We teach Nature observation so you folks can hear and feel and experience God’s love and messages in Nature. As you do, we show you, by example, how to let Nature inspire your own unique creativity.
Mission Statement: What We Do At Spirit Tree Farms
Nature Observation Inspires Creativity
One of our main objectives at Spirit Tree Farms is not only to give folks the chance to immerse themselves in Nature, and teach them Nature observation and feeling techniques, but how to tap into the creativity inspired by Nature. We’ve been on our own journey of reconnecting with Nature to hear Divine messages, find our core sacred selves, and be creatively inspired. Creation Girl and Nature Guy / CyranoWriter (Marnie and Dave) thought we should have a page that models the creativity we are talking about!
We’ve been blessed to be inspired by Heavenly Father’s creations in Nature to write, photograph, and otherwise bring into existence some creative works. These links lead to some of our favorites. We hope they’ll inspire you to get out into Nature, hear God’s messages, get inspired, then get busy creating some of your own work! (We’d love to hear about your work in the comments section!)
Samples of Creative Work Inspired By Observing Nature
Following are some of Dave’s favorite creative writing pieces inspired by Nature observation. The links lead to his works at CyranoWriter.com/Creativity
- This observationalism haiku is about my belief that the more we observe and document, the more we are able to experience.
- A rhyming haiku that carries the same “observe more” message
- An IMprov (aka Instant Message Improv) meditation on seeing what’s already there. (Notice how Nature observation requires not only observing, but appreciating and documenting. These pieces reflect a fundamental belief at Spirit Tree Farms: Experience, document, show gratitude, expect more, repeat.
- One of our favorite inspiration / meditation places at Spirit Tree Farms is the Intention Rock. This link discusses some realizations I had there (in haiku form) and how they happened
- An advantage of technology is that, used correctly, it allows us to quickly capture thoughts that might vanish while we wait to find our computer. This “Sitting in Nature” riff is an example.
- Here’s a follow-up, more poetic prose piece
- Nature is constant. It repeats lessons if we forget. This haiku is from 4 years before the 2 previous riffs
- Creating a creative retreat requires work. I need to remind myself of the “why”
- Another reminder of our focus
- The constellation Orion and I have a thing. Here’s one piece
- Another Orion free verse (probably my favorite) written near Arches National Park in Utah. Gratitude.
- When you connect with parts of Nature, you find them everywhere, and they’ll move you. This free verse piece finds Orion in Utah to Central America to Georgia to the South Pacific to my soul
- Celestial bodies (sun, moon, stars) give constancy and insights
- More poetry plus prose about loving Nature (a bit more political)
- I wonder if I should keep politics out of Nature observation? (I don’t. Should I? Often I write about personal environmental responsibility)
- Nature is God’s and Jesus Christ Creation. This testimony resounds throughout Spirit Tree Farms
- My Nature observation, especially #songbirds and #Wildflowers, is influenced by my kin, especially my Grandma Bertha. Who taught you?
- Writing lessons learned connects us to those who taught us
- I hope my Nature work connects me forward, too!
- Nearly 2 years ago this haiku pointed the way to why we do what we do. I’d forgotten.
- Nearly 3 years ago, this haiku did the same!
- I must confess: Being with noisy others observing Nature isn’t my favorite
- Every evening I “sound my barbaric yawp” [Whitman] in gratitude
- Even during a pandemic, Nature observation and gratitude doesn’t have to change
- Gratitude can happen in the morning, too!
- And with deer
- and when not … there’s a reason (and a solution)
- and when others ask why I yawp, Marnie knows!
- Walking barefoot on the Earth connects us. Doing so in the frost will shock you!
- This is more like it! #EarthConnection
- It’s important to connect, but we often forget. Listen to your soul
- Walking barefoot is good. If you can, go deeper to connect
- I’d never seen the connection of removing shoes
- One of the first and deepest cold connections — earth bathing at a new level
- Free verse about those cold connections
- The Old Woman of the Woods, a pre-Civil War oak, gives a lot of lessons (like this prose piece)
- Working with Nature can teach us lessons as well …
- And it keeps teaching us
- My Dad taught me about the value of #wildflowers. His Wisconsin waterfront inspires me
- I see seasons change in Wisconsin more strongly…
- And yet, there is a constancy in Nature
- Sometimes, Nature observation can include humor
- Even in Death, Nature brings life. What’s next?
