Trusting Your Intuition

About this Episode

As artists we all recognize that intuition plays a role in what we do, but what that role is can seem mysterious and elusive. Like many concepts in art, we tend to use the words intuitive and intuition loosely because they defy exact description. But a closer look may help you understand its place in your own way of working, and to better access its power. If trusting intuition doesn’t come easily to you, you are not alone. Today we will talk about what intuition is, why it can be challenging to trust, and ways to nurture it in your work.

The word ‘intuition’ has its roots in the Latin intueri which means ‘to look at or toward’ or ‘to contemplate’. This points to the foundation of intuition, which requires an openness, an awareness of your true self, your experiences, and emotions, that you can use in your work. When you have that base, the inner knowing that we call intuition can be accessed. Intuition also comes from being in the moment, and tends to motivate us toward action and decisions. It is motivating and energizing, but it can be counteracted by second guessing and hesitation.

Rational thought is important too of course, the need to step back to analyze how things are going. We need critical thinking to improve and evaluate our work. But in creative work, the original impulse is intuitive. When your work comes from your deepest self, that is rarely a purely rational or intellectual source. Left-brain thinking can support and help develop the original idea. But what gets you rolling, provides the excitement and energy, is generally not primarily intellectual, but instead emotional or experiential.

Many artists want to be able to develop and to trust their intuition but they feel inhibited by their rational minds, or by fears of being judged if they allow their inner selves to be more visible. Making art sometimes from as pure an intutive source as possible is a good way to develop your intuition. It’s important to honor and nurture intuition however you can access it, whether in small decisions or in larger, more inspiring ways that get to your deeper sense of self-expression.

Nancy Fletcher Cassell webpage mentioned--intuitive painting:
https://ericmaisel.com/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2011/07/ten_tips_for_intuitive_painting.pdf

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