Inner and Outer Landscapes

When I tell people I am a writer, their first question is invariably: “What do you write about?” Some people are satisfied to move on to other topics when I reply:  “The environment.”  For those who probe a bit more, I add:  “Inner/outer landscapes”.  Most people are done with the conversation at this point.  For the few who remain interested, I launch into some variation of my ideas on inner and outer landscape.  I do not often take the time to define for them what I mean when I use those phrases.

By way of introduction to the theme of this blog, then, I offer a brief (if not fully inclusive) explanation of what I mean by “inner/outer landscape”.  This is not a definition I have gotten from a textbook or dictionary; I do not intend for these ideas to be understood as “knowledge” or “fact” in the traditional academic sense.  Instead, these are understandings I have come to from my own experiences and those shared with me by others; they feel more like inspiration or a spiritual understanding.  

Inner landscape.  This is a complex terrain comprised of thoughts, feelings, and emotions.  The inner landscape includes one’s relationship to spirituality (God-fearing, atheist, agnostic, pagan…however a person has come to understand, or reject, the notion of something greater than oneself).  The inner landscape is made up of creative inspiration, beliefs, and ideas instilled in us during childhood; also in this inner realm are all the feelings we bring with us from the past.  The inner landscape is rooted in the present but contains everything that has shaped us – culture, language, upbringing, privilege or ostracism, our human nature, education, travel or isolation – and that has then become part of how we think, feel, and behave.

Outer landscape.  This idea is perhaps simpler.  The outer landscape is that which we feel, see, hear, taste, and smell around us.  It is the tangible natural world as it presents itself in any single moment to the perception of a human.  This might be the broad stroke of the structure of the land – mountains, desert, or seascape.  Or, it could be the specific plants, animals, land features, water bodies, the heavens (moon, sun, stars, planets), and the weather.  In short, it is our surroundings.  While the term “outer landscape” certainly includes the human-built environment (malls, roads, infrastructure, lawns, and fences, for examples), I primarily use it to refer to the nonhuman, natural world around us. 

Merging inner and outer landscapes.  It is the experience of our inner selves in dynamic interaction with the outer world that creates the inner/outer landscape.  Whatever we are bringing in the moment (fear, elation, wonder, sorrow) joins with what is outside of us (coyotes, beach, mountain peaks, a clear cut forest).  This blog will become full with rich, juicy examples of inner/outer landscape experiences. 

Please check back soon to see what has emerged…