Testimonial: Intuitive Painting and The Artist’s Way Book Club
My experience with The Artist’s Way group was as unplanned as my painting.”
Sandy, Artist’s Way Book Club Participant
That is quite unusual for anyone who knows me because I am a planner. I joined the Artist Way group because a friend wanted me to join her. Although joining the group was not my idea, I had several things going on in my life, and I was hoping for inspiration and clarity.
Initially, I was concerned that this group would not be a great fit because I was not looking to become a professional artist. My goals were to: find perspective on some negative personal issues, return to enjoying painting and potentially return to work part-time. Through the Artist’s Way group and experience, the surprising reality was that I achieved all three of these goals.
The process for achieving these goals was:
Reading a book (that did not immediately grab me),
Completing the book’s homework,
Talking fairly openly with a group of supportive strangers,
Journaling every morning, and
Going on an Artist Date every week.
Of those five things, the only one that I was initially excited about was meeting new people. But despite my skepticism, the process has given me new energy, clarity, joy, curiosity, and hope. With that, I have been able to plan several items on my wish list, such as travel and finding a new job, and I feel I can better identify and communicate what I want.
The painting above was created during an intuitive painting class at the Indianapolis Art Center. Intuitive painting involves painting based on your intuition, not based on a plan. During my first Artist Date, I took a picture of a basket, and that became the inspiration for the picture. But every step of the way, I did not know the next step. I did not know the colors, textures, or even what would be in the basket until I was ready to address the next step. Another Artist Date in which I collected rocks from a river and painted them with inspirational words, such as courage and resilience, was the inspiration for the rocks in the basket. Each Artist Date inspired the next step in the process.
Painting this picture was both fun and liberating. It felt surprisingly good to be “ok” with not knowing what was ahead of me. It was nice to focus on the process more than the outcome. I don’t know how viewers perceive this painting, but it brings me joy and helps me feel stronger as a person.
