Cultivating Creativity: The Gardener's Art Journal
I love gardening, it is part of my self-care and a pastime that helped guide me through some of my most difficult periods of grief. I know that finding moments of tranquility and inspiration is essential for my well-being. As an artist and maker, I constantly have ideas and plans for the garden.
Flowers I want to grow, seeds I want to plant and I wanted to create a place to gather all that inspiration. I also love the idea of making something from waste, cardboard packaging, recycled papers, and scraps squirreled away that we always say will come in useful one day! With all of this in mind, I began creating a Gardener's Junk Art Journal. This journal serves as a haven for cultivating dreams, planting seed ideas, and immersing myself in the therapeutic world of gardening.
The psychoanalyst Carl Jung believed modern technological life had alienated us from the “dark maternal, earthy ground of our being”. He grew his own vegetables and argued that “every human should have a plot of land so that their instincts can come to life again”.
We may not all be fortunate enough to have a plot of land but we can all have a journal to escape to to connect with the earthy ground of our being.
The Need for a Gardener's Junk Art Journal:
1. Nurturing Creativity:
If you are anything like me your gardener's mind is inherently creative, seeking colour schemes and arrangements for every season. A junk art journal becomes a canvas for cultivating this creativity, allowing you to sketch, paint, and collage your gardening visions. It's a space where your imagination can blossom alongside your plants, and where you can experiment with different artistic techniques.
2. Planting Seed Ideas:
A garden doesn't just appear overnight; it begins with the planting of seeds. Similarly, a Gardener's Junk Art Journal serves as a fertile ground for planting your creative seeds. Use it to jot down ideas for new plant arrangements, garden layouts, or DIY projects. Let your thoughts take root on paper, and watch as they flourish into tangible garden plans.
3. Mindful Gardening:
Gardening is a mindful practice that connects us with the present moment. A journal can serve as a companion to your gardening endeavors, capturing the sights, sounds, and sensations of the garden. Use it to reflect on your gardening experiences, record the changing seasons, and appreciate the small miracles that occur in your green haven.
The Art of Repurposing:
Junk journaling is all about repurposing discarded items into something beautiful. Embrace this ethos by creating vintage-style seed packets using old envelopes, scrap paper, and ephemera. Not only does this add a touch of nostalgia to your journal, but it also aligns with the sustainable spirit of gardening.
Design your seed packets with a personal touch. Include hand-drawn illustrations, quotes, or even snippets from your gardening journal. This not only makes for a visually appealing journal but also turns each seed packet into a piece of art that reflects your unique gardening journey.
Apart from their aesthetic appeal, these vintage seed packets can serve a practical purpose. Use them to store actual seeds from your garden or as placeholders for future planting ideas. The tactile experience of handling these packets adds another layer of mindfulness to your gardening practice.
My Gardener's Junk Art Journal reminds me of the importance of slowing down, connecting with the soil, with the outdoors, and nurturing my gardener's curiosity. I created a workshop sharing how you can make your own.
In the workshop I teach you how to craft your own journal using household paper waste, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. Discover the joy of layering mixed media to create a unique cover adorned with pressed plants, giving your journal a truly organic and personalised touch.
What We'll Explore Together:
1. Vintage Style Seed Packets and Pockets: Explore the art of creating vintage-inspired seed packets, adding a nostalgic charm to your journal.
2. Creative Use of 'Garden Journal' Printables: Learn innovative ways to incorporate the 'Garden Journal' printables into your artistic expressions.
3. Household Paper Waste Journal Making: Embrace sustainability by repurposing household paper waste into the pages of your journal.
The workshop includes a workbook, journal kit with over 40 printables all hand-scanned from my collection of vintage ephemera.
Unlock Your Creative Potential:
Whether you want to document your garden plans, and planting schedule, or infuse your journal with dreams, memories, and garden-inspired poetry, this class is your gateway to a world where creativity blooms with each season.
Whether you're an experienced gardener or just starting, I hope that creating your own Gardeners Journal provides a sanctuary for your dreams to grow and your ideas to blossom. So, gather some packaging, papers, glue, and gardening ephemera, and let the art of gardening extend onto the pages of your very own journal. Happy cultivating!
Click here to explore the Gardeners' Art Journal Class and give life to your gardening dreams through the magical realm of mixed media and mindful expression.