Nature Journal

December 8, 2019 | Rebecca Gibson

I can’t believe I’m already two assignments into my master’s degree. Both have been based around the theme of “Writing in the Field” – writing outside as opposed to a typical office environment. This was really useful for me, as up until now I’ve mostly written brief notes outside and then typed them up later at my desk. While this worked for jogging memories, it occurred to me that I was losing out on a lot of detail this way. Photos reminded me of things I saw, but I was glossing over other sensations such as smells, sounds and textures. By paying attention to these senses I found I could create a fuller, more immersive piece of writing that really put the reader in the field with me.

Art 10 — Inspiration for a fantasy fiction piece

For my first assignment I decided to start a nature journal that I planned to take with me whenever I was out in nature. This would be the basis for my essay in the first assignment. During my research I discovered that many writers use journals to enhance their writing experience. Charles Darwin kept perhaps the most well known example during his voyages on H.M.S Beagle but there are numerous others. Author and artist John Muir Laws said that “journaling will slow you down and make you stop and look.” American author and scientist Aldo Leopold’s nature journals were so significant that the resulting essays became valuable contributions to the field of phenology – the study of seasonal natural phenomena. I also found several studies indicating that being outside is beneficial to creativity, so it made sense to do more writing outdoors!

Art 8 — An illustration for a piece of scientific writing about roe deer

I found that my nature journal not only benefitted my writing but also enabled me to concentrate more on my art. I was keen to make the pages pretty and yearned to have a journal that would be cool enough for Pinterest. I’ve always loved drawing and painting but it’s often taken a back seat. My usual excuse is that I have no time, but over the past few weeks I’ve started to create quite a large body of work just by snatching a few minutes here and there to make a sketch. I bought a travel watercolour palette with a brush containing its own water which has been a lifesaver. Now I can pop my paints in my bag and take them anywhere, and I’ve really got on well with it so far. I deliberately bought a journal with a ring binder, so I can remove and insert the hole punched pages wherever I want them. A lot of my conventional notebooks have failed so I think having the freedom to go back and add pages in later has helped to keep the creative flow going.

Art 7 — Burghead Harbour, the scene of a reflective piece about night walks

Writing and illustration go well together, so I decided to create a small drawing or painting for each piece in my second assignment – a portfolio of nature and travel writing from the field. I’ve loved setting art projects for myself again, which I haven’t done since school. Not only does it bring some variety to my writing, but it’s enhanced my observational skills by forcing me to note the fine details of my environment. I’m really looking forward to seeing how my nature journal progresses and I hope I can maintain it until the end of my course and beyond!

Art 9 — A worm’s eye view to illustrate a sci-fi fiction piece

New Chapter

October 10, 2019October 10, 2019 | Rebecca Gibson

The past fortnight has been an absolute whirlwind. I have officially begun my MA in Travel and Nature Writing at Bath Spa University, which I’ve decided to do part time over two years. The course is low residency so I shall be staying in Hertfordshire and completing most of the masters online. However, last week was my first residential which took place in Corsham, a town three miles from Chippenham, Wiltshire. The residential was designed to meet my fellow students and spend five full-on days getting used to postgraduate teaching.

It may sound like an exaggeration but the campus was incredible. Built in 1582, the building is a stunning English country house complete with sweeping grounds and even peacocks that strut comically up and down the walls. I couldn’t help imagining moving staircases and translucent ghosts as I wandered the corridors in search of the library. Although small, its shelves are crammed with books including an enticing selection of nature writing, both old and new.

I am sharing this year’s course with sixteen other writers. While there is a broad range of ages and experience, all but one of us are women – an interesting contrast to the typically male-dominated world of nature writing in previous generations. Everyone is incredibly friendly and I already feel comfortable reading my work in front of them and getting great feedback in return. We were set two writing exercises this week: a piece inspired by senses other than sight and an observational piece from time spent in Corsham High Street. Description is a favourite of mine so I often explore sound, smell and touch as well as visual stimuli, but it was particularly useful to hear what everyone had written and see what details they picked up. Although writing did feature in my undergraduate degree, there was definitely more of an emphasis on visual media, so it was really useful to discover my strengths and identify what I could try next.

