Beauty Refresher: Susanne Thompson

Although I’ve never met Susanne Swing Thompson in person, I have admired her work for years. Her photography and nature journals inspire me to slow down and really see. She, like me, loves to live in wonder. Susanne is a photographer, writer, nature journaler, and leader of workshops. 

I asked her, “What do you want to give the world?”

“The heartbeat of what I do is to try and express the beauty in nature that the Lord created, and to draw people to slow down and notice it. There is so much beauty, so much incredible interconnectedness of everything; it is truly amazing. Whether the person knows the Lord as Creator and Savior, or whether the person has a completely different world view, it is my prayer that my photography, writing, nature journaling, and one-on-one interactions would create a step closer for that person to see that s/he is deeply loved and purposefully made and is part of all of this greater creation. We are called to take care of it. We are given the gift to see it and take joy in it. We are given the opportunity to rest in the wonder of it all.”

Through her Saturday nature email, A Closer Look, Susanne shares one photo and a short bit of original writing to encourage her readers in this practice of seeing and noticing. Her first book, A Closer Look | The Neighborhood, is based on this email. Susanne also creates beautiful greeting cards and note cards, a calendar, mixed media pieces, all of which can be found on her website. Her second book, geared toward children, Learning to Fly (a made-up story about two real owlets); is now available. You can email Susanne and follow her on Instagram.