Embarking on Eudaimonia; with Natalie Eslick, who writes and illustrates The Wild Forgotten and The Sketchbook Sanctuary

An Intimate Interview Series on Life's Big Questions by Ta Hiron

Photo by Kelsea Midson

Natalie Eslick is a passionate wildlife enthusiast whose life and art are deeply intertwined with the natural world. The Wild Forgotten is Natalie’s place to enchant you into creativity with her words and art. Over on The Sketchbook Sanctuary, there is just as much art and creative journey but also a little more guidance on the technical aspects. 

Natalie’s journey from academia, with degrees in Psychology and Medieval Philosophy, and Masters of Human Rights, to her true calling as a fine artist and creativity guide, reflects her unyielding pursuit of a life filled with intentionality, wonder, and reverence for the wild. And you can feel it. Natalie’s words and art have this way of igniting wonder and gifting you inspiration.

Natalie runs various sketching courses. Along with free community challenges to get you started. Her stunning artwork is for sale on her website, and for one week only (closing soon) a limited edition selection will be available for sale, click here for more on that amazing opportunity.

Photo by Kelsea Midson

If you could distil your life philosophy, what would it be, and why is it meaningful to you?

Two words. Loving kindness. To self, to others, to all living beings. I think humans are perhaps naturally reactionary, a quirk of evolution where well placed fear meant survival. Now we are irrationally afraid of so much, it is so divisive, destructive, and ultimately isolating. If we are taught loving kindness from the very beginning, tolerance and reverence and acceptance, imagine how our world would be different. As an adult that has grown up in the late stage capitalist, industrialised, product and productivity centred world, extending compassion and loving kindness to ourselves is so hard! But that is the first thing to work on, I think. And I think that doing that means honouring the things that make your heart flutter, like creativity. Like putting your own mask on first in the safety instructions we are given on planes, honouring your own animal body and inherent creativity can only help you do the same for others.

Can you share a pivotal moment or experience that sparked your passion for your art and made you realise it was something you needed to pursue?

I was completely burnt out after handing in my Master's thesis. I had been working full time, volunteering almost full time, and studying almost full time for three years, only sleeping in the margins. I went away for a couple of days to attempt some rest time, and offhandedly grabbed a pencil and a sketchbook on my way. I had not really sketched for many, many years, but since then, there is rarely a day I go without. That burn out completely changed the trajectory I thought I was on, with a couple of PHd offers, I really thought that was the way I was going. But instead, the magic of pencil and paper held me, healed me, and within three years I knew it was something I wanted to pursue full time. And 6 years after picking that pencil and sketchbook up, that is what I did, jumped in boots and all to be a full time artist, educator, entrepreneur.

To be honest, drawing, painting, studying wildlife, and sharing and teaching that with others is the time that I feel most aligned with my inner self, my purpose. It has been the only time of my adult life where there has been no doubt that this is what I both want and need and am here to do - it is not work to me, it is who I am. I think the loving kindness, connection, and perspective that comes not only from a creative practice, but truly seeing, empathising with, celebrating, embracing our wild kin is a big part of that alignment. Studying them, seeing their intricate, incredible details, understanding more about their lives, celebrating and mourning them has given me the space to feel empowered in my own animal body. To revere the magical ability that we have to make art, and art that honours our more-than-human kin. And to try and find words that encapsulate the full body experience that that is, so that I can empower and encourage others to do the same, whatever that looks like for them!

Photo provided by Natalie

What role do you believe self-discovery plays in leading a fulfilling life, and if you do, how do you actively engage in that process?

Self discovery, self compassion, and self connection is entirely necessary for a fulfilling, intentional life. It is not easy in the societies we are growing and ageing into, where product and productivity and capitalism encourages us to be machines. For me, that self discovery comes through my creativity. Through engaging with curiosity in my artwork, I gave myself permission to be more curious about the thoughts and feelings that come up as we are creative, and I am on an active journey to understand that more and more deeply, and to untangle those limits that prevent us being the embodied creatives we are born into.

If your future self were to give your now self advice on what you are working through in yourself/life, what do you think it might be?

Keep going. It is bloody hard, but your work is important, necessary, and beautiful.

Looking back on your life experiences, what are the two most important lessons or pieces of advice you've learned in navigating life's complexities?

First, that external validation will never have the impact that self acceptance and celebration of self will have - show yourself loving kindness first. 

And second, you are a human animal - you are not a machine. You have a beautiful body that is striving their very best to provide you with safety and homeostasis and love. And like all animal bodies there are things happen or that we are born with that can make living in this world more difficult than it may be for others, but no-one can love your body the way that you can, and you both deserve, and are worthy of, taking care of your human animal self.

Do you have any tattoos, and if so and you are happy to share, can you tell us about them?

I have a tiny one on my back, an ankh, representing a dream I had of Isis when I was 25 (and studying Ancient Egyptology) where she gave it to me as a gift. One day I will have it updated and added to with a beautiful watercolour wildflower design. One day!

What three books have been the most impactful for you to read and why?

Braiding Sweetgrass by Ron Wall Kimmerer -  utterly incredible, I have a physical copy, a digital copy, and the audio book. It is narrated by Robin herself, and I have listened to it so many times I have lost count. This was one of the first books I read as an older adult that really felt as though I was reading thoughts I had had but didn’t know how to articulate, and it has left me more fluent in understanding my own connection to the wild (and my wild inside).

