Finding Inspiration in Nature
An Artist’s Guide to TAKE A NOTE FROM NATURE
When we return to the rhythm of the natural world, we awaken a deeper creativity - one rooted in presence, shaped by wonder, and inspired by the quiet magic all around us.
As artists, we learn to find inspiration in everything we do and everywhere we go. From the smallest seed to the tallest tree, we use all of our senses to take in the world around us and filter it through our own unique lens. Nature offers an endless and ever-changing palette - color, shape, rhythm, and texture all alive in real time. It doesn’t ask to be curated or filtered. It simply exists, vibrant and wild, waiting for us to notice.
Over the last decade, there’s been a shift in how we gather inspiration. With social media and an infinite stream of imagery just a swipe away, it’s easy to turn to Pinterest boards or mood folders filled with curated moments. And while there’s beauty and value in digital discovery, there’s also a kind of flatness to it - an absence of touch, smell, sound, and space. That familiar phrase, “nothing is new,” rings true in this visual age. We’re all drawing from the same collective well, but it’s how we interpret what we’re drawn to that makes our work personal and alive.
I love the spark that comes from thumbing through design books or falling into the scroll of architectural wonder and color-styled pages. But the coolest, most lasting kind of inspiration often happens just outside our door. When we physically engage with nature - whether walking barefoot on moss, collecting fallen leaves, or simply sitting with a sunset - we invite a different kind of connection. It touches us not just visually, but emotionally, somatically, spiritually. We don’t just see the colors - we feel them. The raw textures, the scent of damp earth, the way sunlight flickers through the trees—these are experiences that live in the body and breathe life into our creative work.
And when we return home, still carrying that breath of wind, that shadow of branch or stone, we begin to ask: How can I live closer to this? How can I bring this natural magic into my daily space - not just in my art, but in the places, I rest, dream, and create?
1. Gather Natural Textures
Incorporate materials like wood, linen, wool, stone, and clay. Think raw-edge wood furniture, hand-thrown ceramics, and woven baskets that echo nature’s organic forms.
2. Embrace Earth-Toned Color Palettes
Let your color story draw from your surroundings: soft sage, deep forest green, warm ochre, clay reds, watery blues. These tones feel grounding and timeless.
3. Create a Nature-Inspired Altar or Corner
Dedicate a small space in your home to seasonal finds—dried flowers, feathers, stones, pinecones, or leaves. Rotate it often as the landscape shifts.
4. Use Botanical Prints & Florals
Wallpaper, textiles, and framed artwork featuring plants, insects, or florals can bring the energy of growth and life into any space without being literal.
5. Invite Nature’s Light In
Use sheer curtains or strategically placed mirrors to amplify sunlight. Observe how natural light moves through your space during the day—let it be part of the design.
6. Bring in Plants
Nothing evokes nature like nature itself. Even a single potted plant can change the energy of a room—inviting calm, freshness, and life.
7. Walk & Collect with Intention
Let your walks double as foraging trips. Stones, driftwood, fallen petals—all become part of your personal narrative when you bring them home with reverence.
8. Let Nature Influence Your Art Materials
Experiment with natural pigments, handmade papers, or inks derived from plants. Let your materials be part of the story you're telling.
9. Scent the Air Like a Forest
Use essential oils, handmade incense, or candles with grounding notes like cedar, moss, eucalyptus, or sage to create an immersive sensory experience.
10. Keep It Imperfect
Nature doesn’t polish or perfect—it layers, weathers, shifts. Embrace worn edges, asymmetry, and the quiet beauty of the undone.
Inspiration is all around us, but nature invites us to remember what’s already within. When we slow down, step outside, and pay attention, we reconnect with a rhythm that’s ancient, intuitive, and deeply nourishing. Whether you bring the outdoors in through your art, your home, or the way you move through your day, let nature be your collaborator - a quiet muse reminding you to create with presence, with wonder, and with heart.
Deck shown is Orenda Tarot by BOUCHETTEDESIGN
PULL A CARD FOR EACH NATURE INSPIRED TAROT CARD!
Tarot is a beautiful way to reflect on what nature is already teaching us - about growth, stillness, creativity, and change. These five card pulls are inspired by the rhythms of the natural world and are meant to help you reconnect with your creative spirit. Pair each card with the journal prompt that follows, and let your intuition guide you as you explore where nature’s wisdom is showing up in your life right now.
1. The Empress – The card of abundance, nature, and creative flow.
Journal Prompt:
Where in my life am I being called to soften, nurture, or grow something with care? How can I make more space for creative abundance to bloom naturally?
2. The Hermit – The card of solitude, reflection, and inner wisdom.
Journal Prompt:
What would it look like to retreat into my own inner forest? Where might I find clarity or guidance by stepping away from the noise and into stillness?
3. Ace of Pentacles – The card of grounded beginnings and earthly opportunity.
Journal Prompt:
What seeds am I ready to plant—physically, creatively, or emotionally? What do I need to tend gently in order to see it thrive?
4. The Sun – The card of joy, vitality, and connection to light.
Journal Prompt:
What brings me genuine joy, and how can I invite more of that warmth into my daily rituals, creative practice, or home environment?
5. Seven of Cups – The card of dreams, choices, and illusion.
Journal Prompt:
What forms of inspiration truly feed my soul, and which ones might be distractions? How can I root back into my own inner vision, like a tree finding the sun?
