International Nature Journaling Week 2023 ……… A Sensory Safari ….. Day 3: Aroma

June 1 – 7, 2023

Still hooked on this year’s International Nature Journal (INJW) theme, a “Sensory Safari.” During Day 3: Aroma, I debated about whether or not to take a very personal approach, and finally decided to reveal my almost year-long challenge involving my sense of smell. (This is also tied closely to my dilemma with sense of taste, but maybe I’ll explore more ways to handle that in my Day 5: Flavor post).

I certainly learned a lot and had fun with Aromas and their ties to visual cues and memories. I hope you enjoy my story and the pages below.

Oh, and its not too late to get involved and there’s no cost for participants, so check it out! All workshops and resources, the schedule and links to videos are available at  https://www.naturejournalingweek.com/

Day 3: Sense of Taste — Introductory Session on Aroma
A very good introductory session with Corina Brdar. She explored with us how the sense of smell …. Aromas ….. can be incorporated in a nature journal. Also several good quotes came from this session …..

“Senses are the bridges to the world we live in.” …. and oh yeah ….. this gem: “Imagine being in nature and there’s no smell!”

It was the last quote that pushed me to explore my sensory journey, or lack thereof.

My sketch notes from the materials discussed during the introductory session. Love the connections with Nature Journaling cues!

Corina mentioned there’s not a lot known about the inner workings of our sense of smell. Researchers are only beginning to better understand this sense and its intimate connection with the sense of taste. Also, there’s been minimal thought put into how to describe a sense of smell on paper. Information was a bit challenging to find, but I stumbled across a fun and informative article that directly relates to “smell” descriptions using adjectives, nouns, verbs and metaphors …… thanks WikiHow!

After I shared my story on the below, I then sketch noted the WikiHow article, How to Describe a Smell, on the next page (link to the article is at the end of my post).

A brief account of my world without aromas!
Sketch notes from How to Describe a Smell, and how I’ve adapted!

How to Describe a Smell. (https://www.wikihow.com/Describe-a-Smell#:~:text=Use%20adjectives.,adjective%20(a%20leathery%20smell).)


Thanks once again for taking a look! As always, I hope my pages spark in you a sense of curiosity and wonder, and that you would like to learn more. A good place to start is by visiting the INJW home page at https://www.naturejournalingweek.com/.

#naturejournalingweek