Calmed By Nature

Hey! 👋 Many people ask me about my process, and while I don’t have time to create a full video, I’m happy to share a few screenshots and write about it if you’re interested.


I made my latest video using my typical 5 stage process.

Stage 1: Drawing
I have a long list of ideas for videos, and I’ll typically take the one I'm most excited about and brainstorm ideas while thinking through a rough theme and narrative. Then I’ll start sketching potential compositions. This is the stage where I decide how the image will flow, where it’s set, what the view looks like, and the general structure of the interior. I will typically work on this for about a week. During that process, I’ll likely draw around 10 different locations, then choose my favorite and develop it into a more polished drawing.

Stage 2: Color Blocking & Lighting
After I have my basic line drawing finished, I move on to the lighting and color. I’ll explore a few different moods, styles, and times of day to figure out what feels right for the space and what best fits the mood of the music I’m using.

Stage 3: Rendering Materials & Effects
Once I have the color scheme and layout down, I’ll start building the scene in Photoshop using a combination of digital painting techniques, photo textures, and some photos for complicated objects like chairs and plants. This is a very time-intensive process, but I really enjoy slowly building up the room by hand using textures and drawing all the lighting manually to help blend everything together into one cohesive image.

By the time I’m finished, I’ll usually have around 2,000 layers in my Photoshop document, and I know I’m done when my computer is on the verge of crashing because the file is so large.

Stage 4: Animation & Effects
At this point, I’ll take my final image (or images) from Photoshop and add animations or animated elements like palm trees, waves, birds, and other environmental details.

Stage 5: Creating the Final Video
This is the stage where I bring everything together. I’ll go through my library of music and pick the exact songs and order for the video/album, then mix in any extra nature or cafe sounds.

The music is, and always will be, create by humans (ai free) for those wondering. I have an awesome team of jazz musicians and producers that I’ve been collaborating with for many years, and I don’t plan to make any changes because they do great work and I enjoy supporting other artists though this channel.

I’ve been a digital artist since 2011 and have been building this particular process since around 2017. It has evolved a lot over the years, and I’m sure it will continue to change as my skills grow. Each video is a little different but this should give you a rough idea of how I make them.

Thanks for reading and supporting my work 💙🦉🌴🏄🏻‍♂️

6 days ago | [YT] | 1,117

Calmed By Nature

🦉📖...It feels like flying. When the right wave catches, when your pop-up is fast enough, when you find your balance on the board and watch the glassy surface of the water rushing beneath you as you skim across it, fast, weightless. It’s magic. You close your eyes and feel it all over again. The morning sun that warms the waxy surface of your board and glints in your eyes as you scan the horizon. The thrill of the cold water when you first plunge in, and then how strangely, delightfully comfortable you feel only a few minutes later once your muscles have started to move and your body has warmed up your wetsuit. The taste of salt in your mouth, the sting of it in your eyes when you pop back out of the water gasping and laughing after encountering a wave that was bigger than you bargained for. The focus of waiting for the timing of a wave to be just right. The exhilaration when it is.

Surfing creates a state of mindfulness automatically. When you’re in the water, there is no way to be anything but fully present and vividly, singingly, soaringly alive.

You open your eyes and let the cafe drift back into focus. This morning you felt presence and aliveness in exertion and adrenaline; this afternoon, you feel the same presence and aliveness in calm and rest. The cafe is airy and filled with gentle, filtered light, safe and protected, with a view of the sun-drenched beach through the big front window. The salty breeze lightly plays along the leaves of the lush green plants and makes the shadows of the palms outside dance across the floor. A record spins on the turntable and bubbles fizz surfaceward in your strawberry lemonade. Seagulls sail peacefully through the cloudless sky; you imagine the view they must have, of the beach, the cliffs, this cafe, and it fills you with joy. Tomorrow morning you’ll be back out there, a dot in the water, living your own endless summer--but for now you don’t want to be anywhere else but here...

1 week ago | [YT] | 572

Calmed By Nature

Hey 👋 what have you been up to? I just took some time off to catch up on life and enjoy time with my family the last month and this week I'm starting to work on a new summer cafe ☕️☀️ Hope you all are having a good spring and transition to summer. Talk to you soon!