- Nearly two years apart, yet a similar observation!
- We’ve been successful in bringing #Songbirds back. This explains how (and why it’s important)
- At Spirit Tree Farms, bringing #pollinators back is vital, too!
- Working with Nature lets us practice Divine reframing (*thanks to my nephew for this lesson!)
- Nature also has ways of telling us we’re doing ok
- Do you remember what it was like to self-isolate during the Covid-19 pandemic? Here’s my gratitude
- Mid-November, 2023: We’re in a level 3 drought. I hope I can experience this again soon!
- Looks like heat is another Georgia constant
- Just when you think you’ve seen it all, Nature observation teaches you something new!
- I love seeing the different seasons, and understanding the constancy of Nature
- Social media and photography gives unique opportunities to share our Nature observations
- Birds and bugs from a back deck
- Sometimes there’s so much that the title is longer than the haiku!
- When we forget, Nature reminds us why and makes us glad
- Nature observation might combine with romance or other emotions
- One of my favorite photos and a haiku evoking Robert Frost
- Doesn’t Nature often inspire dancing, too?
- Gratitude and gladness haiku #shorebirds
- Evidently #shorebirds and I had a thing, too!
- One of my favorite photos and a haiku evoking Robert Frost
Nature Observation In Prose And Music
Like many of you, as a young person Marnie enjoyed Nature on what she might now label a superficial level. She enjoyed going to the beach and hiking in the mountains with family and friends. She found solice in the “fairy garden” on her own property. Although those experiences brought her peace, she wasn’t really an active participant in Nature observation. And her creativity wasn’t really ignited by being in Nature.
Her pattern of experiencing, discovering, learning, and creating from Nature is a great model for those who may be wondering “where do I start?” or “What’s the next step?” A few years ago, she begin to, with intention, get out into Nature, to observe, listen, feel, and create.
Along the way, she was so inspired by the Divine messages she was hearing from God in Nature — and the peace she found there — that she wrote a book and created a course about finding peace in Nature.
But even before her book and course were published, she was sharing her Nature observations and creativity. In fact, most of her posts on CreationGirl.com are about those experiences. Her creative prose blog posts range from animal and #birdsymbolism to conversations with #wildflowers to #FindNatureJoy, and include prose and music. Here are some of her favorites:
- #FindNatureJoy became a movement to help others share their #NatureObservation experiences
- Marnie seese Nature (and people) differently than Dave does. Sometimes she creates parables.
- Lessons from Nature may come from small flowers!
- Some people talk to plants. Marnie interviews native plants for insights and lessons
- Often Marnie’s #Wildflower interviews come complete with a video sharing her Nature observations
- This Carolina wren’s message is, in part, why this page, and our #creativitycourses, exist!
- Perhaps not surprisingly, Nature is full of confidence boosters and self-affirmation lessons
- It’s important to remind ourself to get out into Nature, and then share those experiences
- Marnie takes a lot of #Naturephotos. Sometimes, she’ll set them to music, with great results!
- We all like sunsets, don’t we? I’ve learned to really enjoy them with music
- Here is Marnie’s full library of #healingNaturemusic
Could Nature Observation Spark Your Creativity?
These are just a few of the hundreds (thousands?) of poems I’ve written about Nature observation. I’m glad I did this exercize, and I’m surprised at what I learned (including that there’s not as much emotion and feeling in my writing as I would have thought!)
Do these poems and prose pieces inspire you? Do they motivate you to make your own Nature observations and create from them? At Spirit Tree Farms, our mission is to help people hear God’s messages from and through Nature, and then creatively capture those messages. (Yes, we’d like to help you reinvent yourself and your connection with Nature). Schedule a free 20-minute consult with us to get started!
