What does it mean to notice?

And when did you last notice something beautiful in nature?

A dictionary definition of the word ‘noticing’ describes the sense of becoming aware of something (or someone) and/or to mention or remark upon it. If something is worthy of notice, we understand that it is due our respect and attention.

If you pause in reading this now and look around the environment that you’re in, what do you notice? We tend to most easily notice things that - in our experience - are either pleasant, or unpleasant. If you’re in the street, maybe the first thing you noticed was a strong smell from a passing vehicle, or perhaps a bright, cheerful colour on someone’s clothing? Similarly, if you are sitting in your living room, maybe your eye was drawn to your favourite picture on the wall that you chose for its soothing colours - or to the messy pile of toys that should have been put away?

As we all know, finding enough attention to notice something in our increasingly fast-paced world is incredibly difficult. Would you have just spent a few minutes actively noticing the things around you if I hadn’t prompted you to?

Whilst the human brain can process 11 million bits of information per second, our conscious minds can only handle around 40 to 50 bits of information per second. As a result, our brains have developed a technique which neuroscientists call selective attention. Selective attention has two parts - picking out important things from the constant stream of input that hits our senses and then protecting these important things from being overwritten by the unimportant. But this takes a lot of work, particularly when we’re exposed to so very many more pieces of information than our brains have evolved to cope with.

One of the best things we can do for our poor, overwhelmed brains is take them out of environments where the speed and volume of processing is relentless (for example, doing just about anything with a screen or device) and take them somewhere calmer. Whilst sitting alone in a cool, darkened room will certainly reduce the amount of stimuli your brain needs to process, research has shown that you're better off noticing the natural world.

My eye was caught on a recent walk by the intricacy of this spiderweb deep in the Hawthorn hedge

Noticing nature

There is a growing body of evidence that nature has any number of positive impacts on our mental and physical health, which doubtless you're already aware of; many of us can also point to personal experiences of how time in or with nature has impacted us positively.

I've always been drawn to the natural world, beginning with childhood explorations around the rural village where I grew up - playing in the boundaries of fields and along hedgerows - as well as from my experiences in nature on holidays spent in the open landscapes of Northumberland, the Lake District, or the Scottish Highlands. My passion for nature and the environment has since remained a constant in my life. When we had our first house with space for growing food, I remember suddenly becoming so much more aware of the weather and the changing seasons. My connection with nature became less abstract and more visceral.

Changing career in the last few years to become a full-time illustrator has been another shift for me in terms of how I connect with the natural world. As I’ve (re)learnt how to draw and paint, my creative work has come to be deeply inspired by the landscapes and wildlife around me. I have begun to find that looking at nature through the lens of an artist’s eye means that I am not just seeing - but observing with intention and curiosity. I notice colours, shapes and textures, details - but also mood, tone, character - the things that help me to capture not necessarily photo-realistic copies of the natural world, but my own version or interpretation of the things that I’m seeing.

I continue to be amazed by how the act of noticing in this way can transform mundane moments into meaningful and memorable experiences.

Sketching things that I’ve noticed in nature

Just before I left my role at the National Trust five years ago, the organisation was working in partnership with a team at the University of Derby to look at 'the essential ingredients of a positive and sustainable relationship with nature'. Although many of us associate the National Trust with grand country houses, the organisation was actually founded to look after green spaces and ensure that they are accessible to anyone.

‘We all want quiet. We all want beauty ... We all need space. Unless we have it, we cannot reach that sense of quiet in which whispers of better things come to us gently.’

Octavia Hill, 1883, Co-founder of the National Trust

Acorns I spotted on a recent walk

The project culminated in a report on ‘Noticing Nature’ and it makes for fascinating reading, emphasising as it does that noticing nature in small ways on a regular basis not only enhances wellbeing but can lead to radical results in terms of our willingness to make changes to our lifestyles in ways that support climate and conservation action.

Seven significant 'noticing nature' behaviours were identified in the research:

• watching wildlife (eg bird watching)

• listening to birdsong

• smelling wild flowers

• take a photo/sketching/journaling about a natural view, plant, flower or animal

• taking time to notice butterflies and/or bees

• watching the sunrise

• watching clouds

Some of the more shocking statistics from the research are that only 76% of children (and 71% of adults) participating in the study infrequently or never watched clouds; 83% of the children (and 79% of the adults) only infrequently smelled wild flowers and just 79% of the children (and 80% of the adults) infrequently or never engaged in creative activities inspired by nature. If you are reading this, you are probably one of the 20-25% of adults who does spend time bird watching, or enjoying a good sunrise/sunset. However, if you do fall into the infrequently/never category, do know that this is in no way your fault - a combination of education, cultural, economic and societal forces have all conspired to disconnect you from the natural world. And the best news is that it isn’t too late to do something about it.

Simple Practices to Start Noticing More

Wherever you are on the spectrum of connection with nature, engaging in a small, everyday activity around noticing nature could help you feel happier, more connected, less anxious and generally healthier. So what could you commit to do this week? 5 minutes of watching birds visiting a feeder from your window, a quick lunchtime walk in a local green space, or even looking up for a few minutes to notice the clouds - these things are all possible for the vast majority of people.

Cemeteries are a haven for wildlife and are often a green oasis in urban spaces

My top tips would be:

1. Slow down. This is almost the most subversive and radical thing you can do in this modern world where we all strive to get all the things done at faster and faster speeds. Take a few minutes. Stop. Look around. On your commute, on your way to the shops or the school run. If you’re at home, can you step outside? Or just look out of a window? You don’t have to be in nature to appreciate it - you just need to be able to see the natural world in some form. Clouds glimpsed through a skylight, trees waving over rooftops, birds resting on a wire. What can you see if you simply stop and look?

2. Now that you’re actually looking, can you focus on the small details. Are there patterns, shapes, movements or colours that stand out to you? Do these remind you of anything? Or bring forth a memory?

3. Engage as many senses as you can (although this is dictated more by the environment that you’re in). How does the nature that you’re observing sound, feel, smell - as well as look? The more senses you can engage in your noticing, the more firmly you’ll be able to fix this moment in your memory.

4. If you’re still struggling to concentrate on one thing, try closing your eyes and breathing in-and-out slowly for a count of ten. Open your eyes with a sense of curiosity, rather than feeling forced or anxious that you won’t be able to notice anything.

Let me know how you get on!