How to use your intuition to foster a self-compassionate creative practice.
This blog post will cover:
What is intuition?
Why to we experience intuition?
Can we learn intuition?
Intuition and Self-compassion
Free Printable PDF - Exercises to boost your intuition
Hello my fellow creatives!
Today I was thinking about intuition and how important it is to me in my work. Both as an artist and a psychologist. I use it when I pick my color palette, my sketchbook for the day, the shapes, lines and squibbles I choose, even if I feel like hot press or cold press watercolor paper, intuition is my buddy. The word intuition can seem like a mumbojumbo psychobabbley word, but still, most people can relate to it. When I asked my fellow artists on Instagram it seems like intuition is an important part of their art practice.
“Well, I make a brush stroke and then I decide how it makes me feel - to see where it leads me.”
“Simply creating without thought. Remembering my art doesn’t need intention but relies on intuition.”
“I just go with the flow. It just happens.”
“Intuition is everything. How to start, what´s next and when it´s “done”. Esp w/ abstract for me.”
What is intuition?
Straight from the dictionary: “an ability to understand or know something immediately based on your feelings rather than facts”.
It comes from the Latin word intueri which can be translated as “to look inside” or “consider from within”.
It's not necessarily easily verbalized and can be more of a silent knowledge. A feeling of knowing when something is right or wrong. We can feel it in our gut.
Intuition can be understood as unconscious mental processing.
There is a whole lot of evidence supporting the existence of our unconscious mind and how it works, but I´m going to leave nerding out on that for another time.
It's a combination of your life experience, personality and emotional awareness.
So maybe we can look at it as a combination of both our intellectual knowledge and our emotional knowledge, combining and creating a powerful guide for our creative process.
“Intuition is a phenomenon that recurs across languages, cultures, continents and history throughout human endeavor from business to Buddhism. Intuition need not be ‘magical’ - it can be defined and explained scientifically. ”
Why do we experience intuition?
Let's think about it. If our brain had to make decisions on a conscious level from all the input from all our senses all the time, every day, our brain would get stuck in analysis paralysis. Not a pleasant state of mind, and no time for play and creativity. It´s just not the smartest way to CEO our brain.
Everyone has intuition and it occurs across time and cultures, religions and genders. Intuition can both change your life and save your life.
How can intuition foster a self-compassionate art practice?
With self compassion we try to give ourselves the same care and kindness we would give a close friend who is suffering. Practicing turning your attention inward and figuring out what you like and dislike, what you want to do or not, can help you become more aware of your own needs, which then can help you out when you are having a hard time during your art practice. Self-compassion involves a non-judging observation and of your own thoughts and feelings. It´s my hypothesis that practicing intuition will foster self-compassion as well, which in turn will help you have a healthier and sustainable art practice.
It can be a way to help yourself out when you feel stuck, overwhelmed, and when your brain only allow negative thoughts to exist.
Important Disclaimer: Remember that everyone is different and some artists have a different approach to their process which is just as valid. I also acknowledge all the other components of making art. Just like learning how to mix colors involves a more theoretic approach, which will further help your intuition when you ask yourself what colors feel good today.
Can we learn intuition?
The short answer is yes! (but in the field of science it’s more of a yes and no, depending on the research and how you define intuition). Your intuition is already there, but some people notice it more than others. So it is a matter of practicing awareness and focusing your attention.
If you do a daily practice of noticing your emotions, your thoughts and how they affect you and why, you will get better at observing and listening to your intuition.
I made a FREE printable PDF for you if you want to learn more about this and also get some exercises which can help you out. Just sign up with your email down below if this is something you are interested in. I’ve used many of these exercises myself and I hope you will get as much value from them as I have.
If you read this far. Thank you!
I hope it was a good way to spend your time. Don´t forget to sign up for my newsletter to get notified when I post new blog posts, artwork or resources like the one above.
I wish you a kind and self-compassionate creative practice.
x Eirin
