words, activities, art, mechanics, or w.h.y., but it can also include den-making, friendships, and confidence. A benefit to the process of nature connection is that familiarisation to nature generates a care for nature and its' future, too.
Lastly, for now, I came to art late. I did do a GCSE up to age 16, but I do not remember giving it much consideration, even though this would also have been about the time when I started keeping my 'secret' sketchbooks. Only later, at A-level, when I was trying to complete science courses did I started to give more attention to my sketchbooks, very much as an escape from the pressure! It was those days taken away from Sixth-form college, that I made great strides in my sketching and birdwatching. That was when my teachers suggested making the switch to Art and giving it much more consideration. This was when I began to read about Robert Bateman, and to study his compositions, which gave me some appreciation of art history, too. North America is strongly influenced by the Abstract Expressionist movement and Canada by the Group of Seven of Ontario.
Contining with art has been quite a challenge. I turned to photography for a while, instead. Art colleges take things so seriously - at least they do if you yourself are not an artist! The question is why? Well, for one, there is a long tradition of serious art. Whereas there is a long tradition of wildlife illustration, so they are considered to be seperate. There is little acceptance of any convergence in tradition. Again, I don't know why?
In fact, there has been lots of convergence in recent years, say the last 10 years or so, and I think that wildlife art looks to have a really exciting future. With the new social considerations it could even be said to be ahead of the game. That by comparison, mainstream "high art" is loosing its' relevance! Although, in America, it has been given a name, from the French, the "Atelier", which maintains the choice.
There are different approaches to art in north America and Europe allowing for more debate on he subject of creativity. The same is true of wildlife art. What has begun to emerge is a new direction of developing the creative sketchbook with nature-drawing and urban sketching, life-logging, even a resergence of life drawing and new directions in traditional techniques like printmaking, although less so with photography, I would say.
Art is becoming relevent once again! It is gaining an awareness of what people wish to gain by taking part, and that can only be a good thing, in my humble opinion!
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