As part of the Wild Muse Nature Writing Prize, I had such a lovely conversation with Victoria Bennett 🌼🐝🐺 as we explored what it means to find ourselves through nature.
We had Vik’s stories of gardening, sea swimming, writing and everyday life, and through this a lovely teaching that nature doesn't lead us to a fixed identity, but to a lifelong practice of curiosity, relationship and continual becoming.
“I’m not asked to name myself. I’m just asked to be present.” Vik Bennett
1. Finding ourselves beyond labels
"I'm not any of those things and I'm all of those things at the same time... I'm not asked to name myself. I'm just asked to be present." Vik Bennett
One of the most beautiful ideas explored was how easily we become defined by labels: mother, partner, carer, writer. Vik shares that when she walks slowly, swims in the sea or simply sits with the natural world, she isn't required to perform any of those identities. Instead, nature invites her to be present, allowing her to rediscover herself beyond expectation.
*
2. Listening is learning to quiet the noise
"If I hear only things that I want to hear, that's always a good giveaway that I'm not listening." Vik Bennett
In her gorgeous book ‘The Apothecary by the Sea’ Vik talks about hearing the ocean calling, and that plants offer their wisdom if you listen.
Rather than treating listening as something mystical, Vik describes it as becoming aware of how noisy our minds really are. Whether making a simple pot of tea or walking through the garden, listening isn't about hearing what we want to hear, but creating enough space for something unexpected to emerge. Even in a busy life, she reminds us, "I can still be slow in the middle of that."
*
3. The living world teaches us to see differently
"We learn to see ourselves through other people's eyes. We learn to see ourselves through other people's expectations or labelling." Vik Bennett
I really enjoyed exploring the difference between what the man-made world encourages us to notice and what the living world reveals.
The man-made world teaches us to see ourselves through labels, expectations and other people's eyes. By contrast, the living world reveals another way of seeing, one that recognises change, relationship and our own nature without judgement, just as a flower grows towards what it needs rather than trying to become something else.
*
4. Finding ourselves is learning to keep unfolding
“I still do not know exactly what I am becoming... I would not want the wild to stop growing. Why then should I want that for me?”
At the end, we returned to the title of the conversation, exploring whether finding ourselves through nature isn’t really about arriving at a fixed identity at all. Vik shared how approaching life as a series of choices, staying playful and curious, and allowing creativity to remain fluid has taught her to keep unfolding, rather than trying to become a finished version of herself.
The Gift of the Living World
"If you make a choice, then the next thing unfolds in a way that you won't even realise. Possibilities are going to open in a way that you don't even realise." Vik Bennett
It’s alarmingly easy to lose sight of and become consumed by roles and expectations. We can spend years being the parent, the partner, the carer, and then no longer know who we truly are outside of these identities. I loved how this conversation offers permission to slow down, listen differently, and how these simple practices can help us discover that we don’t have to perform an identity in order to belong. As Vik says, "I'm not asked to name myself. I'm just asked to be present."
Whether you’re writing, creating art or navigating a life transition, you may feel you need to know exactly who you're becoming before taking the next step. Vik offers another way: trust curiosity, make the next decision, and allow "the next thing [to] unfold in a way that you won't even realise."
If you're writing a piece for the Wild Muse Nature Writing Prize, perhaps this conversation will encourage you to slow down, listen more deeply, and see both yourself and the living world with fresh eyes. We are open for submissions until 14 September.
Thank you for spending time here. If something has touched you, responding in a small way, a few words or a heart, helps this piece reach others who may need it today, and keeps this space relational rather than one-sided.
