Welcome to the spring 2026 edition of Field Notes - my seasonal gathering of art, creativity and encounters with the Sacred Wild.

I first discovered Mary Oliver’s poetry when I spent a year participating in Seminary of the Wild. She embodies a playful way of relating to the wild earth and the more-than-human, in honest and often humorous ways.Put simply, her way of being in the world inspired me.

When my Mum was sent Aunty Peg’s old sketchbooks, I discovered an unexpected creative inheritance. Her love of sketching and noticing nature connects me to my whakapapa and encourages me in my own creative practice.

What nourishes you when the things that usually sustain you feel dry and dull? Like the aerial roots of pōhutukawa, we can reach towards new sources of nourishment — finding life in presence, creativity, community, nature and small moments of joy.

Holy sauntering describes walking slowly through nature with open eyes, ears and heart. The Holy aspect of this sauntering is about recognising that the natural world is imbued with presence - aliveness - and that I can come into relationship with the wild earth, humbly and deliberately.‍