65fc464e-0440-4342-bb5a-c15f587296e0 — A visit to Avalon Marshes in Somerset on our last day

Now I’m back in Hertfordshire and already missing the change of scenery, not to mention the time spent chatting with new, like-minded people. We will now mostly be communicating and learning via Google Hangouts until the next residential in February, but I did enjoy meeting face-to-face. I’ve never been taught online before so it will be an interesting new educational experience.

We’ve already been set our first assignment, due next month: an essay on the act of “Writing In The Field”. It will be the first time that I design my own question and I’m a little daunted by that at the moment! I’m sure that once I get reading, I’ll start generating some ideas.

My course leaders are Stephen Moss and Gail Simmons, both successful authors in their own right. I’m so happy to be learning more about the craft of writing, especially on a course tailored to nature and travel. I’ve been stuck in a slight rut this past year and was in need of a new challenge. While I still have the passion and drive, I felt like I was lacking in some of the specific skills I need to pursue a career in writing. I’m convinced that this MA will be a great step for me.

A Manic Few Weeks

June 30, 2018June 30, 2018 | Rebecca Gibson

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind! I have now completely moved out of Carlisle and come back home in Hertfordshire to spend time with my family and Cockapoo puppy, who at five years old is finally starting to calm down.

I’ve been back for a fourth visit to the Warner Bros Studio Tour of Harry Potter, and was throughly impressed by the new Forbidden Forest, not to mention the Butterbeer ice cream. I won’t give away too many spoilers as it’s an incredible place that you need to see to truly believe. I’ve been a Harry Potter fanatic for a million years and always get teary-eyed when I go. Even my Uncle Rod who was indifferent to Harry Potter ended up taking dozens of photos.

I’ve also had my final results from university and was thrilled to discover I achieved first class honours, though I have to wait until November until graduation! It seems as though I shall need the cap and gown to keep me warm after spending the summer in the much hotter south.

But I barely had time to celebrate my results before I managed to secure an internship at an animal sanctuary in Florida! I will be working for SEZARC (South East Zoo Alliance for Reproduction and Conservation) and I’ll be getting involved with a lot of lab work. One of SEZARC’s main lines of work is carrying out health studies to try and resolve reproductive issues that rare and endangered animals face when breeding.

It’s such an exciting and important area of conservation and something I’ve never had the chance to get involved with. I’m so excited to begin, but I’ll need to wait a little longer yet. I fly out at the start of August and work for two months before returning at the end of September. Just yesterday I booked all my flights as well as an international driving licence. Driving in America is quite a daunting prospect but seeing as there is no public transport in that part of Florida, I don’t have much choice! I’m quite nervous about going so far alone but I know I’ll love it once I get into the swing of things.

Now I have all of July to continue preparations for my extraordinary expedition! I dread to think how long my packing list will be…

Exhibition Launch!

May 31, 2018May 3, 2022 | Rebecca Gibson

The past few weeks have been fairly frantic, with preparations for my final showcase in full swing. Campus has been a buzz of activity as we all work on exhibiting our major projects and making them look their absolute best. After creative brainstorming and purchasing countless items and decorative pieces, I have finally finished my display and couldn’t be more proud of it.

The exhibition will be held at the Vallum Gallery in Carlisle, Cumbria from the 1st to 8th of June. It’s a beautiful space to display work, especially photography where good lighting is so important. As the main part of my project was a printed photo book, I have also mounted a collage frame of snapshots from my expedition to the Isles of Scilly. To find out what I got up to during my time on Scilly, have a read of the start of my journey to this stunning archipelago.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the photo book, or perhaps a few greetings cards of my photography, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at contact@rebeccaonthewing.com and I would be more than happy to provide more information.

