Planted Journal

Submissions are open until 1st June 2026 We’re looking for stories that imagine new ways of living, where economy and ecology are no longer separate, but deeply intertwined. Stories that uncover connection, reciprocity, and the abundance possible in a more connected world. If you’re a writer, photographer, filmmaker, poet or dreamer, we’d love to hear from you. Visit our website for full submission guidelines Photography by @giovannisantarelli Design by @bectic

Spirit and the Breath Planted in Our Bodies We have been told that we must save the Earth, but how can we save our creator? The Earth will outlive every being that grows within her womb. We have lost the ability to breathe, carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders. Through this journal, we invite you to breathe and reconnect with the spirit of the Earth. The word spirit itself comes from the Latin spiritus, meaning “breath” or “spirit,” derived from spirare, “to breathe.” We are all breathing beings, human and more-than-human. What could it mean to understand human language as only one part of the language spoken by all existence? What if spirituality is not limited to humans? What if the Earth is asking us to save ourselves rather than her? Our personal struggles and stories are all part of the web of life. Perhaps the greatest gift we can offer the world is our truest selves by becoming our own saviors. Read more via the link in bio. This is an archived version of the journal, now published as Seeds. Words by @Priyanka.Parihar16 #MoreThanHuman #Breathwork #SpiritualEcology

Sacred Ecologies and other ways of knowing. At a moment when climate change is most often framed through science and politics, Sacred Ecologies lean towards other ways of knowing. Bringing together four artists from across continents, @alvinnzh @lisandrosuriel @guichrist @libertife this series explores how spirituality, ancestral knowledge, and cultural belief shape relationships to land and environment. The featured artists do not simply depict crisis; they reframe it—foregrounding ways of seeing and being that are rooted in interconnection and continuity.  The artists bring ecological frameworks from their home countries that move beyond extraction and towards reciprocity, care, and continuity— where the natural world is not a passive backdrop, but a living presence shaped by memory, spirit, and relation. At its core, for Sacred Ecologies Photography Features Editor @virgifilm asks how we might relearn our place within the world—not as observers, but as participants in its ongoing cycles of transformation. Read more via the link in our bio and subscribe to our newsletter for more stories that bridge the gap between human and nature for personal and planetary well-being.  1, 3 and 4 @guichrist 2,5,6 and 7 @lisandrosuriel 8, 9,10, and 11 @alvinnzh 12 and 13 @libertife Design by @bectic #HumanandNature #Art #nature #Memory #EcoSpirituality

White egrets “kiss” as part of their mating ritual photographed by Tokutaro Tanaka Tokutaro Tanaka, a photographer known among locals as “the heron’s companion,” devoted his life to photographing herons. Born in Saitama Prefecture in 1909, he worked for 24 years with the Japanese National Railways before retiring and opening a photographic supply store in Urawa. In 1954, Tanaka visited Sagiyama in Noda (now Midori Ward, Saitama City) with friends, where he became captivated by the ethereal beauty of white herons. Determined to document them, he immersed himself in their environment, walking through the area, climbing trees, even scaling farmhouse roofs, and at times spending entire moonlit nights among the birds. The following year, he constructed a 15-meter-high observation tower in the forest of Sagiyama. From this vantage point, he carefully documented the herons’ nesting and daily lives over a six-month period each year. Over the course of about seven years, he produced a remarkable body of work. Tanaka’s works are held in the permanent collections of major institutions, including Museum of Modern Art and other museums. (Source: The Japanese Photobook 1912–1990) #HeronPhotography #WhiteHerons #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #NaturePhotography

“The war is not only for the right to live on the land, but also to be buried in it.” Ukrainian artist @koltsovadarya ’s practice emerges from listening to the histories that imperial, colonial regimes have tried to erase—narratives, memories, and stories that carry across generations. Her work inhabits “the tension between local experience and global frameworks, between private memory and official history”. It is within this space that her practice unfolds, shaped by the responsibility to use her voice to speak the underrepresented stories. She joined @anna.borrie to talk about memory, land as a witness, and why small, intimate gestures can become powerful acts of resistance and connection for Documenting Conflict. Read more via the link in our bio and subscribe to our newsletter for more stories that bridge the gap between humans and nature for personal and planetary well-being. Design by @bectic #LandAndMemory #ArtAndPolitics #Ukraine #DecolonialNarratives