And if you're interested I now have a summer cafe jazz playlist on Spotify 👉 open.spotify.com/playlist/2V4H2x2GTWrLuXcmiRzNfT

I will continue to add to that playlist as I release more videos and music. And just to remind you, I do not use AI music and I create human art! I appreciate the continued support! Take care 💙🦉

1 month ago | [YT] | 1,279

Calmed By Nature

🦉📖 ... The first day at the lake house always has an extra special feeling. The anticipation that starts during the packing up of the car and builds as you pass each familiar landmark on the route, as the trees get denser and you roll down the windows to feel the first cool whiff of forest-scented air on your face, as you tumble out onto the dusty driveway and run pell-mell straight down to the dock, leaving duffel bags and coolers scattered. The house is always just as you remembered; you burst through the door and find things just the way they were the last time you left. A flurry of tasks for clearing away the residue of the preceding winter mark that first day: sweeping leaves from the deck, brushing cobwebs from the corners, hauling fishing poles and canoes out to their rightful places by the water. You have many plans for this summer. You’re going to catch a fish and fry it over the fire. You’re going to build a fort in the rotted out stump behind the house. You’re going to swim all the way out of the floating dock and lay on it until you’re completely dry, baked by the sun, and then you’re going to swim all the way back. The days ahead are rich with possibilities.

As evening falls on the first evening, you claim your favorite chair next to the fire-pit, marshmallow roasting stick in hand. The sky fades from blue to peachy pink to dusky lavender and back to blue, now rich and dark and studded with stars. Lights have come on in the other houses that line the lake, signaling the comforting presence of neighbors just out of earshot. A few boats glide quietly back to the their docks across the water. Birds are crossing the sky and settling in for the night. Even the clouds seem to be scudding off to nestle in some safe corner of the sky to sleep. You can hear the distant call and response of the loons, the faint hooting of an owl, the friendly hum of frogs and insects, all snug and at peace in their own little spots. Everyone on the lake is going home. You feel lucky to be home as well. . .

2 months ago | [YT] | 896

Calmed By Nature

Do you want to come visit my old family lake house soon? 🌳🎣🏠🔥🏊⛵️🌲 I’ve spent the last few weeks getting it ready after a long winter… patching the roof, fixing up the dock, stacking firewood… and in a few more weeks it will be ready. Looking forward to spending warm days on the water and cool nights by the campfire. Hope to see you there ✌️🦉

2 months ago | [YT] | 412

Calmed By Nature

🦉 Happy Spring 🌷 I wanted to let you know that my Spring Bookstore ambience video is live and the accompanying album titled "Spring Bookstore Coffee Shop" is out now on streaming platforms.

🎥 New Spring Bookstore Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvFO7...

💿 Spring Bookstore Coffee Shop Album: open.spotify.com/album/3qyXBq6vaN58W4EuT5aacy
(apple, amazon, tidal, etc still to come)

🌸 Spring themed youtube videos:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list...

Hope everyone has a great weekend! ✌️🦉

3 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 488

Calmed By Nature

I just fired up the Calm Cafe beach livestream for anyone that's looking for sunny weather jazz ☕️🦉🌴 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYDiC...

3 months ago | [YT] | 494

Calmed By Nature

Would you like me to create a spring Calm Cafe coffee shop ambience video?

3 months ago | [YT] | 479

Calmed By Nature

I think we should go on a picnic 🧺☀️☁️🌳🦉

4 months ago | [YT] | 971

Calmed By Nature

❄️🦉🎹 "A Winter Night" solo jazz piano album is out now on streaming platforms! I was holding on to these songs for many years and I'm really happy to be able to share them with you.

Check out the album here: distrokid.com/hyperfollow/calmedbynature/a-winter-…

Or check out my Spotify playlist collection here:
www.toneden.io/links/3360514/insights

I'm currently working on some new video ideas and I'll hopefully have more updates to share soon. Take care! 🦉

4 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 488