Forest therapy walks, creative workshops, and nature photography. Kelly Hutchison, ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Guide. Shinrin-Yoku (forest bathing) on Vancouver Island, BC—serving Qualicum Beach, Parksville, Nanaimo, Courtenay, and Comox.
Beneath the Trees: A Creative Practice in the Company of Nature
Find the lost parts of yourself through calm, connection, and creativity in nature.
A Return to Wonder, Play and Joy
For twenty years, I stopped creating. Then forest therapy found me, and slowly, gently, nature brought me home to myself. The lost parts of myself were not gone at all. They had simply been waiting in the trees.
Beneath the Trees is the workshop series I have created from that journey—a return to wonder, to play, and to the joy of creating without judgment. Four small, intimate Sunday gatherings that weave forest therapy with gentle creative invitations through artistic play, photography, journaling, and quiet presence in nature.
These are not art classes. There are no skills to master, no finished product to judge. They are doorways—for anyone who has felt their creative spark slip quietly away, for anyone who has wondered whether a creative self might still be waiting somewhere inside them, and for anyone longing to deepen the creative muse already alive within.
Whether you are returning to creativity after a long pause or stepping toward it for the very first time, these workshops are for you.
It is never too late.
A Return to Wonder, Play and Joy
For twenty years, I stopped creating. Then forest therapy found me, and slowly, gently, nature brought me home to myself. The lost parts of myself were not gone at all. They had simply been waiting in the trees.
Beneath the Trees is the workshop series I have created from that journey—a return to wonder, to play, and to the joy of creating without judgment. Four small, intimate Sunday gatherings that weave forest therapy with gentle creative invitations through artistic play, photography, journaling, and quiet presence in nature.
These are not art classes. There are no skills to master, no finished product to judge. They are doorways—for anyone who has felt their creative spark slip quietly away, for anyone who has wondered whether a creative self might still be waiting somewhere inside them, and for anyone longing to deepen the creative muse already alive within.
Whether you are returning to creativity after a long pause or stepping toward it for the very first time, these workshops are for you.
It is never too late.
The Heart of the Experience
1. Calm
Begin by arriving. Through guided presence and gentle mindfulness, we slow the nervous system and release the grip of the everyday. Nature does much of this work for us.
2. Connect
As stillness deepens, so does connection—with the natural world around you, with your own inner landscape, and with the quiet creative voice that may have been waiting a long time to be heard.
3. Create
From a place of calm and connection, you will be offered simple creative invitations—gentle prompts that open the door to intuitive expression through painting, journaling, or photography. No experience necessary. No judgment. Only curiosity and play.
Begin by arriving. Through guided presence and gentle mindfulness, we slow the nervous system and release the grip of the everyday. Nature does much of this work for us.
2. Connect
As stillness deepens, so does connection—with the natural world around you, with your own inner landscape, and with the quiet creative voice that may have been waiting a long time to be heard.
3. Create
From a place of calm and connection, you will be offered simple creative invitations—gentle prompts that open the door to intuitive expression through painting, journaling, or photography. No experience necessary. No judgment. Only curiosity and play.
Beneath the Trees Workshops
1. Discover Forest Bathing~Your Personal Path to Calm
The foundation of the practice. Learn the art of slowing down and develop a personal practice of forest immersion you can carry into your everyday life. (Prerequisite for the other three workshops.)
2. Capture the Forest~Mindful Photography in Nature
Move slowly through nature with a camera—not to take perfect photographs, but to practice the art of noticing. Photography becomes a form of meditation, a way of training your attention toward wonder. All cameras welcome, including phones.
3. Play in the Forest~Creative Expression in Nature
Explore colour, line, texture, and shape—not to create a finished painting, but to play. To scribble. To drip paint. To intuitively follow a feeling without knowing where it leads. This is the workshop for the recovering perfectionist.
4. Write from the Forest~Journaling and Reflection in Nature
Translate the language of nature into the language of your inner life. Mindful forest immersion woven with the gentle practice of writing —not to write well, but to write honestly.
The foundation of the practice. Learn the art of slowing down and develop a personal practice of forest immersion you can carry into your everyday life. (Prerequisite for the other three workshops.)
2. Capture the Forest~Mindful Photography in Nature
Move slowly through nature with a camera—not to take perfect photographs, but to practice the art of noticing. Photography becomes a form of meditation, a way of training your attention toward wonder. All cameras welcome, including phones.
3. Play in the Forest~Creative Expression in Nature
Explore colour, line, texture, and shape—not to create a finished painting, but to play. To scribble. To drip paint. To intuitively follow a feeling without knowing where it leads. This is the workshop for the recovering perfectionist.
4. Write from the Forest~Journaling and Reflection in Nature
Translate the language of nature into the language of your inner life. Mindful forest immersion woven with the gentle practice of writing —not to write well, but to write honestly.
