Why you need to stop seeking answers outside of yourself
Let’s dive into the idea of intuition! I know this is one of those things that can feel super abstract and hard to pin down until you actually experience it. So instead of trying to explain it in some complicated way, I’m just going to share my own story. Hopefully, that makes it easier to see what intuition really looks and feels like in action—and why it’s something worth paying attention to!
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Thinking My Way Through Life
Personally, I still remember when I first started to explore this idea of intuition and I didn't really understand it. It was hard to wrap my head around what this meant. I remember my husband told me at one point, “maybe you should start listening to your heart”. And when he said this, I legit did not know what he was talking about.
I think I was still in a place in my life where I was thinking my way through everything. And, what I mean is that I was really stuck in my head. I was always trying to look at things logically and using my intellect to try to make life decisions.
This looked like:
Creating pros and cons lists
Researching for hours
Reading and filling my head with lots of information on the topic
Going around asking everyone else for their opinions
All of this with the goal of avoiding making mistakes because I didn’t trust myself. It never occurred to me that I was going to everyone else for their opinions and never listening to my own. I always felt like everyone else knew better than I did. I had no idea that I was giving away my power. I was letting other people decide what was best for me.
Fast forward, things have shifted a lot for me since these early days. This is no longer the way I make decisions in my life. So, let me illustrate how this has shifted since.
Getting Real with Myself
About a year ago, I decided to stop trying to monetize my art and made it into more of a personal thing for my own joy. This was a really challenging decision at the time because I had invested so much of my time, energy, and resources into this goal. Basically a decade trying to make this goal a reality but it didn’t happen for me. You could say I failed in the traditional sense.
But to tell you the truth, I had lost the joy in my art making long before I made the decision to quit trying to monetize my skills. It turns out that the more I learned and explored what it took to make this goal a reality, the more I realized I didn’t actually want to pursue this after all.
I noticed how I’d been creating out of obligation and habit. I wasn’t having fun. I was starting to feel stifled with my creativity (probably due to the subconscious pressure of trying to succeed and force things to go my way). It got to the point I had completely lost the plot. Nothing was motivating me enough to keep going. I had fallen out of love with my creative process for quite some time and I knew things had to change.
Learning to Trust Myself
Looking back on this, I now realize that this process was very personal and intimate for me because I wasn’t talking to people about it. I’m sure that to the outside world, this looked like a sudden shift. But deep inside me I knew this had been a decision months in the making.
I also knew that I couldn't go around asking people for their thoughts and opinions (especially those on a similar path). They probably would’ve told me that I was crazy and making the wrong decision. They would have swayed me in a different direction.
But deep inside I had always been clear about how I felt and what I had experienced. Also, I had already spent enough time weighing through my options. And, there were things that only I understood about myself and the way that I had to do things (since I’m a deeply intuitive and multi-passionate person). This is when it finally clicked, I was the only person who knew what was best for me.
Finally, I quit trying to pursue this goal and took my freedom back! I could finally start creating for myself again!
Avoiding Overwhelm & Building Self-Confidence
Now, you might still be wondering, what’s the big deal with going to others for their input? What’s the worst that can happen with a little advice here and there?
Well, the truth is that if you keep going to everyone else for their opinions, you're going to end up feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and confused by all the contradictory information you’ll receive.
This is why whenever I find myself feeling insecure or anxious with a big life decision, I take it as a nudge to connect with myself and go inward. When I can remove myself from all the external noise and quiet down, the answers inevitably always show up organically and without me trying too hard.
It’s like I instantly know exactly what I need and want. So, if you also struggle with making big life decisions or any decisions at all, know that you too can cultivate a stronger connection to your inner wisdom and intuition!
Connecting to Your Intuition Through Creative Expression
Next, let’s talk a little bit about how we can use creativity to access our intuition. Because did you know the creative process is a powerful vehicle to practice learning to trust yourself in a very gentle and fun way? Well, yes, it is. This is because the creative process requires you to participate in constant decision making.
For example, if you're painting, you have to pick the colors, the artwork size, the shapes you want to use, the mood you want to get across. There are so many little decisions you have to make when creating art. And, if you’re having fun you’re not even realizing you’re doing this. It just comes naturally, you’re in the zone, you’re automatically listening to your intuition!
Therefore, creating in a low pressure environment and with simple materials can help us to:
Practice following our intuitive nudges (without overthinking or worrying about doing something wrong).
Growing our capacity for discomfort, especially when things don’t turn out the way we thought.
Learning to trust the process. We learn that no matter how things play out, we're gonna figure it out. This philosophy is so useful and not only applies to creativity but also life in general.
Closing Thoughts & Reflection Questions
If you take anything away from this post, I hope you take this:
Stop listening to everyone else and start looking within yourself.
Quiet down and let the answers show up.
Trust that you are qualified to know what’s best for YOU!
And, if you’re wanting to explore this topic further, here are two questions for reflection:
What was a recent decision you made? Was it driven by intuition, or did you rely on others’s opinions? How would it feel to trust yourself more?
Consider how your intuition could play a bigger role in your creative journey.
I'm excited to see what comes up for you as you journal your way through this exercise!
Need Personalized Support?
Lastly, if you want to go deeper and get personalized support to explore your intuition through creativity, I would love to help. Schedule a free 30 minute discovery call and let's discuss how we can work together!
Renata is a creativity coach empowering neurodivergent and multi-passionate women of color, to use creativity for self-discovery and healing, so they can experience more ease and calm in their lives. She’s currently offering a free copy of her therapeutic art making workbook when you sign up for her email list. Sign up here to get your free copy.
