In February 2013 I moved home to the South Downs National Park to continue writing music for my album. I continued to write musical sketches (musical notes that are written onto music writing manuscript paper) whilst living beside Slindon woods, and began to develop a routine that consisted of writing music, followed by reflection amongst nature (sitting on the grass, looking over the valley). Following that, In September of the same year, I moved to a village named Graffham, where I continued this routine, except this time I would overlook Graffham Down). Whilst living in Graffham, I considered my sketches, and composed new music which eventually led to the creation of full scores (written arrangements of instruments) of music through generating new ideas. I believe that these ideas were generated through the strong feeling of peace and happiness that nature assisted me in feeling, which felt therapeutic because I was able to write beautiful string (orchestral string instruments) harmonies, and charismatic piano melodies that assisted me to affirm the full identity of the songs.
I believe that my ability to continue to write new music was as a result of this recurring habit. The evidence that reinforces this statement are my songs, which can be listened to through audio clips, or observed through notated scores, which can be viewed within the slideshow at the bottom of the page. Below is a link to some recorded music:
Reflecting upon these songs through listening creates an emotional reaction within my body and mind, which is something that people who are 'facing the impossible' (facing issues that are perceived by the person as impossible to resolve) could benefit from experiencing, because it would signify that at least one person that is within their world is capable of expressing deep, raw emotions relating to both personal experiences and wider society. The process of listening to my music, followed by experiencing a deep reaction to my honesty, and the potential for the listener to project their deep emotions towards the music, could act as a stimulus for thought and reflection for the listener in need, which could also assist members of the wider community whilst they are 'facing the impossible'.
Consideration should also be given to academic research in the field of music psychology. Juslin and Vastfjall discuss "Psychological mechanisms" in a revealing paper titled "Emotional responses to music: The need to consider underlying mechanisms". Juslin and Vastfjall explain what "Brain stem reflex" is:
"This refers to a process whereby an emotion is induced by music because one or more fundamental acoustical characteristics of the music are taken by the brain stem to signal a potentially important and urgent event" (564)
The same paper highlights further academic research within the field. "Emotional contagion" (Juslin 6) is explained:
"This refers to a process whereby an emotion is induced by a piece of music simply because this stimulus has been paired repeatedly with other positive or negative stimuli. Thus, for instance, a particular piece of music may have occurred repeatedly together in time with a specific event that always made you happy (e.g., meeting your best friend). Over time, through repeated pairings, the music will eventually come to evoke happiness even in the absence of the friendly interaction." (Juslin 6)
In order to broaden your understanding of what I am describing, I will continue to explain my routine, which is the focus of this autoethnography. My routine of work consisted of sitting at the piano to write new music, which could last as little as thirty minutes, or as long as three hours. This composition would be followed by travelling by bicycle to either Graffham Down, the woods in or around Graffham Common, which are illustrated within the slideshow at the bottom of this page, or to the fields near to the village centre. Situated within the woodland downs of West Sussex, Graffham Down lies on the crest of the northern escarpment (South Downs National Park Authority 1).
Interaction with nature was an essential part of this routine because I was reflecting upon my work amongst nature. I would very often be looking out onto the fields and meadows where animals and birds lived on this very natural landscape. The animals could be deer, horses or cows for example. There would also be flies and bees buzzing around, which was mainly in the warmer periods, and there was an abundance of crawling insects and spiders that would be visible if one concentrated on the long grass for a few moments. Within the aforementioned South Downs National Park Case Study, habitat is described as:
"an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by human, a particular species of animal, plant, or other type of organism; it is a place where a living thing lives, where it can find food, shelter, protection and mates for reproduction. A habitat is made up of physical factors such as soil, moisture, range of temperature, and availability of light as well as biotic factors such as the availability of food and the presence of predators" (South Downs National Park Authority 1)
Through regular engagement with the natural habitat of Graffham, I was able to observe the environment in closer detail. If one sat still for long enough whilst within this location, one could find the opportunity to reflect upon natures reality, which could include a duck running rapidly through the long grass in order to take shelter from larger airborne birds, or individual deer which were moving from one location to the next. It could simply be the stillness of the landscape, accompanied by the screech of pheasants at dusk. All these elements feed through to the imagination, and generate good feelings, which I hope that you will begin to imagine more easily by sparing a few minutes to watch the enclosed video clip (bottom of page): "Discover, Enjoy, Care for-The South Downs National Park" (South Downs National Park Authority).
At this stage, I anticipate that you have understood the active process behind my routine, and how this routine affirmed my identity, and began to shape me as a person within my larger community. In addition to my explanation, it is important that I provide academic evidence that adds credibility to my underlying theory, which asserts that my compositions were generated through inspiration from experiencing nature, and through my ability to feel peace and happiness as a result of being able to effectively process my thoughts and feelings regarding my personal experiences and experience of the wider culture within England.