Summer 2026 Schedule
All workshops run on Sundays, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
I am offering Discover Forest Bathing twice. Please choose one date only.
Workshops will be held at Moorecroft Regional Park in Nanoose Bay.
- June 28 — Discover Forest Bathing (Prerequisite for Capture, Play & Write)
- July 12 — Discover Forest Bathing (Prerequisite for Capture, Play & Write)
I am offering Discover Forest Bathing twice. Please choose one date only.
- July 26 — Capture the Forest (prerequisite: Discover Forest Bathing)
- August 9 — Play in the Forest (prerequisite: Discover Forest Bathing)
- August 23 — Write from the Forest (prerequisite: Discover Forest Bathing)
Workshops will be held at Moorecroft Regional Park in Nanoose Bay.
Investment
Discover Forest Bathing (this workshop can be taken alone, or as part of the series. If continuing on with any other workshop, choose either June 28 or July 12 as a start date)
$95
Single workshops (Capture, Play, or Write)
Capture $125
Play $125
Write $125
Book all 4 Workshops and Receive an Early Bird Bundle Pricing— $420 (save $50, book by May 31)
Use Coupon Code Earlybird50 at checkout.
$95
Single workshops (Capture, Play, or Write)
Capture $125
Play $125
Write $125
Book all 4 Workshops and Receive an Early Bird Bundle Pricing— $420 (save $50, book by May 31)
Use Coupon Code Earlybird50 at checkout.
Workshop Format
Each workshop is offered as a half-day experience, and all four together form a natural arc—from stillness and presence, through connection and creative expression, into reflection and integration.
Discover Forest Bathing is a prerequisite for further workshops, as it is the foundation.
Sessions take place entirely in nature, in the beautiful landscapes of Vancouver Island’s Qualicum Beach/Parksville area.
What's Included
Join a Workshop
Take a pause. Step into stillness. Rediscover what has been waiting for you.
Reserve Your Spot
Spaces are limited to 8 participants per workshop, to ensure a personal and deeply nourishing experience.
If you have any questions, please reach out—I would love to hear from you.
May you find yourself in the forest.
Kelly
Discover Forest Bathing is a prerequisite for further workshops, as it is the foundation.
Sessions take place entirely in nature, in the beautiful landscapes of Vancouver Island’s Qualicum Beach/Parksville area.
What's Included
- Small, intimate groups of up to 8 participants
- All creative supplies, light snacks, and a printed companion guide
- Guidance from a certified ANFT Forest Therapy Guide, published author, and artist
- A safe, nurturing, and non-judgmental space—no creative experience required
Join a Workshop
Take a pause. Step into stillness. Rediscover what has been waiting for you.
Reserve Your Spot
Spaces are limited to 8 participants per workshop, to ensure a personal and deeply nourishing experience.
If you have any questions, please reach out—I would love to hear from you.
May you find yourself in the forest.
Kelly
Discover Forest Bathing
CA$95.00
Your Personal Path to Calm
Learn the art of slowing down and develop a personal practice of forest immersion you can carry into your everyday life. This four-hour workshop is the foundation of the practice and a prerequisite for the other three workshops.
Capture the Forest
CA$125.00
Mindful Photography in Nature
Move slowly through nature with a camera—not to take perfect photographs, but to practice the art of noticing. Photography becomes a form of meditation, a way of training your attention toward wonder.
Play in the Forest
CA$125.00
Play in the Forest—Creative Expression in Nature
Explore colour, line, texture, shape and more through nature—not to create a finished painting, but to play. To scribble. To drip paint. To intuitively follow a feeling without knowing where it leads. This is the workshop for the recovering perfectionist.
"The richness I achieve comes from Nature, the source of my inspiration." `Claude Monet
I respectfully acknowledge that Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands are the traditional and unceded
territories of the Coast Salish, Nuu-chah-nulth, and Kwakwaka’wakw Peoples.
I am deeply grateful to the Qualicum, Snaw-naw-as, and Snuneymuxw Nations, on whose lands I walk, guide, and learn.
It is an honour to live, work, and gather here.
territories of the Coast Salish, Nuu-chah-nulth, and Kwakwaka’wakw Peoples.
I am deeply grateful to the Qualicum, Snaw-naw-as, and Snuneymuxw Nations, on whose lands I walk, guide, and learn.
It is an honour to live, work, and gather here.
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Please note: Forest Therapy is a non-clinical nature-based wellness service, not a substitute for mental health treatment.
All photographs are the sole property of Kelly Hutchison and/or Dave Hutchison Photography (where noted) and are held under copyright. The images and contents of this website may not be copied, collected, or used for personal or professional gain without express written permission from Salish Sea Nature Connections, www.salishseaforesttherapy.ca
Copyright ©2026
Copyright ©2026