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2. Being immersed in nature: mapping our feelings

For the second activity in the workshop, we asked participants to draw a human shape at the centre of blank page. We then asked everyone to think of a green and blue space of their choice and imagine the page be that space, and that the human shape is fully immersed in the atmosphere of the place. While listening to a soundtrack of music and natural sounds, participants wrote key characteristic of the place they had in mind outside the human shape, and feelings, thoughts, and sensations generated by the place inside the human.

This activity helped us deepen our reflection on the relationship between outside spaces and inner states. The words chosen by participants to describe the characteristics of the green and blue spaces of choices often had a sensorial quality: sounds (water splashing, birds singings, wind on leaves), textures (moss, leaves, grass, sand), and light (shade, brightness, saturation of colours). At times participants described elements present in the scene: paths, trees, rocks, rivers. Other times we used words related to more abstract qualities of the places: cosy, protected, safe, energetic, to so on.

The inner states induced by those places clearly indicated how beneficial spending time in nature is for the people in this group: we discussed feeling relief, acceptance, presence, focus, a sense of connection to the earth, increased creativity, aliveness, inner quiet. A participant talked about a big sigh of relief as a metaphor of the whole experience of being in green and blue spaces. Another participant described how peacefulness and energy find a perfect balance when in nature.

Interestingly some participants also discussed sensations related to physical illnesses and how these can change when in nature: for one participant, painful symptoms are eased when spending time in nature. For another participant symptoms are not necessarily eased but being outdoors can help relate differently to some of those symptoms and approach them with more acceptance.

At this stage in the conversation, we introduced the mood-meter, a tool that can help analyse the energy levels behind different feelings.

By looking at the mood-meter, we realised that most of us only experience the pleasant side of the pie when in green and blue spaces, with the majority leaning towards the low energy pleasant feelings. Interestingly, these low energy feelings are not deflated or tired: participants noted that the energy is low not because scarce, but because better regulated and efficiently flowing, describing sensations of a low but infinite amount of energy.

Some participants also experience the yellow part of the meter: feeling energised and charged, especially when in spaces that are particularly lively, like a stormy beach in winter. However, even when high, these feelings are not overwhelming or scary, unless in those cases when issues arise (losing the way or facing other practical difficulties). For a participant, even being wary of possible dangers in nature tend to increase mindfulness and presence rather than necessarily generating anxiety.

Towards the end of the session, we briefly reviewed qualities of green and blue spaces considering the descriptions in our maps.

In this occasion, we particularly focused on the human elements in some of the landscapes discussed. While overall the group tends to prefer wild untouched spaces, there was some discussion around the need for infrastructure (paths, facilities) to support access to green and blue spaces. For one participant, the human element is easier to digest when it comes to historical buildings (castles, bridges) as opposed to contemporary/functional structures (pipes, transistors).

Another interesting element that emerged from discussion was the role of animals, from pets that accompany us in our explorations, to insects, which can be at times inspiring (being fascinated by their behaviour and their lives), other times scary (personal phobias or being allergic to specific insects).

We want to thank all participants that took part in the workshop for their wonderful contribution to the session and remind all of those who couldn’t be with us on this occasion that they can join us at any time, in person or online. Below you can find some activities that you might be interested in trying before our next workshop. These are of course not mandatory but are here for inspiration.

Workshop 2 - in person

On Friday 15^th of July 2022, we held our second workshop, this time face to face at the University of York, campus East. In this workshop we carried on discussing different aspects of spending time in nature and how this related to mental and emotional wellbeing, we experimented with composing writing about this subject, we discussed film ideas, and finally went for a walk on campus.

While our first workshop focused mostly on the benefits of spending time in green and blue spaces, we started our discussion on the second workshop by looking at which barriers might hinder access to nature, taking into considerations the elements identified in the research by Queen's University Belfast.

Discussing barriers

Discussion amongst workshop’s participants aligned with much of what the research suggests: roughly, there are two main categories of barriers that can stop people from taking full advantage of green and blue spaces, external factors (safety, infrastructure, transport, weather) and personal factors (physical and mental health, mood, finding motivation). In terms of external factors, we discussed lack of access to safe places, and how living close to natural spaces can greatly improve overall quality of life. Weather seems to have opposite effects according to personal predispositions: for some winters can be particularly challenging, with shorter sunlight and frequent rains. For others, on the contrary, the cold is invigorating while warmer weather can feel debilitating.

