This Soul Foraging practice combines mixed media collage, nature-based observation, and creative wellness.
Inspired by early spring and the calming effects of time spent outdoors, this approach invites you to slow down, notice what draws your attention, and translate that experience into intuitive, expressive art.
There’s a moment that sometimes comes after we begin to notice more closely.
At first, we’re simply observing.
The light.
A shift in the air.
Something small that catches our attention.
But then, something changes.
What we notice begins to feel… personal.
As if it’s not just something we’re seeing,
but something we’re being shown.
It looks like these two trees are hugging
Over time, I’ve come to trust these moments.
Not as something to explain…
but as something to listen to.
In my work as an art therapy practitioner, I’ve seen how often what we are drawn to carries meaning, before we have words for it.
A color.
A texture.
A quiet moment in nature.
They resonate for a reason.
The early morning view from my front deck
And sometimes, if we pause long enough, it can feel as though something is gently speaking.
Not loudly.
But in a way that asks us to pay attention.
Beginning with the First Step
Read: Soul Foraging: The First Step Into Spring for Creative Wellness
If you’re just arriving here, you might enjoy beginning with the first post in this series, where this practice of Soul Foraging begins.
But there’s no need to go in order, just follow what feels right to you.
🌱 A Soul Foraging Prompt
The next time you step outside, or spend a quiet moment in nature, carry a simple question with you:
What do I need to hear right now?
You don’t need to answer it.
Just hold it softly.
As you look around, let something choose you.
Not the most beautiful thing.
Not the most obvious.
Just the thing you can’t quite ignore.
When you find it, pause.
Stay with it a little longer than you normally would.
And gently imagine:
This is a message.
You don’t need to understand the message.
Just notice what it stirs.
A feeling.
A memory.
A quiet sense of recognition.
🎨 Mixed Media Collage Invitation
When you return, gather a few simple materials.
Paper or fabric scraps, old book pages, tissue, paint, whatever you have nearby.
Begin to create a small mixed media collage as if you are revealing that message.
Not illustrating it.
Not explaining it.
Just letting it come through.
You might:
layer papers so something is partially hidden
allow edges to overlap, as if something is being uncovered
include a word or phrase that feels like it belongs
let textures and colors guide you rather than a plan
Let the process feel intuitive.
This isn’t about making polished art.
It’s about creative expression and creative wellness, giving form to something you’ve felt or noticed.
🌸 Creative Check-In
When you sit with your collage, take a quiet moment to notice your response.
Is there anything that surprises you?
A word you didn’t expect.
A feeling that shifted.
A sense of something becoming clearer… or simply more present.
Ask yourself:
Did anything come through that I needed to hear?
Not something to analyze.
Not something to question.
Just something to receive.
Sometimes, meaning doesn’t arrive all at once.
It reveals itself slowly…
when we give it space.
And this is where creative wellness begins.
Not in having answers…
but in learning how to listen.
This kind of intuitive mixed media practice is not about making finished art. It’s about creative wellness, self-expression, and reconnecting with your inner landscape through nature.
If you feel drawn to explore this a little further, you’re welcome to step into the beginning of Soulful Stories.
I’ve created a free Creative Taster which let’s you step inside the Soulful Stories Course hub and enjoy the first 3 lesson. This is a space to begin creating and discovering your own visual story, using materials you likely already have.
You can begin whenever it feels right.
🌿 What’s Coming Next
In the next part of this series, we’ll begin to explore how the natural world can act as a mirror…
and how simple images and objects can begin to carry deeper meaning in your creative work.
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With warmth,
I live and create on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabeg peoples, lands that remain under their original stewardship. I honor their enduring connection to this place and their care for it over generations.
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