Calm After the Storm

January 27, 2018January 27, 2018 | Rebecca Gibson

The past few months have been fairly hectic. University assignments have ranged from writing an article and designing its magazine layout, a 3500 word report discussing a client project and an exhibition designed from scratch.

There was a week or so once these were all submitted, then lectures started again. The blessing (or curse, as far as I’m concerned) of third year is we only have lectures on one day, leaving the rest of the week disconcertingly empty. This has made my need to stay busy ever greater, so this week we chose the driest day to go for a hill walk in the Lakes. I’m ashamed to say I haven’t taken my camera out for a long time, so it was time to dust it off.

The wildlife highlight came before we’d even left Grasmere. Zahrah’s keen eyes spotted a red squirrel hopping around not far from the road – obviously this one was accustomed to the comings and goings of Grasmere’s inhabitants. While Kerr and Conor fussed over the map, Zahrah and I watched the squirrel forage at the foot of a tree. Inevitably, I didn’t have my telephoto lens so I just enjoyed the view. Once the boys had figured out our route, we set off into the hills, blowing off the cobwebs that had gathered from being cooped up working.

‘Journeys’ Article in Watermark Magazine

April 21, 2017June 3, 2017 | Rebecca Gibson

One of my upcoming uni assignments is a portfolio of non-fiction writing. For one of my pieces, I was inspired by the theme of journeys, and how influential they can be. While many people instantly think of physical journeys, I wanted to reflect on the emotional journey I faced when coming to university. This piece was published in a university magazine in association with the literary festival “Words by the Water” in Keswick, Cumbria.

Waxwing Hunt

November 22, 2016May 3, 2017 | Rebecca Gibson

On Friday Zahrah and I seized the day and drove out to Brampton, a town a short drive from Carlisle. We’d heard that the waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus) had been sighted there and we both wanted to tick this incredible bird off our wish lists, do decided to try our luck finding them. Waxwings arrive in Britain in winter and spend their time feeding on fat red berries.

After getting briefly lost and befriending several old people who told us what they knew about the birds’ whereabouts, we spent two hours wandering around residential streets carrying tripods and a felled tree, more appropriately named the Canon 50-500mm lens. We saw chaffinches, goldfinches and several tiny wrens hopping between the fruit-laden branches, but not the jackpot we were after. The trees looked beautiful with their autumn coats, so we had plenty of other photo opportunities.

The car permit was soon to run out, so we started to head back. I’d just put the monster lens to bed in my bag when Zahrah noticed some dark dots at the very top of a nearby tree. On closer inspection, we were thrilled to discover we’d found our waxwings. A manic struggle to retrieve the telephoto lens ensued and I managed to take a few, slightly hazy shots. They didn’t come any closer, but I was mostly chuffed that we’d seen them. Decent photos can always come later.

After our success, we got lunch at Cranstons’ Food Hall and headed back to uni, just in time for our afternoon lecture.

I’ve Caught the Vlog Bug

October 29, 2016May 3, 2017 | Rebecca Gibson

As soon as the first vlog assignment is handed in, I’m asked to do another. In the meantime, here’s a short film I made when I visited Leighton Moss Nature Reserve with Zahrah, Lequane and one of my module tutors. I got to tick off some new birds, including reed bunting and very handsome bearded tits!

Sorry I’m Late

October 15, 2016 | Rebecca Gibson

So I’m ashamed to say my blog post schedule has gone squiffy. I have four days left before the first uni assignment of the year is due, so right now there’s a lot of hair ripping and shrieking. It’s pained me to fall behind on my ‘one post a week’ rule, but once this ordeal has passed I will get back to regular writing.

For now, here are some snaps from today. As I was walking home from town I ended up going on a loop round the park as the sunset was too irresistible to ignore.