You may have heard about intuitive art in the past but never really got to explore what it is or what it’s for. In this article, I’ve gathered a set of exercises that will give you a freeing experience, allowing you to approach art from the perspective of being closely in touch with yourself, your feelings, emotions, and experiences.
What is intuitive art?
Intuitive art is a way of creating art that aims to explore and uncover aspects of the inner self. And just like in my previous post, “10 Useful Art Therapy Exercises to Help Improve your Mood“, you don’t have to be an artist to try intuitive art exercises. The goal isn’t to improve in art or sharpen your skills here or even produce an artwork. Intuitive art is a meditative process of self-exploration. So, make sure you have fun doing the following exercises and get lost in the process of creation so you can find yourself.
Before you practice any of these intuitive art exercises, loosen up.
This is always necessary before you start any art activity. Releasing tension, warming up, dancing around, breathing in and out, and getting ready are crucial if you want to make the most out of the experience. Now we move to the exercises.
1- Draw with your less dominant hand
Let’s make a self-portrait. Draw from a live reflection of You using your less dominant hand. A mirror, or a video call. Do not use a picture! Since this is experimental and intuitive, so we don’t want to draw a static reference.
Note that your self-portrait doesn’t have to look like you. It should be more about what you feel or think about at the moment. I highly recommend using different colors for this exercise but if you prefer a black-and-white drawing, feel free.
2- Draw with your eyes closed
Close your eyes and envision how you see yourself first. This piece is also going to be a self-portrait. It’s okay to feel silly! I know it might feel awkward, especially if this is your first time trying an intuitive art exercise. Let go of your internal monologues. Creativity and restrictions aren’t good friends.
3- Draw over an existing image
To do this exercise, take a picture from a magazine, a pre-made drawing, or any book page and draw over it. You can use the existing shapes as guidelines to draw whatever comes in. Remember, it’s about using intuition not stressing over the outcome.
This intuitive art exercise is one of my favorites. As an artist, I sometimes stress about how my paintings are going to turn out, but with this exercise, I know it will look nice and creative no matter what because I am painting over an already existing image.
After you’re done practicing intuitive art, reflect on your creations
Those previous creations are a collection of creative decisions that you made subconsciously. I want you to recreate the previous creations consciously for a final piece. Using your favorite elements from your previous pieces, create one last self-portrait and reflect on what this personal representation means to you.
Questions like these could help you understand the art you created more:
- What was your main inspiration for creating this final piece?
- Would you like to comment specifically on what you felt, how you looked like, and what you thought about during the process?
- What were some of the decisions you faced in creating your artwork?
- Which are the most successful aspects of your self-portrait?
- How do your works of art relate to each other in terms of visual and conceptual content?
- What do you find most rewarding about this experience?
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