Motz Studios Blog

Today, we mark Earth Day—as a sacred invitation. It can be an opportunity to remember what we have always known but often forget: that we belong to  the earth, not simply on  it. Earth Day and I are the same age this year. We both came into being in 1970. So we've both had a bit more than half a century to embed ourselves in our surroundings, our communities. .. It has certainly taken that long for me to begin to understand what a powerful entity this planet truly is, and

Pollen Mix as seen through a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. “Bring questions into this space [the...

A visitor gazes in awe at the massive cross-section of an ancient Redwood tree, showcasing its intricate growth rings and immense size. (Created by DALL-E w/input from David Motzenbecker) “Fast gets all the attention. Slow has all the power.” ~ Stewart Brand, Pace Layers 2024   "Bless paper for the way it can kindle a campfire and a revolution, for the delicious confusion of cedar and velvet at the tip of your finger each time you turn the page, for its whispered promise that

Winter sunlight filters through bare branches at Wood Lake Nature Center, captured by David Motzenbecker. Each year at this time our inboxes swell, and our social media feeds overflow with invitations to better ourselves, to set new intentions and fill ourselves with inspiration for positive change a.k.a. ‘resolutions' . Like every seed hosts a potential tree, so do our ideas host potential for ourselves, our communities, and the world.   Resolution is an interesting word. It

"I do not go to the forest to be alone. I go to be with the ones who speak without human words." ~ FIA & KAI SKYE Forest in the morning light. Asher Durand, 1855 Solitude and silence are not the same. Nature is never truly silent, though places can be found that have much less human noises than others. However what the artists above are referencing is more of a contemplative solitude, a place to be with other beings and your thoughts, not utterly alone. Being in a heightene

In this post we will explore how to forest bathe, whether alone or with a guide. We will touch on different forest bathing activities,...

‘Work’ is currently changing before our eyes. The COVID-19 pandemic has made many rethink their relationship to work. People are...

*UPDATED - NOVEMBER 2023 * A group gathers on a wooden dock at Wood Lake, preparing to embark on a forest bathing walk amidst lush greenery and serene waters. FOREST BATHING – WHAT IS IT? You may have been hearing a bit about a new wellness practice recently – it’s called forest bathing, or shinrin yoku . Forest Bathing is the English translation of the Japanese phrase 'Shinrin Yoku'. Shinrin means ‘forest’ in Japanese, Yoku means ‘bath.’ This translates as immersing yours

Insights into the state of interdependence between humanity and the planet.