Trees shedding barks Some trees like eucalyptus, birch, and sycamore naturally shed bark as they grow. As the trunk widens, the outer bark splits and peels away in thin flakes, scales, or layers, revealing newer bark forming underneath. This process varies by species and can also help remove parasites or buildup on the surface. The result is a range of textures and contrasting colours. This process reflects how change is continuous. Human skin naturally exfoliates, our hair sheds and regrows, and our cells constantly renew through cycles of growth and death. Within both us and the trees, this process shows that beauty can be hidden beneath, and sometimes we need to break through for it to truly reveal itself. Scroll through to look into the details of exfoliation. #TreeFacts #BarkShedding #NaturePatterns #TreeLovers

Flowers’ symbolism, metaphors, and meaning-making. Since the time before time. Flowers have reached the inner world of the human spirit, recurring in the spiritual and symbolic realms. This week @priyanka.parihar16 traces the symbolism of flowers across three continents, where origin stories bloomed from the floral world. This essay moves through the sacred sites of Göbekli Tepe and Stonehenge and the mythological flower worlds of Central America and Asia, where sangam poetry in 300 BCE interpreted love through landscape and flowers. She asks, “How did spirit get entwined with the world of flowers that awakened origin stories, spirituality, and even love?” Read more via the link in our bio and subscribe to our Seeds newsletter. Design @bectic #Nature #Flowers #HumanandNature

This Pollen-Covered Bee Has 5 Eyes Bees are ancient survival experts. These tiny pollinators have been around for over 100 million years, outlasting dinosaurs and helping shape the planet as we know it. Today, there are around 20,000 different species, each playing a role in keeping ecosystems alive. Bees have five eyes, six legs, and can zip through the air at 15–20 mph, all while beating their wings a staggering 200 times per second. Asingle honeybee will spend its entire life working tirelessly… and produce just about 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey. That’s it. Every drop in a jar represents the combined life’s work of countless bees. Video by @adria_visuals #Bees #HoneyBee #Pollinators #BeeFacts

We are nature, living in the human body. 1 & 3 @watchyourvision 2 ’Alike by Nature” by Vivien Martineau 4 & 8 khushi.dabur 5, 6, 7 & 9 Human Body and Nature: Visual Exercises @alicjabrodowicz #EarthDay #HumanandNature #PlantedJournal

Food transforms complex scientific and political questions into sensory, lived experiences. Since 2010, @genomicgastronomy has developed an approach to food analysis grounded in inquiry, experimentation, and the shared table. From crafting interdisciplinary dialogues on the future of Egyptian foodscapes to documenting the terroir of wheat fields scorched by California wildfires, the artists of the Center for Genomic Gastronomy explore the future of food with both breadth and depth. What began as an effort to map food landscapes has evolved into a participatory invitation to engage with the sensory and global implications of agricultural production today. Food and Agriculture Editor @madeleine.freund invites @genomicgastronomy to delve into agricultural loss, speculative food technologies, and more than a decade of collaborative practice. Read the full interview via the link in our bio and subscribe to our newsletter for more stories that bridge the gap between human and nature for personal and planetary well-being.  Design by @bectic #ArtAndScience #FoodSystems #AgriCulture #FutureOfFood

Trash to Treasure A reflective photo series inspired by Kenya’s 2017 ban on single-use plastic bags, exploring what happens to materials after they are discarded. Repurposed plastics are transformed into sculptural garments, highlighting the overlooked potential of waste while keeping traces of their original form visible. Through a restrained and thoughtful visual language, the series moves beyond aesthetics to question ideas of value, consumption, and renewal. It frames sustainability not as a trend, but as a creative and necessary shift where limitation fosters innovation and discarded materials are reimagined with care and intention. Styled by Kennedy Mirema (@kennedymirema ), the series brings this idea into form through garments constructed from repurposed materials, transforming debris into sculptural, wearable pieces. The images move beyond aesthetics, offering a considered reflection on sustainability, resourcefulness, and the evolving language of fashion. Photography: @feeglory Wardrobe: @iamisigo Creative direction: @jumahjettah Styling: @kennedymirema #SustainableFashion #CircularDesign #WasteToWear

Living Sculptures: Weaving History and Memory @swilkwork is a queer fiber installation and performance artist who uses craft as a way to navigate complex sociopolitical realities. Their work reflects on how we carry history in our bodies, our communities, and the materials we touch. Working at the intersection of weaving and technology, they create sculptural pieces that are both mechanically automated and activated by their environment. Based in Oakland, California, Swilk’s practice centers resilience within queer history and grief. Their forms feel ethereal and organic, inviting viewers into a space where memory, loss, and transformation coexist. Each piece asks for reflection, encouraging a deeper engagement with both personal and collective histories. Their work bridges textile traditions with contemporary kinetic art, treating fiber as something alive rather than static. Through movement, texture, and time, Swilk reveals storytelling as a living process. #LivingSculptures #ArtAndActivism #OrganicForms #HumanandNature