If Women Rose Rooted by Sharon Blackie - I read this not long after I came back to making art, and right after I visited Scotland and I felt so incredibly empowered after reading it, I read it straight away again. It was another coming home book for me, empowering, inspirational, and giving voice to so much that was going on inside.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll. Every time I read this I am delighted, but it makes me laugh that every time I read it, it is so much better in my head! I had a read-along album (showing my age here) of this when I was young, where it would make a noise for you to turn the page. Everything about this psychedelic trip is incredible and wonderful and curious and oh my stars, I did not realise that the words I approach everything with - wonder and curiosity - are huge parts of this book too! Oh, how funny. Well, that is wonderful!

Photo by Kelsea Midson

Please tell us about each of your Substacks and provide links to any other social media we can find you on.

The Wild Forgotten is a personal story space, where I can talk about what connection to the wild world means to me, what I am working on, how creativity inspires me, and more. Basically all things art and wild! If people wonder what I am thinking and feeling, this is about the best place to get a bit of insight! I am also working (finally!) on a The Wild Forgotten project - an oracle deck and book - that I will be taking everyone along on the ride with for the next couple of years.

The Sketchbook Sanctuary is a place for me to talk about the tangible practice of art and creativity, to inspire, to empower, and to encourage. Here I talk about techniques and mindset and joy and fear all as related to making art, and specifically art in a sketchbook. I feel that a sketchbook is a powerful place, a portable gallery and secret garden rolled into one, and where a creative can feel eternally safe!

I can be found on instagram, and am beginning to intentionally grow my YouTube channel! 

I hear there is a retreat coming up Tuscany. Please tell us about this amazing opportunity to learn in person with you

Oh, I am so excited about this! It is an opportunity that I did not think I would be able to do until 2026, but this one opened up, and we are going for it! 

It is an incredible opportunity to spend a week together next year in the fertile and lush landscapes of Tuscany, Italy, where we get to empower and celebrate the creative within. An enchanting, immersive art and wild adventure retreat focused on drawing with (and from) nature.

We stay on site in gorgeous accommodation, on a bountiful and beautiful property, and make art, sing the song of the wild, and act in courageous, compassionate reciprocity for the simple delight of being alive and here and now in the same space as each other. We are staying at Fattoria Del Colle, a tranquil oasis in the Chianti region of Tuscany. It is the family estate of Donatella Cinelli Colombini, the award-winning entrepreneur of Il Casato Prime Donne, the only all-female-owned winery in Italy.

Together we will explore the beautiful grounds of our retreat home and the gorgeous landscapes of Tuscany, drawing from life (drawing into life), watching birds (unfurling our own wings), and seeing deeply (inside and out). We will spend half of the day outside, and the other half in the studio making art, freeing our creative souls, and allowing ourselves to fall deep into the rabbit hole of wonder and delight. In the studio we will focus our sketching our reference photos we have taken, honouring our wild kin with reverence and reciprocity, and untangling some of the unhelpful thoughts that stop us from rooting deep into the confident, curious, and compassionate creative we are.

It will be utterly expansive. A retreat like this, where all your needs are cared for, where you are cared for, and where you can simply be, soak up all of the nuance of this opportunity, well, expansive hardly seems like a large enough word, but yes, expansive.

You can find out more and join me here. Numbers are very limited. And it will be incredible!

Any final thoughts/story to leave us with:

Know that your art, your creativity - whatever that looks like - is so needed, and that every time you care for yourself, honour the wild (inside and out) you are bringing a little more light and beauty into the world. And if you want someone to walk alongside you to bring the wild in your heart forth (and create your own beautiful art), I am here waiting for you!

xo Natalie

Every stroke of graphite tells a story in my new wildlife print collection. Now available for a limited time, these giclée prints showcase the intricate details of nature's most captivating creatures. Available HERE until 10th September 2024

Natalie, your dedication to embodying loving kindness resonates deeply, advocating compassion for oneself, others, and all living beings. Your alignment with this natural energy in ourselves is palpable in your art and writing, and for me, it creates a warm space that inspires me to look more closely - thank you for this.

I got goosebumps reading your line, “it is not work to me, it is who I am”. Wow, I know what you mean, but I have never heard it put so well. That is exactly how I feel writing. I had a period in life when I went out to do what I thought I should do, and only when things fell apart did I come back to writing. You mention you hadn’t sketched for many years but came back to it and haven’t looked back, and I cannot help but wonder about these times we stop doing what feels so right, why we stopped, how we found our way back and the wisdom the child in us had to start us where we needed to be. Thank you for inspiring these big life thoughts.

Your upcoming retreat in Tuscany sounds truly transformative, offering a sanctuary to explore art and nature deeply. Your commitment to empowering creativity is both vital and beautiful. Thank you once again for sharing your wisdom and journey with us, but honestly, most of all, thank you for this art that takes us to where we belong.

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“You were born to be creative. And, to have your heart set ablaze with the wonder + beauty that exists in nature.”

Natalie Eslick

P.S. Embarking on Eudaimonia signifies a journey towards living a life of fulfilment, purpose, and flourishing.

"Eudaimonia" is a Greek term often translated as "happiness" or "flourishing." In philosophy, particularly in Aristotle's ethics, eudaimonia refers to the state of living well, achieving one's full potential, and experiencing a sense of fulfilment and thriving in life.

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