How to gather inspiration with soil
Hello, my soil friends! I write to you from my mechanical keyboard with a simple idea to take with you into the weekend. I hope you enjoy!
a simple idea
That nature inspires is no novel idea. When we see soils as part of nature, we open ourselves up to the possibility of being inspired by soils. Soil forms and features can inspire our creative practice and art. Knowing soil's ecological functions can inspire curiosity and care. Learning about soil degradation can inspire environmental advocacy. Getting to know our local soils can inspire us to take action in our communities.
What does it mean to gather inspiration with soil? How do we actually do it? Inspiration is the thing that motivates us to do or feel something. An alternate definition of the word, "inspiration", is the act of breathing in.
All it takes is spending time with soil and breathing in. There is no need to try to find inspiration. We simply need to recognize soils where they already are.
We can practice the act of being inspired with soil, rather than taking inspiration from soil. What would it be like to translate this into our other interactions with soils? Rather than taking resources from soil, can we work with soil to sustain us? Rather than learning from soil, can we learn alongside soil?
When we intentionally breathe in, we become aware of the present moment and the situation we find ourselves in. When we open our minds to soil as part of our experience, inspiration will follow.
a side note
I came across this idea of inspiration as breathing in when I was writing a pitch for an essay reflecting on how I found inspiration for teaching by taking an art class at my local community college. All told the pitch was less than 300 words, and I was agonizing over every word. I had written the word "inspiration" in the majority of sentences in my first draft. I knew I needed a different way to express the idea. To look for a replacement (or find inspiration for better describing "inspiration") I went to the dictionary. I learned this technique in John McPhee's Draft No. 4. McPhee suggests looking up words in the dictionary, rather than the thesaurus, to look for synonyms. The definition reveals the true meaning of the word and often has clues to help sort out the sentence structure. I googled "inspiration" and found a hidden gem.
The first definition was as I had expected - "the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something" (Oxford Languages via google search). The second definition read "the drawing in of breath; inhalation" (Oxford Languages via google search). There it was - a clear view of how I gather inspiration when in nature. I breathe in, observe, slow down, notice.
Whether it is out in nature, in the quiet of your home, or in a calm moment to yourself, I hope you breathe in something inspiring this weekend.
Take care and stay curious,
Yamina