Instinctively Wild

Come and try your hand at Nature Journalling with Instinctively Wild.

This 2-hour workshop is designed to encourage deep observation, creative expression, and emotional connection with nature using the mediums of watercolour pencils and soft and oil pastels. Participants will engage with quotes from naturalist John Muir and use prompts to guide their journaling. Run by Pete Carthy, Founding Director of Instinctively Wild CIC. Pete has maintained a daily nature journal since 1st January 2023 and runs nature journaling programmes as a visual artist in the Scottish Borders.

Instinctively Wild began life in 2008 as Borders Environmental Education Services (BEES) a social enterprise. Originally they started out with Saturday clubs and summer camps at Harestanes in the Borders. As time went on they attracted people’s attention and started to get approached by a whole range of organisations. Such as the NHS, Local Authorities, Third Sector organisations and grant funders. They set up and ran working conservation holidays on the Northumberland Coast and ran workshops at the Greenbelt festival. They worked with Concordia to have a team of International volunteers spend three weeks with them.

In 2014 they rebranded and changed our name to Instinctively Wild. In 2015 they changed from a charity/not for profit company to a Community Interest Company. This gave the opportunity for some long term volunteers and leaders to become Directors and have a direct influence of the direction of Instinctively Wild.

Over time Instinctively Wild have become specialist in a number of key areas; Eco-therapy, Forest School delivery and Corporate days out and team building. They just totally love what they do – making a difference in the world through a connection with nature is awesome! Instinctively Wild is a social enterprise that’s as much about people as it is about nature.