Beginning Again with Intention - Coming Back to What Matters
This post marks a shift toward a more integrated and considered way of working. It outlines how slowing down, reflection, and care now shape my approach to nature journaling, pattern design, and teaching.
A Brown Thornbill in the soft glow of morning light. © 2026 Kerry Warnholtz
“The land is not a backdrop: it is a living presence.”
Beginning Again, More Gently
Welcome to 2026
This year, I’m working a little differently than I have in previous years. After a lengthy period of stepping back, due to illness and other life changing events, I realised I wanted my creative practice to feel more supportive moving forward, not just productive. More spacious. More aligned with how I actually want to live and work.
This website reflects that decision.
Slowing Down as a Creative Choice
At the centre of my work now is the choice to slow down. Nature journaling has been an important part of that. It offers a way to pause, to sit with what’s happening, and to give time and attention to things that often get overlooked. Drawing, painting and writing become tools for reflection rather than performance . Ways of caring for ourselves as much as creating something visual. That sense of care and consideration also informs how I teach. I’m interested in creating spaces where people feel supported to explore creativity without pressure or comparison.
How Pattern Design Fits In
My pattern design practice comes from the same place. Slowing down allows patterns to emerge thoughtfully… repeated shapes, harmonious colour relationships, and motifs drawn from time spent in Australian landscapes. These designs are intended to bring a sense of calm into everyday spaces, rather than demand attention. Pattern-making, journaling in all its’ forms, and teaching, all connect through this shared intention: making and holding space for expansion.
From nature to product: from Flannel Flower to sketches to a seamless pattern repeat design on a throw pillow.
What This Space Is For
This site brings together:
pattern designs created with care and intention, built around stories of Australian landscapes, including native flora and birds.
nature journaling as a reflective, grounding practice.
workshops and resources that support slower creativity, and skills that are incrementally built, using scaffolding techniques.
In the spirit of slowing down and helping you begin a new year by removing overwhelm, I encourage you to start simply - whatever stage you’re at.
If you’re curious, you can download a short, mini-guide called ‘A Gentle Guide to Connecting with Australian Nature through Art and Nature Journaling’. Just click on the words, download your free mini-guide below to grab your copy.
I encourage you to just start and enjoy the process. It’s simple. But often it’s the simplest things that are the hardest to begin. Let me know what comes from this simple start.
Also, to help continue the process of simply starting, I’m offering a gentle-paced workshop, Welcoming 2026 through Nature Journaling & Reflective Writing, for those who’d like to welcome in the new energies with more clarity of intentions.
This isn’t about starting fresh in a big way. It’s about beginning again with more time for self-care and intentionally slowing down, observing, connecting with nature and reflecting, so you can move forward with calmness and clarity.
Will you join me?