Write & grow - 5 Journaling Tips by Gudrun Hermann
Have you ever thought about filling your botanical journal not just with drawings and colors but also bringing it to life with words?
In this guest article by Gudrun Hermann, you’ll discover how writing and botanical art can go hand in hand – forming a harmonious interplay that inspires us, slows us down, and expands our creative potential.
Let yourself be inspired by Gudrun’s journaling tips.
This article is an invitation to grow with words and experience nature in a whole new way.
Enjoy reading!
Write & grow - 5 Journaling Tips by Gudrun Hermann
Writing has much in common with botanical art: observing closely, sensing deeply, connecting, entering into dialogue, surrendering to a process, using words like colors...
In this article, I’ll share my favorite journaling tips with you, designed to encourage you to combine writing with the beauty of plants and art into something truly enriching.
Together, we’ll explore how journaling not only unleashes creative energy but also creates small moments of pause in everyday life – much like a walk through a garden full of serenity and inspiration.
Do you also love experiencing life more consciously?
For me, journaling is a wonderful way to see the world – and myself – through new eyes.
It’s a bit like walking through a garden: with every word, something new grows. 🌿
Nature gives us inspiration when we pause and observe carefully – in painting as well as in journaling.
Both practices share a unique beauty: the art of making the invisible visible.
Journaling is like a botanical still life for the soul: collecting impressions, putting them on paper, and watching them unfold.
With your pen, you can plant small wonders – subtle, profound, and with the potential to make life just a little more beautiful.
1. Observe like a botanist: The little details matter
The best stories emerge when we pause and look at what lies beneath the surface.
Take a few minutes each day to jot down a detail from your surroundings or your day: the flight of a bee, the sound of rain on the window, the scent of your cup of tea.
Describe it as precisely as you would when creating a botanical drawing.
What do you discover when you look more closely?
2. Nurture your thoughts like a plant
Sometimes, words don’t flow onto the page right away – just like a seed needs time to sprout.
Instead of forcing yourself to write the perfect sentence, try freewriting: jot down everything that comes to mind without judgment.
Your journal is the soil, and your thoughts are the seeds.
Let them grow – wild, chaotic, alive.
Editing (weeding) can come later, if at all – sometimes it’s enough to simply harvest, or even admire the wildflowers alongside your cultivated ideas.
3. Find inspiration in other „blossoms“
Just as many botanical illustrations are inspired by the drawings of others, we can also learn from the lives and thoughts of extraordinary women.
In my new journaling series, Phenomenal Women Write!, I invite you to draw inspiration from writers like Vita Sackville-West, a passionate gardener and author.
Her books reflect her love of botany and are like gardens you can stroll through.
You’re sure to discover ideas for your own journal there.
4. Use colors like in a bouquet
Journaling doesn’t have to be only black and white.
Why not bring colors into play?
Sketch small plants, paint backgrounds, or experiment with colored pens.
You can paste leaves, flowers, or images of them into your journal – creating a personal herbarium of your thoughts.
And if you’d like to add words, even better.
How about a poem?
Everything is up to you.
Versuch einer Skizze in Gudruns Artist’s Journal
5. Create your personal writing ritual
Just as plants thrive with a rhythm, journaling also benefits from having a set place in your daily life.
Maybe it’s the morning stillness with your first coffee, the moment after a walk in nature, or the soft light of a candle in the evening.
Make it special – just as you would when arranging a bouquet or starting a new painting.
Journaling is an invitation to experience the world more consciously – just like botanical art.
It helps us see the beauty in everyday life and organize our thoughts as they unfold.
Foto-Credits: Friedrich Schweiger. Ich (Gudrun Hermann) bei meiner liebsten Tätigkeit, Journaling und Skizzieren im Garten
More from Gudrun Hermann
If you want to dive deeper and love both writing and gardens, the workshop “Phenomenal Women Write! You, Me, a Pen, and Vita Sackville-West” could be perfect for you.
Inspired by the vibrant life of the English “garden painter” and creator of Sissinghurst Gardens as well as a fascinating writer, you’ll find materials and ideas for 4 journaling sessions – at your own time and pace.
Once booked, the workshop is yours to revisit anytime.
It’s suitable for beginners and advanced journalers alike and will guide you into yet-undiscovered garden spaces in your life. 🌿
Through writing, we can grow. Try it out!
With words that bloom unexpectedly,
Gudrun
Gudrun´s Website: www.plusquamperfekt.at
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