Hello, I’m Rachel, thank you for popping over.
I’m an artist, writer, noticer of nature, and outdoor lover. I paint, draw, write, read, swim in the sea, walk on the Downs, and wrap myself in blankets. I live with a chronic illness which led me to start this substack as part of my new career after leaving my previous career as a teacher. I’m on Instagram as @RachelGoddardArts.
This little corner of the internet is about creativity and nature. It’s to encourage and support (re)connection with nature and creativity. A place to use creativity to explore the more than human world and nature as a nudge to be curious and creative.
I hope it is a place of calm, of space, of beauty. A place to find awe and wonder. To find ways to nurture yourself and the planet and to learn a little bit more about the world around us. A place to encourage wellbeing for yourself and the planet. I share my journey with nature and creativity to show how it might help you.
There are posts about what I’ve noticed in nature, how nature has inspired my creativity, and nudges to encourage you to get outside or pick up a pencil. I also write about how we can bring nature into our lives by marking the seasons. Some posts are more in depth explorations of nature or the research on how nature can help our wellbeing and how fostering a greater connection not only improves our health but that of the planet.
In the real world, I run workshops encouraging gentle creativity in nature (online versions coming soon). I am a trained Green sketching ambassador with Dr Ali Foxon (@ali_foxon on IG) using the concepts from her book The Green Sketching Handbook. I’m also doing a course in Nature Connection with the University of Derby and hope do to qualifications in coaching and Nature Therapy when I’m well enough.
Gosh, that sounds all a bit grand, doesn’t it? Well, maybe, but I promise I’m not! This is for everyone who maybe wants to bring a bit of creativity and/or nature into their lives. It’s not about art instruction, but an invitation. It’s not about learning biology. It’s about joy, calm, and being in the moment.
To read more about what I’m doing, have a look at this post.
Create with Nature - the what, who and how
Hello, I’m Rachel. I write about nature and creativity to encourage connection and wellbeing.
What about subscribing?
Free subscribers
All the main posts will be free. I want this to be accessible to all, just as nature and creativity are free to all. A free subscription means you’ll never miss an update and helps me grow this publication. You can choose whether they arrive in your inbox, or to read them on the substack app. I will not spam you or pass on your information to other organisations. To find out more about how Substack. works go to Substack.com.
Paid subscribers
In addition to the free content, I am offering a paid subscription. This gives you the added glow to know you are supporting me to do this. You’ll also get additional content such as more in-depth essays (see this post as an example) and videos/audio from the great outdoors and my studio (here’s an example). There will also be regular online gatherings for nature and creativity.
I want to create a community, sharing what we have noticed, how to bring nature into our daily lives, and how it is sparking our creativity.
If you can’t do a paid monthly subscription (and I totally understand that) maybe consider a one-off donation through ‘buy me a ko-fi’.
