A gift from nature: Adventurer and founder of Momentum Matthew Robertson – specialising in creating media in dramatic environments – explores the positive impact of letting the outdoors in
I‘m so fortunate to have the wilderness as my office – whenever I’m immersed in nature, it feels like a home from home. It’s really all I’ve ever known, a place of peace, a place of calm.
As a child and to date, I’ve had some of my happiest times living, breathing and playing in nature. I’ve spent the last 30 years exploring some of the planet’s most remote regions, travelling and immersing myself in some of nature’s incredible landscapes, wildlife, flora and fauna.
I’ve watched in fascination as indigenous cultures not only live but thrive in harmony in seemingly inhospitable environments. They’ve worked with nature, not against it. Rivers become energy for power, the vegetation becomes shelter from the elements, a tree is taken, a tree is planted. Using natural energy, they create a synergy with the environment they live in. A symbiotic relationship where both can thrive and evolve within the same ecosystem.
My belief is we are all carbon – we are ultimately from the earth and nature is just part of our DNA. It just feels good to surround ourselves with the elements that bring us joy and contentment. My understanding of this comes from seeing my clients on expeditions experience Mother Nature doing some of her finest work: a sunset, waterfall, or volcano erupting – all organic, free-forming features created by nature. What comes with this, I feel, is a sense of inherent belonging, a sense of comfort and familiarity. Hard to rationalise, but it just feels good!
This feeling is realised by research studies on the subject consistently confirming that nature and the outdoors are good for the mind, body and soul. The more we embrace the natural world, the better our wellbeing. This is our mantra in the way we work: intrinsic experiences in nature organically create a state of flow. The result is positive memories that last a lifetime.
I was listening to Eckhart Tolle, a famed spiritual teacher who talks of creating a state of flow. A flow state describes a feeling where, under the right conditions, you become fully immersed in whatever you are doing. Being still or being energised can encourage a state of euphoria in the environment you are in.
Creating an environment in the home, work or finding a place in the outdoors to release energy ultimately allows us a place to breathe deep and reconnect with what really matters: family, friends and nature.
My late father was a passionate horticulturist and landscape designer who often spoke about the idea of ‘letting the outdoors in’. As a kid, I fondly remember our home having luscious plants everywhere, exposed wooden walls and big glass windows – a calm, micro ecosystem we would all gravitate towards. Congregating to eat, talk and reconnect.
While I can appreciate and enjoy modern architecture, I feel chalets, for example, possess an intrinsic charm: open fires, wood everywhere and nestled on a mountainside or hunkered in a forest. This is fast becoming a desirable way to construct our homes, the spaces where we live and breathe – incorporating natural elements like wood, stone, water and plants. These are organic catalysts for positive, mental wellness in our homes and offices. These organic materials work in harmony with their surroundings. Complementing the human desire to be in nature, creating a naturally balanced feeling of calm and wellbeing.
In the modern world we seem to be in a relentless pursuit of perfection in our lives. Looking outside at what’s around us in the natural world, I believe perfection lives and breathes in Mother Nature. I’m convinced that embracing this in our homes and places of work can have a profound and positive effect on how we live our lives.
I encourage any and all to play outdoors, be adventurous and let the outdoors in.
Images by Momentum
As featured in OnOffice 162, Spring 2023. Read a digital version of the issue for free.