A Hopeful Nature
A Hopeful Nature is an artistic compilation curated by Marisa Morby to help us connect, discover joy, and continue the hard work of hope.
Gradients of Intimacy and Creating Shelter: An interview with Erin Kissane
I got the chance to talk with Erin Kissane, who co-ran The Covid Tracking Project and is "working toward better networks for human sociability and collective survival." We talked about how nature can be a model and inspiration for us as we strive to build better online communities. Read the article Photo by Francesco Ungaro on Unsplash
A Hopeful Nature: What trees can teach us about plastic
For millions of years fallen trees stacked up on top of one another, unable to decay. And then one day, they could. What changed? Can we learn from millions of years of evolution to help us solve our plastic problem? Can we do it in time? Read the article
A Hopeful Nature: Art on a dreary day
I find February a difficult month. I'm ready for spring but it's not quite here. Usually the days get quite a bit colder as the last push in winter before spring. This is a good time for reading magazines and discovering new artists. Read on to see a few new to me artists I found in the pages of some lovely magazines. See more art Plate 11 by Maria Sibylla Merian
A Hopeful Nature: Reaching Out
The reaching branches of ancient trees bend but don’t break. How is it possible that they withstand the winds of time? And how does the science behind this impact design? Read the article Photo by Peter Law on Unsplash
A Hopeful Nature: Beauty
This week's article dives into the science of beauty. What makes something beautiful? What happens in our brains when we see something beautiful? Why does beauty exist? Read the article
A Hopeful Nature: Resilience
A flower blooms on a harsh mountainside. A yellow poppy waves in the Arctic wind. A tree with little red fireworks for flowers grows out of a crack in the lava rock. Learn about some of the harshest places where plants still grow and flowers still bloom. What can we learn from their resilience? Read the article
A change to Design & Nature Reimagined
ISSUE #65 I have been accused of many things. Some true. Some not true. Some true that I will deny forever. I am aggressive (sometimes true). I am mean (not true). I am judgmental (I refuse to comment). But what no one has ever accused me of being an optimist. Always looking at the bright side. It is not who I am. It is not who I want to be. I am a realist, or at least I try to be one. I see what’s in front of me, see what’s happened in the past, and try to make a reasoned guess at possible...
Design & Nature Reimagined: Nature in Art
ISSUE #64 It's been quite a while since I had time to work on my newsletter. But as we head into fall I wanted to share some new (to me) artists that whose work captures the joy and beauty of nature. Art like this can inspire us and help us connect with the world in ways that maybe we haven't been able to before. Read this article © 2025 Marisa Morby
Design & Nature Reimagined: Nuffin' but Puffins
ISSUE #63 A few weeks ago we went to see the puffins out at Cannon Beach. Every year, tufted puffins migrate back from the sea to Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach. So today is a day for puffin facts! Read this article Tufted Puffin sitting on a rock © 2025 Marisa Morby
Design & Nature Reimagined: How bees see the world
ISSUE #62 For the last few years I've been really interested in understanding how other animals physically view the world. The world looks very different to a bird, to a deer, to a bee. I'm finding that the world is made of colors that don't exist, at least not to all of us. So what does the world look like to those who see color and even light differently than us? Like, perhaps, a bee? Read this article Photo by Craig Burrows, highlighted in the New York Times about his book What the Bees...
A Hopeful Nature is an artistic compilation curated by Marisa Morby to help us connect, discover joy, and continue the hard work of hope.