Inner and outer weather: Creative practice as contemplative ecological inquiry
Ecological crises exist not only in the external environment; they have their source within us — in the mind and in personal and cultural values (Bai, 2012; Stoknes, 2018). Arts-based and contemplative inquiry are helpful in opening the self and the senses to the natural world and its elemental dy...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Liverpool John Moores University
2020-08-01
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| Series: | PRISM |
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| Online Access: | https://openjournals.ljmu.ac.uk/prism/article/view/351 |
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| author | Zuzana Vasko |
| author_facet | Zuzana Vasko |
| author_sort | Zuzana Vasko |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Ecological crises exist not only in the external environment; they have their source within us — in the mind and in personal and cultural values (Bai, 2012; Stoknes, 2018). Arts-based and contemplative inquiry are helpful in opening the self and the senses to the natural world and its elemental dynamics of weather. Creative contemplative practice also creates room for inner exploration about how we relate to other species and to the larger cosmos. This article describes a drawing project that was undertaken in an endeavour to build these connections, both within and without. Through the process of walking and making drawings of the bark of trees in a local ecosystem, attention was given also to the dynamics of weather and how we might be more conscious of its role in everyday life, with the belief that such caring attentiveness is necessary in a time of critical climate change. From a perspective that values interconnectivity, this exploration puts forth that the elements of air and water are within us too, and that our inner weather – our shifting psycho spiritual states – is affected by earth’s dynamics, just as, more importantly, and our more long-term values and psycho-spiritual perspectives have significant effects on ecological health.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0479ba6931ce46799d1da65c6b231286 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2514-5347 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2020-08-01 |
| publisher | Liverpool John Moores University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PRISM |
| spelling | doaj-art-0479ba6931ce46799d1da65c6b2312862025-02-03T03:18:10ZengLiverpool John Moores UniversityPRISM2514-53472020-08-0131Inner and outer weather: Creative practice as contemplative ecological inquiryZuzana Vasko0Simon Fraser University Ecological crises exist not only in the external environment; they have their source within us — in the mind and in personal and cultural values (Bai, 2012; Stoknes, 2018). Arts-based and contemplative inquiry are helpful in opening the self and the senses to the natural world and its elemental dynamics of weather. Creative contemplative practice also creates room for inner exploration about how we relate to other species and to the larger cosmos. This article describes a drawing project that was undertaken in an endeavour to build these connections, both within and without. Through the process of walking and making drawings of the bark of trees in a local ecosystem, attention was given also to the dynamics of weather and how we might be more conscious of its role in everyday life, with the belief that such caring attentiveness is necessary in a time of critical climate change. From a perspective that values interconnectivity, this exploration puts forth that the elements of air and water are within us too, and that our inner weather – our shifting psycho spiritual states – is affected by earth’s dynamics, just as, more importantly, and our more long-term values and psycho-spiritual perspectives have significant effects on ecological health. https://openjournals.ljmu.ac.uk/prism/article/view/351Arts-based educationecology & educationcontemplative practicewalkingenvironmental ethicssensory & aesthetic attentiveness |
| spellingShingle | Zuzana Vasko Inner and outer weather: Creative practice as contemplative ecological inquiry PRISM Arts-based education ecology & education contemplative practice walking environmental ethics sensory & aesthetic attentiveness |
| title | Inner and outer weather: Creative practice as contemplative ecological inquiry |
| title_full | Inner and outer weather: Creative practice as contemplative ecological inquiry |
| title_fullStr | Inner and outer weather: Creative practice as contemplative ecological inquiry |
| title_full_unstemmed | Inner and outer weather: Creative practice as contemplative ecological inquiry |
| title_short | Inner and outer weather: Creative practice as contemplative ecological inquiry |
| title_sort | inner and outer weather creative practice as contemplative ecological inquiry |
| topic | Arts-based education ecology & education contemplative practice walking environmental ethics sensory & aesthetic attentiveness |
| url | https://openjournals.ljmu.ac.uk/prism/article/view/351 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT zuzanavasko innerandouterweathercreativepracticeascontemplativeecologicalinquiry |