[Photograph by Pierre Curry]
Welcome to ‘Nature Nurturers’, a series of interviews with inspirational women whose passion for nature is expressed through her work, play or both. My plan is to alternate this series with my ‘Meet the Meditators’ interviews with inspiring women who meditate.
I am absolutely thrilled that Melbourne based Australian artist and maker Belinda Evans of Alchemy agreed to be my first ‘Nature Nurturer’! In addition to being an artist and maker, Belinda is also a conscious eater, forager, collector, traveller, photographer and sustainability educator. In her own words, Belinda is “obsessed with discovering and experiencing the beauty and imperfection of the natural world”. I had the pleasure of meeting Belinda last year and have been following her stunning Instagram account ever since. I am constantly inspired by Belinda’s passion for the natural world and the extent to which it influences almost every aspect of her life. Her artwork is simply beautiful and created with the most extraordinary amount of care and reverence for nature. I hope you enjoy reading her beautiful and thoughtful responses about her connection to nature as much as I did!
Can you describe what it is you love most about nature and how it inspires you?
I love so many things about nature, but what I think I love the most is that I feel so full of life when I’m spending time close to the natural world. I could be standing in the middle of a remote forest surrounded only by the natural, or sitting at a tram stop in the city gazing at a flower that I picked on my way there; while I am engaged with the natural world I feel like everything makes sense and there is no hurdle in my life that I cannot just bound over with ease.
Do you have a particularly special place or environment where you feel most at peace?
I love all natural environments, particularly Australian natural environments. I feel so blessed to live in a country where we have such easy access to a variety of different natural landscapes. I do, however, feel the most at peace on the beach, and my favourite spot is Wilsons Promontory National Park. I can’t describe exactly why it is that I love the Prom so much – it feels like my spiritual home. All I have to do is close my eyes and imagine myself digging my toes into the white sand on Squeaky Beach, reaching the Mount Oberon summit or wading through the tea tree stained Tidal River and an almost intoxicating wave of contentment passes through me. So, as you can imagine, what I feel when I’m actually there is pure bliss. I’ve had some very positive experiences in this special part of the world.
[Photograph by Belinda Evans]
Can you tell us a little about how your love of nature informs your work, play or both?
I didn’t quite realise it until recently, but almost all of my work and play is nature-based and/or closely linked with my love for the natural world. I’m particularly enamoured by plants, and they seem to take up a lot of my time and imagination!
I work in sustainability education for a local government, fostering community connections with each other and the natural world. I’m also studying permaculture (a set of conscious design principles that works in harmony with nature to provide humans with the resources – mainly food, shelter and energy – necessary for our existence), and I volunteer in the food garden at a local community education farm. I also write articles on some of the many aspects of the natural world that capture my imagination and admiration for theplanthunter.com.au. It’s important to me to connect with the natural world in some way each day, and to know that I’m helping to strengthen other people’s own connection with and respect for nature.
Likewise, my artistic practice is strongly linked with my love for nature. I just can’t think of anything more inspiring and beautiful than what exists in nature, and I’m constantly seeking to capture that beauty and the emotions that it invokes in me through my art. I source all of my inspiration and almost all of my raw materials from the natural world, and am particularly focused on natural dyeing – capturing colours from plants that I encounter in my journey through life, transferring them to natural textiles and transforming those textiles into something that can be enjoyed in everyday life.
When I’m not doing any of the above, I’m probably foraging for flowers, riding mountain bikes, bushwalking or camping. Nature is definitely a central theme in my life!
[Photograph by Palate]
If you were planning your dream outdoor adventure where would you go and what would you do?
I don’t think that you could have asked me a more difficult question than this! It is my desire to experience as many different natural environments in as many different ways as I can across the course of my life, so that’s what I’m doing.
If I think about it now, my ideal outdoor adventure would probably be camping in my rooftop tent in a remote forest next to the sea with a few close friends. The evenings are crisp and days warm, and we sleep and wake with only nature surrounding us. The location is very remote and we carry with us everything we need. We wake as the sun rises and the birds announce the beginning of the new day, light a fire and make ourselves a cup of tea and a cooked breakfast. We don’t rush through our day’s activities, rather move slowly and enjoy the process and each other’s company.
As the day warms up, we walk down to the beach and take a dip in the sea, taking time to feel the cool water on our skin and taste the salty water on our lips. As we cool down we move out of the water and lie on the sand, feeling the sun warming our bodies.
We then make and share a lunch of fresh, raw food and take a long walk through the forest and back onto the beach. On this walk, we take the time to experience the beauty of where we are with all of our senses, seeing and hearing the sights and sounds of the forest and the sea, smelling the soil, leaves and sea air, stopping to experience the small things that we might not notice if we were moving more quickly – leaves, bark, feathers, shells, seed pods, seaweed.
After our walk we return to our campsite a spend some time reading, crafting or whatever quiet activity interests us. As the evening approaches we light our fire again, prepare and eat a wholesome dinner and share stories around the fire.
Later, after many hours of laughter and joy, we nestle up in our tents and sleep soundly until the rising sun and singing birds announce the start of another new day. Each day continues similarly to the day before, but maybe we ride our bikes, swim in a waterhole or collect some leaves and do some natural dyeing over the open fire instead.
At the end of our adventure, we pack up everything we have, leaving only the ashes from our fire and our footprints, and returning home feeling grounded, energised and full of love for this world and each other.
What concerns you most about the impact humans are having on the natural world?
I think that in the recent past many of us have forgotten that we are part of the natural world. We’ve lost our humility and somehow come to believe that we are separate to, and above, the rest of the natural world, and this has led us to act in ways that are not beneficial to any living being (including ourselves as individuals and as a community).
I don’t think that it’s a coincidence that we feel most calm, content and invigorated when we spend time in nature, and when we create an environment and lifestyle for ourselves that is very artificial, everything starts to move out of balance, both inside and outside of ourselves. Close to nature is where we belong and where we thrive.
What makes you feel most hopeful about humans’ relationship with the natural world?
What makes me feel most hopeful about our relationship with the natural world is the fact that we are part of it, and I don’t think our spirit will allow us to forget it for too long. Although we have done a significant amount of damage to the natural world because of our disconnection with other living beings, I think that we have reached a time in our history when this is changing. We’re reconnecting with ourselves and each other again. I see these changes every day, especially in my work life. When I first started working in environmental sustainability a decade ago, what I saw around me made me feel quite disheartened. Now I’m seeing a change toward a more meaningful, thoughtful way of living and it makes me feel really positive about our shared future.
If you enjoyed Belinda’s responses you can learn more about Belinda and her creative process by watching this lovely short video!
