Meet Jennifer Johnson | Naturalist Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennifer Johnson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
StagPath started out as a way for me to create nature-inspired art with the world, but it didn’t become the educational resource it is today overnight.

I dreamed of being an artist when I was little, but it was only when I found myself in a tough spot financially that I took the leap to begin selling my work.

When I first began listing nature inspired necklaces and centerpieces for sale online, I couldn’t help but to give the recipient a little extra information about their items. I started scribbling fun facts on colorful stained papers for them to learn more, but it never seemed like enough. I began typing up notes including links to educational resources, while incorporating personal stories from my own life experiences. Overtime, StagPath transformed from a simple means to sell arts and crafts into an educational adventure bigger than I ever imagined it becoming.

When I used to housekeep for a wealthy family, I listened to podcasts about homesteading. As I listened, I heard the key to unlocking more support for my small business was to unapologetically be myself and to connect to the customer in a way that reaches beyond the product–to tell my story soooo well, that others tell it for me. Growing up as an anxious and shy child into an anxious and shy adult made this task a little challenging, but if it meant I could continue doing what I love as a potential career, it seemed well worth it.

I felt a little awkward at first while I tried finding words to explain why I love a particular rock or what memories are evoked when I see a paw paw seed or taste a spicebush berry. Self-doubts would rush to the surface like water at high tide. I’d think I sound too perky or too negative, question my jokes, and cringe at my mistakes. I spent hours on end writing, finding resources, and taking moments of self-reflection.

There was a period when I worked on close to 10 custom orders (the StagPath mystery box) at the same time, struggling to keep up with the pressure of the deadlines I set for myself, while feeling simultaneously high from grateful customers and 5-star reviews. Instead of giving myself a couple weeks, I started giving myself nearly a month to work on each individual project, and I increased my prices to compensate for all the time put into them. It turns out what I was doing was well worth the cost, because I kept making sales and getting wonderful feedback from customers who went on grand adventures, tried wild foods for the first time, saw plants they never noticed before, all while developing an interest in ecology. Students, teachers, and wildlife professionals all encouraged me to keep going, and I did. I almost quit a couple times, but when I felt close to doing something else, I’d get an uplifting message or postcard from a customer or friend. One time someone even sent me a their very own collection of natural items, complete with touching notes explaining what each item meant to them.

Nowadays, I’m working on many creative projects with the goal of introducing others to the wild world all around them using art, story, and adventure. I’m currently working on producing sticker collections showcasing much of Ohio’s flora, fauna, and fungi.

StagPath is bigger than me. It’s bigger than the box and the individual items inside. StagPath is a mission to connect to others, the self, and to nature.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
What’s different about StagPath is that my artwork encourages others to go beyond aesthetics, gaining a deeper appreciation and understanding of the world around them. There are countless artists illustrating beautiful birds, painting wildflowers, photographing special moments in nature, and creating gorgeous mix-media works using natural materials, but what I like to do differently is take others on a journey beyond their front door, to get outside and really get to know the ecosystem they find themselves in. I don’t want to just sell someone a grapevine wreath, I want to tell them which species it is and what role it plays in nature. I want to share the story of why it was collected, how it was formed, and what it means to me personally. I want to provide resources to learn more about the wild grapes all around us and how to spot them. I strive to provide plenty of state specific resources to go along with everything I do, encouraging others to learn more about the flora, fauna, and fungi of the fields and forests of Ohio and beyond.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Ohio may be known for cornfields and skyscrapers, but it didn’t used to be this way. Ohio was once a vast network of wetland ecosystems, with forests spanning across 95% of the landscape. While the Amazon rainforest has lost up to 20% of forested areas, roughly 90% of Ohio has been deforested, destroying our ecosystems and the natural resources we need to live sustainably. Although Ohio isn’t what it once was and continues to decline in ecosystem functionality, there are still plenty of things to see right outside our doors. A quick look at a map or search online can reveal some of the parks, hunting grounds, and nature conservations dotted across the state. Although Hocking Hills State Park in Logan Ohio is one of the more popular places to tour due to intact forests with land too hilly for industrial development, there are lots of smaller parks that aren’t as busy and have just as much magic. Slate Run Metro Park in Canal Winchester is home to the biggest patch of skunk cabbage I’ve ever seen. Skunk cabbage is an ancient, alien-like plant that produces so much of its own heat that it can melt the snow around it! Another wonderful place to visit is Deer Creek State Park in Mount Sterling Ohio, whose reservoir is frequented by bald eagles, ospreys, and loons. Darby Battelle Creek Metro Park in Galloway Ohio is a great place to check out Big Darby Creek, which is one of the most biologically diverse aquatic ecosystems found in the Midwest. Dawe’s Arboretum in Newark Ohio showcases an array of both native and introduced plants, complete with name tags. It is home to the largest patch of wild leeks I’ve ever seen, and there’s even a lesser-known side of the park across the street, with a Hopewell era mound tucked in the forest, that can be accessed through a tunnel beneath the road if you know where to find it. My friend Lorenzo Tavani, a professional chef and nature enthusiast, hosts guided nature walks and dinners featuring wild edible plants and mushrooms found in central Ohio, alongside herbalist Grace Jones. Their dinner parties are a wonderful way to get to know the flavors of Ohio. Information about these walks and dinners can be found at eatingseasoned.com. No matter where you’re located, there’s something amazing just outside our doors, we just need to step outside to see.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to recognize my late friend, the artist Dan Lind, as an influencer of my work. His appreciation of the simple things, like a fuzzy bee or unique bird, and his curiosity to learn more through guidebooks, set an example for me to take my curiosity seriously. He took me stargazing, showed me his birdwatching guidebooks, and let me tag along on his walks through local parks I didn’t know existed. Allowing me to not only watch him paint, play music, and practice photography, he served an active role in encouraging my creativity. Dan lived by example and I’m grateful he was, and will continue to be, part of my life.

Website: https://stagpath.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stagpath/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@stagpath

Image Credits
Photos of myself and of the jelly fungus covered stick are by photographer Grace Jones. All other photos are taken by myself, Jennifer Johnson.