Carolina Franzen and I, Helena Wadsley, led a workshop, divided in two parts, that focussed on creativity and mindfulness while in the forest. We had about 20 participants altogether, some coming to both sessions. Starting off by walking in silence and noticing the small things around us, at our first stop, we did a couple of simple, introductory drawing exercises. At the same location, which was an open quarry in the middle of the forest, we laid out a long sheet of recycled paper and invited the participants to use their shoes as a stamp, stepping into biodegradable ink and walking across the paper. We invited the group to write a note to the forest which we left behind to be collected for the following session. During the second session, we focussed on sound and textures, doing some monoprinting of the ferns and flowers and drawing the sounds of birdsong. We finished by creating root extensions for a fallen tree. The combination of thinking about our presence in the forest, and how it had changed over time due to colonisation and development, with varied creative activities created a meaningful and fun experience.