In terms of personal barriers, the main obstacle identified by the group was lack of motivation that can stop a person initiating the beneficial action (in this case, going out). Participants found that a very effective antidote to this challenge is having dogs: the need to take them out and having to respond to their needs help breaking away from the state of inaction that demotivation can induce. Other personal barriers can also arise because of physical health, which can at times block a person from being able to go outside. The group identified a link between physical health and facilities: often more or better infrastructure is needed for people who are trying to take full advantage of the benefits of green and blue spaces while at the same time managing symptoms of their conditions.

Collage of thoughts, reflections, and poems

After a short break, we moved from barriers back to re-exploring the benefits and magic of nature by using a series of lines printed on strips of paper. On a table we arranged sentences coming from different sources: some were prompts inspired by our conversations, some were quotes and keywords from the first workshops, some lines were adapted from the Queen's University of Belfast research, and a group was dedicated to nature poetry by famous personalities. Participants browsed the strips of paper and picked the ones that resonated the most with them. They then assembled the lines selected in the order that made more sense for them. This produced creative combinations that can be later inserted in the film if participants wish to do so.

Finding our style

After lunch, we discussed film ideas in order to plan our film. We started by considering what kind of imagery of green and blue spaces could be more appropriate to our film, and participants chose to use images and footage collected by them in the spaces they usually visit and to be filmed together as part of the workshops, rather than using footage (available online) of spectacular drone views of nature: this choice was dictated by the participants’ wish for the film to look authentic to their own experiences. Also, one participant noted, the experience of being in nature is sensorially completely different from watching nature from a detached perspective, as it usually happens in drone shots. Here is an example of how different trees might look from the perspective of a drone as opposed to a human looking up to them.

The discussion continued by looking a different approaches to filming: using voice over on images of places (as in a project exploring urban spaces in York), or interviews interspersed with more creative sequences (as in a film about a charity in York captured through the views of its members).

A participant suggested that instead of going for a purely documentaristic approach, it could be more interesting to design a character who encapsulates the transformation that green and blue spaces can induce, and showed a short film which inspired this approach:

The rest of the group agreed, and we spent some time discussing both logistics and creative takes on this idea, settling for a short film which will show a person living a difficult time at home, stuck in a dark environment. The character gets encouraged by someone to venture out and experience nature. Once finally out, the perspective of the character starts to shift, and they start to feel better and to appreciate the details of what’s around them. As this happens the colours in the film gradually become more vivid and alive. Once back at home, the home itself now looks more alive and colourful, symbolising how the positive effects of being in green and blue spaces carry over to the rest of the day. This storyline would be supported by voice overs describing the inner states of the character and would be interspersed with segments comprising images of green and blue spaces filmed by participants in the places they normally visit, combined with extracts from the research. This film idea will be discussed and developed further during our next workshop with the participants who could not join us on campus.

Practice

The final part of our workshop was dedicated to going out and about for some photography and filming practice around the lakes on campus, which quite luckily coincide with some sunshine coming out. Before starting our walk, we briefly covered simple rules to produce good quality footage. Below you can find a gallery of images captured by participants during this workshop.

By reviewing these narrative ideas, the group realised that, while this concept is authentic to their experiences, things are often more messy and less linear: it takes a while to find the motivation to go out, and, crucially, each person needs a different incentive. For some having a reliable form of transportation is essential; for others it's having a group of people or arranged activities; for some it's important to know that the place they will be visiting is safe.

This diversity of approaches is relevant not just to find the motivation to engage to step out, but also to how different individuals enjoy the outdoors: for some it's important to have something creative to do in nature, for others physical activity is the best way to experience green and blue spaces. Some people can fully benefit from nature only if they are alone, while for others being part of a group while outdoors enhances their sense of safety and of being part of a community.

Participants clearly expressed that the film should account of this diversity of approaches. They also suggested another importance aspect to their representation of experiencing green and blue spaces: while the benefits of being out in nature does create a positive change on every aspect of life, this is only noticeable after establishing a routine of regularly going out in nature. Participants were really careful in wanting to avoid suggesting that going into nature can magically solve problems, but it's rather a support to wellbeing when it becomes a consistent part of someone's life. A participant suggested the visual of a battery: we recharge in nature, but this positive charge only last for a certain amount of time in our daily life. Going again helps reviving those batteries and creating more long-lasting improvements.

