…trying to be a bit more intuitive in my painting process. Letting an idea appear out of seemingly nowhere and applying that idea as quickly as possible to whatever it is I’m working on so I don’t over-think it too much. Once applied and concrete I can then think about it, assess what I’ve done and observe my reaction to it. The thinking about it after I’ve done it, and observing my reaction to it, is the key here because it stops me before the next idea can be applied which might obliterate the idea I just finished applying and actually quite liked for whatever reason.

It’s the opposite to life where we should think about what we are going to do before we do it, so as not to harm the things around us.

Painting, however, is the perfect place to deliberately inflict harm on the subject and then gently resolve it.

Sounds weirder than it actually is.

You can’t really paint something representational without thinking about it though. Like trying to paint a portrait with a good likeness to the subject while painting intuitively sounds like what an oxymoron should be, and maybe it is…unless that part of the painting process is automatic maybe? Like… you know it so well that you don’t have to think about it? “Unconscious competence” (big smile emoji) ….hmmmm… now I’m wondering if it is possible to drive intuitively…or is that more instinctively…you know, where you’re driving away, thinking about everything except the task at hand and get to your destination and you can’t remember all the details of how you actually got there. I know it’s not just me that does that.

hmmmm….now I’m wondering what’s the difference between instinctively and intuitively? (checking google)

-”instinct is something that is in you. A born behavior that is activated when you interact with certain triggers and stimuli. It is something that you can’t turn on and off. Your instinct is your protector factor. It controls your anxiety levels, your responses to new or unknown things, and the awareness of the moments that you need bold and brave.”

-”Your intuition is based on experiences and helps cultivate the “Myself” (the soul). Your intuition is fueled by life experiences, whether good or bad. It gives you the awareness of the pros and cons of a situation. It helps you create solutions or cause problems.”

ahhh, instinct is activated and intuition is cultivated.

maybe that means that you can develop your intuition.

What’s exciting for me now is that the painting process is getting more interesting the more I do it - and I do mean interesting, like there’s a million puzzles to be solved if I let them emerge out of the initial idea of their own accord - my intuition is “helping me cause problems and create solutions”.