Let’s Begin our Collective Journey Together Here…
(Oh, I just love fresh beginnings, don't you?)
(photo taken, by me, of: ‘Morning Sunlight on Springtime Flowers’, growing among Nana’s and Indie Blue’s Fairy Garden, just outside our window, here at Willow House.)
Hello to all you Lovely Souls and Kindred Folk alike!
Here’s to wishing you a warm and glad welcome to The Nature Walk Collective…
We’re so happy to have you join us here amidst our own little corner of Substack!
We hope that you’ll soon come to know this as a safe-place and intentional-space where together we are mindful about: Cultivating Creativity and Growing Community Through a Shared Love of Nature, Art, Song and Story.
First things first, since this is in fact a brand new newsletter—as well as a fresh new community in-the-making, and you’re likely among the very first folks to find us here—I suppose a quick introduction might be in order!
My name is Juanita—I’m a PNW (born and raised), Artist, Storyteller, Permaculture Designer and Co-maker here at The Nature Walk Farm and Learning Gardens…
Which—in case you were wondering—just so happens to be a tiny 8+ year old Permaculture Farm, on just under an acre of earth, surrounding a whimsical 100+ year-old rambling house (that we’ve lovingly named Willow House), located in smalltown, Georgia, just a bit south of Atlanta.
This lovely little corner of earth we call home is also where, alongside my two adult daughters, I help to run a cottage industry-style, women-owned, small-family business…
In which we’re currently crafting the loveliest array of unique handmade gifts (in super-small batches, mind you!), as we prepare to share them with our friends and family (and the wonderfilled-world around us), via our online shops a bit later this summer, and perhaps even through a handful of local pop-ups and special events, this coming autumn and winter, too!
On a personal note: While painting will ever-be my first love, and creativity itself (in a good many forms), will always be among my deepest passions…
The simple act of sharing words of kindness, encouragement and inspiration is by far the greatest of my collective love languages in this life.
And so, friends, in a collective effort to help cultivate creativity and wonder (when many of us are seeking them, but having a rough go at finding them these days), to shine a light of hope (in an otherwise worn and weary world), and to help to set a place for ourselves, and others, at the collective Gathering Tables…
Here we are… (and we’re so very glad that you’ve joined us)!
(If, by some chance, you’ve happened upon us here on Substack after this post has been published, and like what you see, simply sign up with the link below so you don’t miss any future posts!)
In this sometimes-whimsical, often-creative, and always-eclectic little newsletter—and quite true to my own Enneagram 7w8 fashion—I’ll not only be sharing my love of all things Nature, Art, Song and Story related, but I’ll also be offering up many lovely little peeks-behind-the-scenes at life among our Learning Gardens, and our collective Home Studio here at Willow House, where we often work together as creative artists and co-makers on-the-daily.
And as time allows (amidst our somewhat-slower seasons), in between tending to the gardens and our creative work with handmade gifts…
I’ll also be sharing a bit of my more personal, creative writing including my thoughts on: Hope and healing, Beauty and brokenness, and Growing through grief, as well as the many challenges that come with navigating a life filled with autoimmune disease and chronic illness, among many other things of course. Because they say: “write what you know”... (and it just so happens, that I know these things all too well).
So, if it sounds like this might just be the place for you, please be sure to sign up for our Free Newsletter by clicking any one of the (dare I say, many?), links in this post…
And then, when you see a new post pop-up in your email inbox…
We do hope that you’ll put the kettle on, pour yourself a cup of something lovely, find a cozy-little-quiet nook to steal away some time (even if it’s just for a short while), and accept our open-invitation to follow along on our collective journey and join in the conversation, too.
All that said, many thanks for your time and energy—we know that for a good many of us these days (including myself), there’s not much extra time and/or energy (let alone enough ‘spoons’ to go around), so we appreciate any that you might have to spare and/or share with us, all the more for it!
Once you’ve confirmed your subscription for The Nature Walk Collective newsletter, please feel free to pop back into the comment section, for this post, and introduce yourself!
We’d love to know: Where are you from? What lovely rabbit trails have led you here to our creative little nature inspired collective? And what are you looking forward to learning—and/or growing in—as we navigate this wonderfilled new journey together? (After all, we’re all new here, so I suppose we have to start somewhere, right?)
Oh, and just one more thing before we go…
Since we were indeed created to be in community with other folks (rather than going through this life alone), please feel free to share our link with anyone else you think might enjoy The Nature Walk Collective newsletter (and community, too), by simply clicking the link below!
In the meantime, many thanks again for joining us here amidst our own little corner of Substack… We look forward to connecting with you all in the seasons to come!
Cheers! Juanita and The Nature Walk Collective family
p.s. Please be sure to let me know if you’re also writing here on Substack—I’d love to read and explore your writing and newsletter, too!