Nature Blog Network

My mother used to say that I couldn’t draw a straight line with a ruler. While I would argue with the literal meaning of the sentence, I can’t dispute her insight into my lack of artistic talent. Fortunately, this week’s featured blogger has no such limitation. Debby Kaspari (a.k.a. “The Motmot”) is a talented artist as well as an engaging blogger.

Debby grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and graduated from California College of the Arts. In addition to her freelance work for museums and illustrating books, she has been a fashion illustrator, jewelry designer, product developer, and graphic designer. Debby has been blogging at Drawing the Motmot since 2005.

Birds and tropical ecology have been always been a big interest and are the main focus of her current work, a field guide to birds of Trinidad and Tobago. Last year, Debby won the Eckelberry Fellowship, which sponsored an Amazon sketching trip. The drawings, videos, and sound files collected in the Amazon that you see and hear on her blog will be part of an exhibit at the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History,  Drawing the Motmot, that will run from October 2009 through January 2010.

Debby, why do you blog?

My website was originally an online portfolio but morphed into an online journal in 2005 when I was staying on Barro Colorado Island in Panama where my husband Mike, a tropical ecologist and ant biologist (aka, “Ant Man”) was doing his research. I was putting up sketchbook pages with commentary every day and to my surprise people came by to look and comment. Julie Zickefoose convinced me to start a blog, which is so much easier and more convenient than wrestling with a website. It’s become a virtual refrigerator magnet where I can show my artwork and sharpen my writing skills at the same time. I use it to work out ideas, share techniques, show off, amuse, and tweak. I can play without any special mission except to document what I’m doing and why.

I get really jazzed up about a lot of things and blogging gives me a forum for sharing all my weird enthusiasms. The reward comes when other people get excited about this stuff, too, and most especially when they tell me what they think. The feedback has been helpful and very encouraging.

I still have my website but it’s more of a professional display area. The sketchbook journals are there for anyone who’d like to see them. Joining Mike on trips to tropical forests around the world has given me a shot of basic science to go with my artist’s perspective. I always feel like I’m living in the middle of a National Geographic special when I’m out there with him. I love getting to share that on my blog.

What’s unique or different about Drawing the Motmot?

My blog lets people look over my shoulder as I’m drawing or painting, learn a few techniques, and hear about life as a bird artist in the field. Lately I’ve been adding sound clips and videos along with the sketches and photos, so people can listen in, too. It’s becoming more multimedia as time goes by, and it’s possibly the only blog where the blogger has removed a live botfly larva from her own flesh and set it to music.

How do you promote your blog and attract readers?

I just joined Facebook and it’s really been great even if addictive. I have my blog linked there and announce when I’ve posted, but the biggest benefit is that it’s a personal way of networking with other nature bloggers.

Nature Blog Network has been great for bringing in readers, and I’ve also participated in blog carnivals including I and the Bird and Tangled Bank.

Any other comments on being part of the nature blogger community?

I think nature bloggers are monitoring the state of the environment in a crucial time and I like getting to be part of that. We’re doing it on a daily basis. We all make our own small observations, but in the end they add up to a global view. Anyone can make a contribution to the bigger picture.

Has blogging changed how you think about nature? or how you write?

If I’m out hiking or sketching and a random thought pops up, I’m more likely to think of it as worth mentioning. Since I started blogging, I’ll make a note instead of letting it float off into the void.

I now take photos of art as I’m working on it so I can talk about the process, which means I’m thinking of how I’ll describe the process while I’m doing the work. Sometimes I’ll start a post with images, which ends up suggesting a theme for the post. Writing in a blog interface lets me be more objective: when I hit the “Preview” button I can see how it looks online and it’s easier to edit.

Another side effect of keeping a blog is that I’ve begun to research more about the subjects I’m writing or drawing, and that’s carried me into projects and interests I wouldn’t have gone into otherwise.

Any words of wisdom for new nature bloggers?

Write in your own voice about what excites you, and use compelling images to illustrate what you’re saying. When you get an idea for a post but don’t have time to write it, start a draft and come back to it later – even if it’s just a good title. I’ve got about a dozen titles in my drafts folder, ready to be filled in and posted when I can get back to them.

Anything else you’d like me to ask you, or that you’d like to volunteer without being asked?

Just that I’m glad I can be part of the community, and I appreciate everyone who stops by and visits. Thanks for asking.

Thank you, Debby.

If you’ve enjoyed the samples of Debby’s work, visit her at Drawing the Motmot. She recommended a few posts to start out: Out on the Lone Prairie, a Painting Comes to Life, The Light in the Dark Forest, and my favorite, Crazy Birds and the Fun of Forest Drawing.

We’ve several more great blogs lined up for the coming weeks’ features, so be sure to check back next Monday – see you then!