What is Intuitive Painting?
Intuitive painting is when the artist leans into her internal source of knowing to guide her through the creative process. This is not a technique that needs much other than relaxing into the present moment.
Have you had those times when painting when you just can’t seem to get out of your own way. Your brain is screaming “DONT F*!%K THIS UP!”
Yeah, I’ve had those too. It’s not pretty and causes me to second guess every brushstroke and every decision. Here’s something i’ve learned…
Fear Shouts
Intuition Whispers
Intuitive Painting Means Leading with Trust Instead of Fear
Fear shows up in creativity as a running dialogue for me. It speaks to my doubts and insufficiencies. My fear makes me feel as if I’m on the verge of failure at all times.
When I hear intuition during my creative process it comes as a a whisper or supportive nudge. Next time your practicing take a deep breath in for 5 seconds, hold your breath, then exhale for 5 seconds. Do this three times or more. This is the breath I use to settle into the moment.
How intuition has improved my painting:
CONFIDENCE
I have gained so much confidence through practicing intuitive painting. There’s no way around it – watercolor is a hard medium. Many things seem out of your control, especially when you first get started and being timid will only make it worse! Rigid brushstrokes that starve watercolors of fluidity and ease can be hard to look at. Often times the artist tries to make up for what they think their lacking, and end up filling the whole page with wash. Don’t let this be you! Support yourself with your thoughts. Get really quiet and listen to that part of you that just knows. You know what looks right, and if you make something that looks off… try and figure out why! Learn from all you do and know there are no mistakes. Take off your timid cloak and wear your confidence cape 🙂
INTUITION WILL LEAD TO A MORE DEFINED ARTISTIC STYLE
Authenticity is what you are aiming for. It’s your job as an artist to peel back other people’s expectations. It’s an extremely difficult task and one that takes patience and practice. When I continued to practice intuitive floral paintings I realized that I was slowly starting to make my own decisions. I would experiment and find out how I make leaves or how I make dahlia petals. Over time this helped me carve out the holy grail of defining my own identity as an artist.
FREEDOM FROM DOUBT AND FEAR
Giving myself freedom to follow this guide, experiment, and play ( ! ) has greatly shifted my watercolors. I used to paint with a very small brush. I would pencil in my whole painting first and then carefully fill it in with color. Often times I would use WAY TOO MUCH PAINT so the colors were so dense they didn’t want to bleed into one another. There were no happy accidents, no magic. Sure my poppies looked like poppies and peonies like peonies, but it was lacking authenticity and therefore FEELING.
I was trying to control the process so that I could feel safe. Heading into a floral painting with no pencil drawing can feel like taking stepping into the desert. There’s so much space for fear and doubt to creep in and start heckling you. Notice what happens when you take the pressure off and paint with intuition as your guide. Pretty soon those self sabotaging thoughts won’t come around as often.
Dive Deeper into Intuitive Painting
Peep my YouTube for a ton of free tutorials and process videos including this one, where I lean into intuition to paint loose watercolor florals.
My Intro to Intuitive Painting Course will have you mastering foundational watercolor techniques while gaining the confidence to step powerfully into your creative intuition.
