Welcome to Wild Developments! You're in the perfect place if you're seeking a heartfelt connection with nature through visual arts. We're not just exploring the wilderness but unraveling the intricate ties between nature, art, and storytelling. This is more than a podcast—it's an invitation to discover our connections with the natural world.
Our mission is simple yet powerful: to create a platform where each person's story about their profound experiences with nature becomes a guiding light. Whether you’ve had a moment of solitude in the woods, explored artistic mediums that evoke emotions and bridge the gap between us and the natural world, had a mesmerizing encounter with a wild creature, or felt at peach in the healing embrace of nature during difficult times, these stories can inspire others.
This podcast was partially inspired by shows like Sasquatch Chronicles, where individuals recount their profound experiences with nature- in this case, it's typically bigfoot, and the encounter is often scary. HOWEVER, I believe each of us has encountered nature in a way that resonates deeply within. This belief fuels my passion—a conviction that everyone's story with nature is a transformative force that can inspire others to venture outside and embark on their healing journey.
To get this expedition started, I should go first and share one of my deeply personal stories. This is an origin story, the root of my connection to nature and visual arts.
Only now, in my 40s, I am reflecting on my life and realizing that I retreat to the wilderness in my most challenging moments to heal my soul. My love for nature was nurtured by early memories of exploring wildlife in our backyard with my dad and crafting wreaths made of twigs that my mom and I picked together on hikes. However, as life unfolded, the demands of school and Work led me away from the outdoors. It wasn't until later—discovering camping and bicycle trips with my now-husband—that I rekindled that flame for nature's embrace. Yet again, career demands shifted my priorities, chaining me to long days indoors and missing countless family gatherings and milestones. I found myself absorbed in what I thought was my dream career working with aquatic creatures. For a time, I thought I had finally made it, yet I couldn't understand why I wasn't feeling any joy in my life like when I was younger. But I dug my heels in deeper and kept working harder, thinking that would solve my misery. It went on like this for several years…
In early 2020, literally and unknowingly on the precipice of the lockdown, Work sent me on a trip to the Brookville Zoo in Chicago for an interpreter guide certification course, which shook things up in the most unexpected yet transformative way. That frigid week in February felt like a turning point. The time spent learning, meeting new faces, and exploring the zoo sparked a fire within me. I rediscovered the joy of being present, curious, and engaged with the world around me.
Exploring a big city like Chicago on my own was reawakening. During the class, I got to explore the zoo during break time. Exploring by yourself can be scary. Part of me just wanted to stay in the warm classroom and sit in a comfortable chair; temperatures were dangerously low the week I was there. Weather Stations put out frostbite advisories! My desire to see dolphins overcame my fear of exploring outside the classroom. Some of my favorite photographs I have taken are from this week at the zoo. Had I not ventured out, I wouldn't have them.
After class time, I got to explore the city. I saw museums and parks. I took myself out on a date to have some world-famous Chicago-style pizza and a couple of glasses of wine. After YEARS of trying, I finally got to see the bean and get my picture with my reflection in the oblong metal sculpture. Then, I had to walk back to my car a mile in a snowstorm; it was so beautiful and peaceful. Geese stood on icy walkways as Lake Michigan lapped up waves on the shore that looked more like a slushie than water. At one point, the snow was so heavy I could barely see where I was going, and it was loud as it was hitting the ground.
I was so happy I remember laughing out loud- I was so delighted, tickled even, inside that it had to burst out! I had just started a journal, which I hadn't done since I was a kid, and on the first page, where you put your name, I wrote "2020 new possibilities" because that walk in the snow was so profound for me. I had to write down this thought after my laughing outburst, "2/13/20 thought- I am on this earth for a short time, and I am here to experience as much as I can (right now, freezing & snow in Chicago). Make a difference!"
I finally had the time and space to be present and curious for the first time in years. I was getting in touch with myself again, and you know what I discovered? I missed me. I wasn't busy rushing from one thing to the next with constant pressure and demands and long, tiring hours. I felt like coming out of a fog, waking up from a long nightmare.
That walk in a blizzard became a symbolic moment, a marker of new possibilities amidst the chaos of 2020. It was pivotal when I decided to reconnect with my true passion. I started journaling again, jotting down thoughts, aspirations, drawings, and one resounding idea—embracing every experience life offers.
When I returned from the trip, I put in my part-time notice, and two short weeks later, Covid forced my employer to furlough all part-time employees. Months later, when they asked me to return, I declined. Leaving my previous job was a tough call but a necessary one for my well-being. Little did I know that it would pave the way for incredible opportunities, from becoming a Certified Volunteer Naturalist (which was based on a recommendation from a new friend from the Chicago class) to becoming a wildlife rehabber to starting a drone business with my husband, and finally pursuing my art career fulltime.
Amidst the challenges of the pandemic, I found solace in nature. Camping, boating, and spending quality time with my family healed my soul. The summer of 2020 was spent almost exclusively outdoors. Yet, social distancing brought its own hurdles, testing friendships and relationships. Eventually, the entrepreneurial lifestyle sucked me back into the hustle culture. When I decided to leave a business partnership in 2023, I retreated again to nature's solace, spending a week at Cades Cove photographing bears, taking my son for two weeks to St. Pete Beach to walk the shore looking for sea turtle nests to report, taking my family to see the grandeur of the Niagra Falls.
I finally began to recognize the pattern- nature= healing, adventure, and connection. This time, I will not let that go. I have started a routine practice of nature journaling that ensures that I get outside and explore a few times a week. My photography is my connection to exciting adventures, but it also leads to some downtime waiting for wildlife to appear, yet another reason I love my nature journal- something to do while waiting to take that shot! Through my watercolor paintings, I appreciate the intricate details and beauty of the creatures I have photographed. Intentionality is the key to getting your heart's desires, and we all yearn to connect with Mother Earth!
So, that is just one of my stories about how nature has changed my life for the better. I want to hear YOUR story. The first note on the first page of my Interpreter Guide Class from that fateful Chicago trip was, "If you want someone to remember your message, tell them a story," Rachel Gillett.
That's when the idea of starting this podcast emerged—a bridge to reconnect with friends, share stories, and embrace the power of narrative. You know, stories have this incredible ability to bring people together, inspire, and remind us of our shared humanity. I want to hear about how you overcame a fear or summited that mountain, encountered a beautiful creature, a tip or trick you use to connect with nature, that art medium that helps you to appreciate our natural world better!
Now, I invite you to join me in this expedition to listen, share, and be inspired! As Jacques Cousteau wisely said, "We only protest what we love, we only love what we understand, and we only understand what we are taught." Your story matters; through it, we can ignite a passion for nature in others, fostering a collective journey toward healing and connection.
Until next time, get outside and develop something wild!