An article titled "The Impacts of Nature experience on human cognitive function and mental health" (Bratman et al) highlights evidence that adds weight to my assertion, which is centered around my wide ranging theory that nature played a significant role in assisting my mind to generate new ideas, and, that my experience of nature significantly enhanced my ability to feel happy.
Within the aforementioned article titled ("The impacts of nature experience on human cognitive function and mental health") (Bratman et al), the "Introduction to attention restoration and stress reduction theories (theories l and ll)" (Bratman 5) are considered. R.S. Ulrich states his assertion:
"One of these frameworks, stress reduction theory (SRT), posits a healing power of nature that lies in an unconscious, autonomic response to natural elements that can occur without recognition and most notably in individuals who have been stressed before the experience" (Ulrich)
Following the declaration of this statement, Bratman et al explain the meaning behind theory II:
"The other explanatory theory, attention restoration theory (ART), centres on the power of nature to replenish certain types of attention through unconscious, cognitive processes in response to natural landscapes." (Bratman et al 5)
This evidence supports my theory, and affirms my belief, which is that the natural habitat of Graffham affected my productivity through assisting my mind to generate new ideas through inspiration of nature.
It is also important to consider that this is not only a modern theory. This is because at the end of the nineteenth century, Frederick L Olmsted created inspiration through his academic conclusions. Stephen Kaplan's "The Restorative Benefits of Nature Toward An Integrative Framework" (Kaplan), which was published in 1995, discusses Olmsted's research under the sub title "Attention restoration theory and natural environments: empirical findings". (Kaplan 6) Olmsted's research dates back to 1865:
"Olmsted (1865) was particularly sensitive to the rule of 'natural scenery' in restoration: it 'employs the mind without fatigue and yet exercises it; tranquilizes it and yet enlivens it; and thus, through the mind over the body, gives the effect of refreshing rest and reinvigoration to the whole system.' " (Olmsted 22)
In addition to this, Kaplan references Nash's view on how Olmsted affected the the creation of protected natural settings:
"His inspiration, as well as the insights of others with intimate knowledge of the natural setting, were most influential in the development of national parks and in numerous other conservation efforts" (Nash)
Although Nash discussed the American landscape, as opposed to the landscape of England, which is the location the South Downs National Park, the premise remains the same-nature assists people to feel good about themselves, and the understanding of nature affects members of society positively through the creation of National parks. Considering my collective experience of writing compositions that were generated through inspiration from experiencing nature, and through my ability to feel peace and happiness as a result of being able to effectively process my thoughts and feelings, and an analysis of academic evidence that considers the effect that nature embeds within us through close interaction, it is clear that generating new ideas became reality as a result of a cyclic pattern involving brain stem reflex, which was supported through regular interactions with nature. In addition to this, my personal experience of writing this music embedded itself within my mind, and was something that I would regularly reflect upon. Through thinking about my desire to feel free and happy by expressing myself, and through thinking about my ambitions to assist people that are 'facing the impossible', I became a person that attracted the most vulnerable into my life. At this stage of my life, despite not selling a single record, I have managed to assist in preserving several precious lives within my wider community, which helps me to define who I am, and the direction that I wish my life to continue in.
Works Cited:
Bratman, Gregory N, et al. "The impacts of nature experience on human cognitive function and mental health". The Year in Ecology and Conservation Biology. 2012. Annals of the New York academy of Sciences.Willsull.net. Web. 24 Jan. 2017.
Juslin, Patrik N, and Daniel Vastfjall. "Emotional responses to music: The need to consider underlying mechanisms". Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 2008. pp. 559-621. Web. 24 Jan. 2017
Juslin, Patrik N, and John A. Sloboda, J. A. Music and emotion: Theory and research, eds. 2001. Emotional responses to music: The need to consider underlying mechanisms. Behavioral and Brain Sciences. Web. 25 Jan. 2017.
Kaplan, Stephen. "The Restorative Benefits Of Nature: Toward An Integrative Framework". Journal Of Environmental Psychology. 1995. pp. 169-182. willsull.net. Web. 24 Jan. 2017.
Olmsted, Frederick L. "The value and care of parks". 1865. The American Environment: Readings in the history of conservation. MA: Reading. 1968. pp. 18-24. Journal of Environmental Psychology. willsull.net. Web. 24 Jan. 2017.
Nash, Roderick F. The American Environment: Readings in the history of conservation. MA: Reading. 1968. pp. 18-24. Web. 24 Jan. 2017
South Downs National Park Authority. "Nature Improvement Area (NIa) project: Graffham Down". 2015. Web. 24 Jan. 2017.
South Downs National Park Authority. "Discover, Enjoy, Care for-The South Downs National Park". Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 4 Nov. 2014. Web. 24 Jan. 2017.
Ulrich, Roger S. "Biophilia, biophobia and natural landscapes." The Biophilia Hypothesis. Edited by S.R. Kellert & E.O. Wilson. Eds.: 73-137. 1993. Annals of the New York academy of Sciences. willsull.net. Web. 24 Jan. 2017.