What is Intuitive Painting?
So many of you have asked what intuitive painting is, so I thought I would take a moment to talk about what it is, and how I approach the intuitive painting process.
Intuitive painting is a way of creating art in which the goal is self-exploration rather than creating a final end product. It is a form of active meditation, where applying paint to the canvas brings you into the present moment. There is complete freedom to play with colour, texture, tools and images to your heart’s content. The goal of intuitive painting is to silence the inner critic and to release judgement and perfectionism. There are as many ways to paint an intuitive painting as there are people in this world. The idea is to open up to the present moment and allow your inner voice to guide you.
I know this probably sounds pretty vague, and without some sort of framework it may seem difficult for some to know how to begin. So I thought I would walk you through how I approach an intuitive painting, in the hopes that you have some guidelines (not rules!) to try this out on your own.
Materials: You can truly use whatever mediums and tools you wish (or that you have on hand) to get started. Basically, you will need some sort of surface to apply paint to, most commonly a canvas but it could also be paper, a wood panel, cardboard, etc. Then you will need a medium. My medium of choice is acrylic paint in a variety of colours, but you may find watercolours, pastels or even crayons are what you are drawn to. One medium I would advise against is oil paint, only because of its long drying time, which can interfere with the flow of the meditative/mindful state. And finally, you will need some tools, most commonly paintbrushes, but you could use your fingers, sponges, natural objects, anything! I also strongly recommend a candle and a notebook or journal.
Before I begin a painting, I like to take some time to set an intention for the painting, and to set up my space. I always light a candle as part of my painting ritual, which helps to signal to my brain that I am about to enter a creative state. I will then typically take a few moments to take a few deep breaths, and pull a card, or journal about what is on my mind. For example, with the poinsettia painting below, I wanted to set my intentions for the upcoming holiday season, so I journaled about what Christmas means to me, what I wanted to prioritize this December, and what I wanted to let go of. I will sometimes write my intentions right onto the canvas, or paint a few key words onto the canvas. If you want to paint to music this is a great idea too, and can help to get your body to loosen up. All of these things will bring mindfulness to your intuitive painting practice, and you will be amazed at how being mindful of your intentions during your practice will truly help you to stay mindful of these things in your everyday life!
Get started: Sometimes I just start painting, throwing whatever colours I feel drawn to onto the canvas, other times I will try to ask myself, what colour expresses my feelings right now? Either way, don’t deliberate about it, just go with whatever comes up first. You may just feel drawn to certain colours, go with those! The blank white canvas is the scariest part of the whole process, so just get something on it! From here, you can tune into your body, your inner voice, and just let your intuition tell you where to go next. There does not have to be any rhyme or reason to it, and don’t worry about whether it looks good or about the overall composition. Let your body be loose and just go with the flow.
Continue Painting: Continue to paint, creating several layers. Look at your canvas and see what it says to you. Are there areas that you like? Areas that you don’t like? Feel free to paint over areas, highlight areas, whatever your intuition tells you to do. At this point you are likely going to feel some resistance, you may have thoughts about your painting that are less than loving. That’s okay! Try to release the judgement and continue on. Remember, you aren’t making this painting to sell or to even share with anyone else! No pressure here!
Finish Your Painting (Or Don’t): You may feel at some point that your painting is complete. Or you may not. I have some canvases that I continue to paint over and over again, and that is okay! In this way your painting is more like a journal, and there is great value in that too.
Reflection: When I complete a painting session I like to reflect back on it. How did I feel when I started the session? How am I feeling now? How does my painting make me feel? What resistance did I come up against throughout the process? Are there any images or ideas that came up in this painting? Are there any thoughts or ideas I encountered that I want to explore?
Celebrate!!!: Whether you love your painting or not, celebrate the fact that you took this time to dedicate to you and only you. Taking time to explore your inner world is never time wasted!