Interpreting my journey
Learning about nature interpretation this semester has taught me a lot and I’m incredibly appreciative of not just the space for some self-expression, but also the incentive to attach meaning to everything I have done. It has allowed me to learn not just about the field, but many things that I can apply to different aspects of my life. This blog was a little difficult to write and I had to think a lot, but it is in many ways a stream of consciousness as I reflect on everything I have learnt.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
As I continue to develop as an interpreter, my guiding principles are to foster understanding and appreciation, while recognizing that we all engage with the world differently. I think one of the most valuable things that I’ve learned this semester is first understanding myself and what I wish to contribute to the world, and how that influences my role as an interpreter. This has allowed me to recognize the beliefs that I bring to my interpretation such as the importance of communicating science in a way that is relevant and meaningful to a larger audience.
I think that in terms of trying to raise awareness about environmental issues such as habitat destruction, species extinction, climate change etc., it is essential to increase the sense of wonder people have towards natural world. Sharing the very simple things about the natural world has the ability to completely transform someone’s perspective or feeling towards something. I remember as a kid I was quite terrified of bugs and would not hesitate to ask someone to kill them for me, and then one day my dad told me that some bugs actually have pretty short lifespans (in their adult form), and killing them meant they get even less time to spend in the world. Since then I somehow learnt to co-exist with bugs, I’m still not their biggest fan but I can never seem to forget how learning something so simple changed my entire perspective to the extent that I would always wonder how insects perceived the world, which led me down the rabbit of hole of learning how different organisms perceive time differently from humans. Learning such things ignited my curiosity of the natural world which I think led me to be an empathetic person. And so with all this said, I believe interpretation is something that can deeply inspire people and change lives in ways I don’t even think I can begin to imagine.
The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper ― W.B. Yeats
Image by Frank Winkler from Pixabay
In the day and age we live in, I think it can be very easy for humans to view ourselves as separate from the natural world especially when our lives are dominated by technology. I think that in trying to reconnect humans with nature, it is important for us to understand our place in it and that we are a part of the whole, rather than apart from it. And this brings me to my approach as an individual, and I have to stop and ask myself not just how I would like to share my message but also what my end goal is, what feelings and understanding am I trying to impart and invoke? In many ways it is trying to emulate to some capacity what I have observed from other interpreters that has stuck with me over time. I think that there is always something incredible to be experienced when you witness someone talking about something they love, and one step beyond that I feel is when they share that with other people. My experiences of interpretation that have stuck with me have always been when the interpreter is kind, respectful, passionate and when they have created a space for the audience to attach their own meaning to the experience. These are qualities I would like to bring to my own interpretation.
Through this course I’ve really come to appreciate the diversity of the ways in which information can be shared, and I’m exploring how I can incorporate some of those practices into my own work. Words have always been my preferred form of expression, in more ways than I think we realize, we are always weaving some sort of story through our words. Something that I want to explore more of is the different ways of sharing messages through words, going beyond essays and blogs and opinion pieces. There’s so many different things I have been exposed to through this course that have really transformed my thinking and have inspired me to step outside of the box. The one that sticks with me the most is a poetry book mentioned in the textbook by Jidi Maija called I, Snow Leopard. The speaker in the poem is an endangered snow leopard and I couldn’t help but think how much more powerful the message of human violence towards animals is communicated, by giving a voice to the animal itself. I still don’t know what my approach as an interpreter is quite yet, but I look forward to experimenting with mixing different mediums such as storytelling, music and videography.
Image by TeeFarm from Pixabay
As I continue on thins journey, my responsibility is to retain integrity in everything I do, to be as true as I can to the information I share, to make it accessible, and to always remember that it is not about sharing my perception of the world, but the wonder, and creating space for others to experience that wonder.
When I signed up for this course it was kind of like taking a shot in the dark, and I didn’t know what to expect, but I’m glad I took the chance. I have enjoyed reading and learning about the experiences others have had not just in the natural world, but in their personal lives as well. I’m kind of glad I’ve had this opportunity to reflect on this course and all the different things I have learnt because it has enabled me to see the growth in myself and in my thinking over the past few months. I don’t really know how else to end this other than to wish everyone the best of luck in all their future endeavours!
Hi!
Awesome post, I really enjoyed reading your different perspectives and beliefs surrounding nature interpretation, and how they have evolved throughout the semester! I was pretty relieved to find that you also found the post this week a bit challenging, as I also struggled to sum up my own personal ethic, the developments I have made throughout this course and how I can put it all together in the future. I also share the belief and understanding that we all engage with the world in our own way, this being said, there needs to be more inclusion of this in nature interpretation everywhere if it aims to be accessible to all. I found that I was able to, similarly, discover more about myself and how I want to contribute to the world of nature interpretation and education throughout this course. I believe that I found that I feel most at ease and comfortable actually being in nature and that I learn best about nature and interpret nature best when being immersed in it. This has led me to believe that I personally want to contribute to this field by giving others the opportunity to experience nature in such a way, while also giving them the resources to do so. It really is, as you mentioned, so incredibly easy to view ourselves as completely separate entities from nature, especially those of us who do not live surrounded by it or have the chance to experience it on a regular basis. I agree that technology also contributes to this; by trying to make us all feel more connected, it ends up often creating such a disconnect with the physical natural world.
I also wholeheartedly agree that this course allowed me to recognize and understand that nature interpretation is far from one dimensional and the ways in which this information can be communicated and displayed come in all forms and mediums. I found that I never really thought of art as a way of interpreting nature before, at least much beyond a painting or a drawing so when I learned about theatre, poetry, music and storytelling, I was actually quite surprised. Now it is quite obvious to me how these can all be forms of nature interpretation, but I think that is quite telling of how much I have learned and developed my understanding throughout this course. Personally, I prefer to use my words to tell my own stories and personal experiences when acting as a nature interpreter, much like you. But I am also quite intrigued by the idea of using music as I have always enjoyed writing music and singing, so perhaps one day I will try that out. I definitely agree that I am so glad I signed up for this course, best of luck to you as well!
-Emily






















