What Is Intuitive Painting?

 

Intuitive painting is a practice, not a product. It’s painting as a form of attention: breath, body, color, and presence working together. We learn to tell the difference between intuition and the judging mind, and we let the next stroke be guided by what’s true in the moment—not by a plan or an outcome.

 

Intuitive Painting is a process of self-discovery through opening up to your intuition. My role as a facilitator is to witness, hold the space, and help you stay by your "Intuition Spring." This presence is opening, meditative, transformative, and healing. ​You don't need any background in art or painting to immerse yourself in this process. All of us have an innate freedom to express ourselves with colors and images; however, it gets blocked by our critical minds, judgment, environmental conditioning, and, at times, the training we have. In this process, we will experience the freedom of expression, which will be a portal to a wholesome, intuitive presence. 

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Why do we paint and dance?

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• Free the creative self. We loosen perfectionism, comparison, and the need for approval. We risk, play, and experiment.
   

• Return to presence. When we drop “shoulds,” we create room for curiosity, compassion, and calm.
   

• Build trust. We practice letting rhythm and timing lead—like a river finding its course.
   

“ Dance is not just 

Getting up painlessly

Like a leaf 

Blown on the wind;

Dancing is when you tear

Your heart out 

And rise out of your body

To be free in the world

Between the worlds.” Rumi

 

What it is (and isn’t)

 

Intuitive painting welcomes everything—bold color or fine detail, abstract or imagery, beauty or mess, flow or stuckness. If it’s honest, it belongs.
It is not a technique class, a style to copy, or a results-based process. We’re not aiming to make something “pretty” or to perform. We’re practicing how to listen.

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Soul work, gently held

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This practice can surface grief, joy, memory, and power. We meet what arises with presence in a trauma-informed container. Intuitive painting can make the unconscious more conscious, strengthen your alliance with inner wisdom, and support a sense of wholeness.

How it differs from art therapy: feelings are welcomed and witnessed, but we don’t analyze the image. We honor the mystery; healing can happen without explanation. When it’s helpful, I’ll invite you to notice the somatic (body) experience of what wants expression. This work is not psychotherapy or a substitute for clinical care.

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The importance of connection

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As Gabor Maté says, “Safety is not the absence of threat; it is the presence of connection.” In a connected space—within yourself and with the group—real change becomes possible.

 

 

FAQs

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Do I need to know how to paint?

 

No. All levels are welcome. There is no critique and no right way to do this. Your willingness to show up is the only prerequisite.

What materials do we use?

We primarily use water-based paints (acrylic or tempera), large-format paper, tape, and a range of brushes and tools. For in-person groups, materials are provided. For online sessions, you’ll receive a simple materials list and affordable options.

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How will we move? What else is included?

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We start with breath and gentle, 5Rhythms-inspired movement to loosen the body and settle the nervous system. A short sharing circle, a brief meditation, and sometimes a poem (Rumi, Hafez, or another day’s inspiration) help set the tone. At times, we include certain exercises to unfold the creativity or connect with a theme. Then we paint—one honest stroke at a time.
I hold a steady, respectful space, informed by trauma-sensitive training and nature-based practices. Breaks are available as needed. We usually paint in silence. As a facilitator, I do check-ins to help you reflect on your process or reconnect with the creative flow if stuck. Closing includes an optional reflection—verbally or in writing.

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What else is included?

• Clear agreements for confidentiality, consent, and care
   

• Guided prompts to support flow when you feel stuck
   

• Optional somatic check-ins to help track body signals and self-regulate
   

• Resource list for continuing at home (materials, playlists, simple practices)
   

 

What you may take with you?

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• A steadier presence and a softer nervous system
   

• Courage to create without permission and feel what’s real, to say Yes to what belongs and to say No to what you need to reject, within yourself or in the world
   

• A renewed sense of belonging to yourself, your body, your ancestors, and the living world, as we experience it
   

• Trust in your own rhythm, timing, and voice
   

Painting the River is where brush meets breath, water is an ally, and your creative spirit remembers its flow.

Ready to begin?