by Gabrielle Tribelli
Recently, a friend shared with me The 100 Day Project: an art project for individuals to explore creativity independently and generate new inspiration daily for 100 days. It’s a personal project, but also has a hugely supportive community behind it as people tag #The100DayProject to their daily creations online. So I thought I’d give it a try--what’s 100 days anyway? It can’t be that long …
I’m on day 22, and although I have a lot of time to go, I’ve made plenty of new findings and new friends. Bird friends!
I recently moved to Portola, California as a science instructor with Sierra Nevada Journeys at Grizzly Creek Ranch and I’ve become more aware of the incredible wildlife around me — both familiar and unfamiliar. I keep getting this feeling of, I want to know more; I need to know more. My fellow scientists are so intelligent — each bringing their own knowledge of flora (plants), fauna (animals), and natural science — that I am constantly inspired by them to gain more knowledge. One area of fauna, or animals, that I want to improve my knowledge of are birds. So I thought, why not use my love for painting and art to learn about the birds around me in a way that seems tangible for me. I decided my personal project is to watercolor one bird a day.
One morning my housemates and I awoke quietly--the loudest sound coming from the birch tree in the backyard, covered in yellow sprinkles. The yellow sprinkles were Townsend’s Warblers tickling our ears with their sweet-pitched songs. I painted my first bird that day. Twenty-two days have gone by since, and my bird-a-day project has opened my eyes wider to the sky, the trees, and the ground--searching both for birds that I know of already as well as those I’d like to discover. I think I hear a lot more these days too. My awareness of my natural surroundings has shown improvement in just two weeks.
One thing I’d love to share from my experience is that creativity is not an interest separate from the natural environment. I believe nature is the most creative pioneer of all, and I think everyone is capable of recycling its endless inspiration. Just listen to the birds’ songs.
- Gabrielle Tribelli is an outdoor science instructor with Sierra Nevada Journeys and when she is not teaching students, she is on her way to becoming a world-renown watercolor artist.
Read more about The 100 Day Project.