Transformation
Worksheets
Water
Water and Shifting States
Liquid, solid, gas.
Every living being
has strategies to
manage water.
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This poem and worksheet are a reminder that we also go through states of energy, structure, and flow.
It asks: what helps you fall into each states, and what helps you shift between them?
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Connecting back to global systems, the importance of water is moving into the climate conversation, summarized neatly in this quote by Nick Steiner :
"When we focus on water cycle restoration, we will automatically restore carbon cycles as well. It's impossible to restore water cycles without also having a positive impact on carbon cycles."
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Poem References:
(1) Molecules of water in the human body: https://lnkd.in/gdQr3D7z
(2) Hydrogen / polar bonding: https://lnkd.in/gXDHqHpx
Snail
Snail Illustrations
People comment on the detail in my work: How do I accurately capture the characteristics of the living world?
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It's a trick, and it's a simple one: I usually start by tracing. Sometimes this means working with a printed image and tracing paper but most often I work on a tablet.
In this example of a snail I referenced two different photos. The first image provided the overall shape and details of the snail and the second one helped me draw the outline of the shell and add details (Images 6-9)
As I tried to capture the bumpiness of the skin I considered: What are the wrinkles for? What superpowers do they enable? Do they create elasticity? Help with movement? Move liquids around?
In living systems Form follows Function
The shape of a feature is typically related to the roles it performs. Tracing photos and learning through colouring allows me to think about each structure contributes to survival. The more I practice drawing this way, the easier it becomes to create the patterns without a reference photo. I start to interpolate fuzzy details and mix images together. If an area looks wrong the first time I'll add a layer and try again.
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The snail held a few surprises for me: On its head are two or four tentacles that hold eyes and smell receptors. In some species these appendages can be retracted into the soft body for protection or extended outwards, allowing the snail to move sensory organs independently of it's body. Snails have rows of teeth that scrape food from surfaces, and some species are able to regenerate these structures when they become damaged.
Oysters
Oysters + Ecosystems
Oysters use a strong-but-flexible glue to attach to rocks, concrete, and other oysters. As they do so, they create infrastructure that supports ecosystems. Forming reefs of thousands or millions, these irregular structures disrupt water movement, slowing ocean waves and protecting coastlines from erosion and storms. (Thanks to Billion Oyster Project for these details).
Each species interacts with the environment in complex and interconnected ways, serving many roles. In biology, these roles may be called functions, action words that help us understand the relationships between organisms and their environment.
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Similarly, every person serves several roles in their community. This worksheet invites you to reflect on your roles: how they currently present themselves, and how you want them to be.
Try using action verbs as you answer the questions. Here are a few I used:
- move stuff around (my work includes temporary art installations)
- research nature & technology
- connect people
- open doors
This activity is meant to be a reminder that your actions take place within a context and that the roles you fill can become levers for creating meaningful change. How can your daily actions contribute to a world where you and your community thrive?
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If this approach resonates, you might also enjoy the course I did with Owlseek where we discuss the Oyster example and two other worksheets.
Checkout the Owlseek community for free or check out the course for $100.
Moon
Moon Matters
As the earth orbits the sun the seasons change, a cyclical process that is counted in years. With each annual rotation comes a semi-predictable set of conditions that shape the lives of insects and animals, plants and people.
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Each moon cycle presents a cyclical opportunity to consider the patterns you build--and those you are embedded within.
Tree
Tree Translation
The tree’s trunk passes stories between
earth and sky.
Liquids defy gravity as they flow upwards,
supporting self-renewing solar panels on
cantilevered beams.
Within the soil, the tree interfaces with a vast
network — infrastructure that links it to the
environment and facilitates the exchange of
energy and materials.
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This poem describes a tree without using biological terminology. This illustrates an important step of a nature-informed design process: creating a statement that describes how an organism or ecosystem achieves a desired outcome and how a person might emulate that approach. I begin by summarizing the biology using biological terms: what is a tree doing that interests me? How do the roots, trunk, branches, and leaves interact and support the tree?
Then I need to know who my audience is: Am I talking to Designers? Technologists? Business? Children?
And then? Simply swap out biology terms with those used by my target audience.
For this tree example I chose an engineering audience, so I translated branch to ‘cantilevered beam’ and included roots within the category of ‘infrastructure.’ I describe the tree as though it were a building or a city: leaves are reinterpreted as ‘solar panels’ and their seasonal regrowth is described as ‘self-renewing.’ The text and image reinforce the tree’s branching-networked nature and encourage creative explorations.
Two views of the tree are provided, one from the side, and another from the top (or is that the bottom?). Looking at a tree from multiple angles doesn’t just change what we see; it changes our understanding.
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Different perspectives reveal different information.
Does viewing the system with a new perspective reveal something unexpected?
