26 Jun Using One’s Intuition While Creating Art by Kimberly Gibson, LPCC

During the month of June at Recovery Help Now, we are focusing on “Listening to Your Intuition.” There are many ways to tap into to one’s intuition, such as journaling or spending time in a place that feels nurturing. Another way to honor one’s intuition is by creating art.

Creating art can be life enhancing and healing. It is also a naturally intuitive process. There are no rules and logic does not have to dictate the creative process. Choices about materials, color, lines and shapes can all be intuitive. It can be a way of making one’s unconscious beliefs visible and tangible.

One simple therapeutic art activity to try is create a mandala. Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning sacred circle and has been used throughout history by many cultures to represent wholeness. Creating a mandala involves making an image within a circular space. (The circular space can be created by tracing a plate or another type of circular object onto one’s paper). After you have your circular space established, set an intention. Maybe your intention in your art making is to better understand where you are in your life, or maybe it is to solve a specific problem or maybe it is a way to honor & visually document your progress. After you have set your intention, allow your self to work intuitively, without judgment, for some time. When you are satisfied or feel like your image has spoken, step back and reflect on your work. How did the process make you feel? If your artwork could speak, what would it say? What feeling does the image communicate to you? What is the message that the image is carrying? If the image could talk, what would it say? And finally, think about the process of being creative and recognize how that made you feel. Finally, repeat the process often. Keeping a visual journal can become a meaningful way to track one’s changes and movement over time.