Exploring storyboarding and shots

Once narrative ideas were refined and clear, we dedicated the last part of the workshop to looking at examples of very simple storyboards and how breaking up a scene in different shots (close-ups, medium shots, long shots, etc.) can help support storytelling by creating enganging visual sequences. We looked at a short film as an example and started to list which shots we would need to film during our upcoming filming workshop.

Workshop 4 - in person

On the 2nd of August we were finally ready for meeting in person and diving into the filming part of our project. Armed with shooting plans, filming equipment, and props, we made our to St Nicks Nature Reserve and Environment Centre in York, which was going to be our set.

Creating the characters and casting

We started the filming workshop by reviewing the main scene we intended to cover on the day and by linking them with the main messages the film would need to convey, to check that each key aspect of the narration was included in our plans. We then started to personalise the characters in the film. Considering that we were planning to represent different incentives to engage with green and blues spaces, different forms of engagement in nature, and different likes and dislikes, we decided to combine some of these to create three different characters:

• Character 1 needs to find inspiration through creativity to motivate him to go out. Once in nature, he prefers to be alone and use drawing and sketching to fully take in the environment that surrounds him.

• Character 2 needs to have some form of organised activity to go out. She doesn't mind being alone, but prefers to have the support of an organisation rather than venturing out on her own. She also enjoys gardening and growing plans as a way to engage with nature.

• Character 3 is the most sociable. When not feeling well she seeks connection through scrolling social media on her phone, an activity that can easily become draining and discouraging. To find the motivation to go out, she needs the direct support of a friend, and she enjoys nature the most when she can explore it in company. Once back, she feels energised, and still uses her phone, but this time to have a chat and directly engage with someone.

While we were aware that these three characters would not cover every possible approach to experiences green and blue spaces, we considered three scenarios enough to illustrate different options considering the time available. Also, these number of characters fit perfectly with the three volunteers who offered to act in the film.

Before starting filming, we also discussed how to approach production: we agreed to try different roles in turn, with everyone alternating acting, using the camera, and directing.

Filming indoors

We organised our filming according to space and weather. We filmed indoors at the start and at the end of the workshop, and filmed outdoors during its middle part. Everyone took turns and was free to take a break anytime they needed to.

At the start of the workshop the weather was a little rainy and grey, and we started by filming the initial scenes of characters feeling stuck indoors and not feeling motivated to go out, and immediately after, we filmed characters finding the motivation to venture out.

At the end of the workshop, we went back indoors and filmed each character experiencing the same indoor spaces with newfound energy and positivity. The weather had meanwhile improved, and the sunny light filtering through the windows was perfect to help us represent the shift in mood compared with the first scene.

Filming outdoors

After filming the initial scenes indoors, we moved outside just in time for an improvement in the weather conditions. We started to explore the beautiful surroundings of St Nicks, and stopped at any place we found interesting.

The filming focused on each character enjoying nature in different ways: exploring with a friend, reading a book, walking alone, gardening, and drawing. After having covered each character, the group started to spontenously interact and we filmed group shots of everyone enjoying the space. As if often happens, unplanned filming often creates beautiful footage, which proved to be really useful in our film. We completed our work for the day by recording lines around the main themes of the film, which would then be used to create the soundscape of the film.

Workshop 5 and 6 - online

Workshops 5 and 6 were very similar, and happened in September and October 2022, after a short break during which Simona edited the group film following as closely as possible the creative directions from participants. These online workshops were centred around watching edits of the film and collecting feedback from participants, to then make consequent changes to the film until it reached a level every participant would be happy with.

Feedback on the collective film was very positive and participants approved the editing work during workshop 5. However, there were still some personal aspects that the collective film could not fully discuss. Also, the group considered important to also use footage and photographs collected by participants in their own time during their regular walks: while the environment at St Nicks was appreciated by the group and was ideal to film together, making use of images from places that are personal and meaningful to each project members was key to show the variety of green and blues spaces available on a regular basis.

Instead of trying to insert different footage and extra lines on the group film, which the group liked as it is, it was decided to work on the production of a series of short individual films, where each participant could use their own images and personal lines which would encapsulate more personal perspectives on experiences of green and blue spaces. These materials were edited by Simona between workshops 5 and 6 and the edits were shown and approved during workshop 6, our last workshop. Workshop 6 also served as a moment of reflection on the project as a whole and to organise the event where the films would be shared with an external audience.