abstract nature painted art page in sketchbook by artist Hali Karla

Have you kept a “perpetual journal” before?

The idea is simple, and kind of like those one-line-a-day 5 year journals you can get, where you re-visit each daily page for five years, noting down some memories, thoughts, gratitudes or such. Over the five years, you can see a big picture rhythm, patterns, or movement to your life, and what’s important to you - all easy to lose sight of in the day-to-day. I’ve kept several in written form and have really enjoyed having them in my journal collection to look back on as life changes.

Maybe, like me, you’ve had ideas similar to this in how you approach or review your own art journaling or sketchbook practice, but just hadn’t heard of this particular name for the practice?

Someone mentioned their perpetual nature journal online somewhere, and that led me to botanical artist Lara Call Gastinger’s beautiful illustrations in her perpetual journal, a process she started with her husband over twenty years ago. She shares generously on how to start your own with their approach.

With gardening and plants becoming a central focus of my creative energy these last few years, this felt like a perfect project to try in my creative practice. So last fall, I began my first intentional perpetual nature-art journal, and shared the set-up, how-to and some ideas on how to make it your own with subscribers to my newsletter, the Slow Down Art Life.

It takes a little planning ahead to set up your sketchbook or journal, but it’s easy enough, and once that’s done, you’re ready to go.

I’m nine months in with mine, and I’m feeling more connected to this art journal with each entry.

As is the nature of this particular slow-art process, there is still a lot of white space so far in my sketchbook.

I’m really looking forward to begin adding second entries on spreads once I hit that year mark, and watching this visual storyline of seasons, inspiration and my nature observations begin to overlap with the cycles of time.

I’m sharing a few peeks here of some of my pages so far.

I’ve been letting myself go with whatever medium feels right, and sometimes easiest, when I have the urge to connect - with a plant, the seasonal palette, or some nature element I’m observing - in the space of my creative practice.

painted pink zinnias in art journal sketchbook

I am the sort of artist that appreciates a loose structure… just enough of a guideline to get me into my art-making, but with plenty of options and freedom to make the expression and practice my own.

This perpetual art journal idea is a perfect fit for that… and is a lovely complement to learning about the plants, developing relationship with them as living beings, and connecting more deeply with the land, seasons, and natural environment I live on, in and with.