I have a stack of journals holding about 25 years of nature observations from a single area. I'm in the early stages of working on a book, and I do plan on including field notes. However, most will definitely have to be edited, as I often write in my own kind of shorthand, with abreviations and sometimes symbols for words, so it wouldn't make sense to anyone else. Lol. And I'll likely need to edit some for clarity etc. but hope to remain as true to the essence of my entries as possible. I also plan on acknowledging this field notes editorial process at the start, for transparency's sake.
This is interesting, Lindsay. Congratulations on keeping such a good resource, capturing 25 years of being-in-place. That's marvellous. It'll be a wonderful trip back in time as you process these field notes.
Really good article Yasmin. I use photos, voice memos, badly scribbled almost illegible handwritten notes and bullet points in a draft email.
Like you I delete my notes (paper or digital) once my final article is published. I am an active user of photos in my writing and occasionally use quotations from poems or books, with occasional video clips.
Once a job is completed, I like to clear any clutter, used/finished notes, so I can clear my mind and have some sense of order. Though I find with my photos, I’ve learned not to delete too much - sometimes I feel the need to use one years after I took it.
Well this is interesting, Yasmin. Firstly a great read. Second, you asked how others deal with field notes... my own field notes... I create double exposure photographs so the actual process is hard to share and show, not in the same way an artist can show their process. A while ago I started my "Moodling in the Margins" practice because I'm participating in a local Open Studios next month and need to show process somehow. So my Field Notes are more about the conversation I have with my image after I've created it. For the Open Studios event, I'm turning this into a booklet for people to peruse so they can get a glimpse into my process. I'm sure I will publish this after the event in some way if it proves interesting to people. What form that will take ... I don't know yet...
Do you use a note-book and pen for site-specific writing? Are you a note-taker?
I have a stack of journals holding about 25 years of nature observations from a single area. I'm in the early stages of working on a book, and I do plan on including field notes. However, most will definitely have to be edited, as I often write in my own kind of shorthand, with abreviations and sometimes symbols for words, so it wouldn't make sense to anyone else. Lol. And I'll likely need to edit some for clarity etc. but hope to remain as true to the essence of my entries as possible. I also plan on acknowledging this field notes editorial process at the start, for transparency's sake.
This is interesting, Lindsay. Congratulations on keeping such a good resource, capturing 25 years of being-in-place. That's marvellous. It'll be a wonderful trip back in time as you process these field notes.
Thanks, yes, I've begun rereading them and am finding them beautiful and delightful.
Really good article Yasmin. I use photos, voice memos, badly scribbled almost illegible handwritten notes and bullet points in a draft email.
Like you I delete my notes (paper or digital) once my final article is published. I am an active user of photos in my writing and occasionally use quotations from poems or books, with occasional video clips.
It’s so good to know that I’m not the only one who deletes Caroline! We must be a rare breed.
Once a job is completed, I like to clear any clutter, used/finished notes, so I can clear my mind and have some sense of order. Though I find with my photos, I’ve learned not to delete too much - sometimes I feel the need to use one years after I took it.
Yes, totally agree. We are definitely on the same wavelength with our notes!
Well this is interesting, Yasmin. Firstly a great read. Second, you asked how others deal with field notes... my own field notes... I create double exposure photographs so the actual process is hard to share and show, not in the same way an artist can show their process. A while ago I started my "Moodling in the Margins" practice because I'm participating in a local Open Studios next month and need to show process somehow. So my Field Notes are more about the conversation I have with my image after I've created it. For the Open Studios event, I'm turning this into a booklet for people to peruse so they can get a glimpse into my process. I'm sure I will publish this after the event in some way if it proves interesting to people. What form that will take ... I don't know yet...
Thanks Deb.
The idea of a booklet is interesting. I'd love to see what that looks like.
Thank you, Yasmin. I'll share a few pics once I have it printed next week, so that I'm showing an IRL version (not digital) of it.