Bowley - Creative revolution: personal transformation through brave intuitive painting

Personal Transformation through Brave Intuitive Painting

Flora Bowley

2016 Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.
Text 2016 Flora Bowley
Images 2016 Zipporah Lomax

First published in the United States of America in 2016 by
Quarry Books, an imprint of
Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.
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Beverly, Massachusetts 01915-6101
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the copyright owners. All images in this book have been reproduced with the knowledge and prior consent of the artists concerned, and no responsibility is accepted by producer, publisher, or printer for any infringement of copyright or otherwise, arising from the contents of this publication. Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders and ensure that credits accurately comply with information supplied. We apologize for any inaccuracies that may have occurred and will resolve inaccurate or missing information in a subsequent reprinting of the book.

Digital edition: 978-1-63159-328-4
Softcover edition: 978-1-63159-259-1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available

Design and page layout: Laura Shaw Design, Inc.
Photography: Zipporah Lomax

This book is dedicated to my mama.

I wholeheartedly believe that the simple act of dragging your fingers across a blank canvas with enough intention and curiosity can be a powerfuleven revolutionaryact.

The same holds true when you move your body to the beat of a drum, scribble a line of poetry across a napkin, listen to the wisdom of your heart, or birth an extraordinary idea into the world. Why do these seemingly simple acts pack so much transformational punch?

Allowing creativity to move through you will eventuallyif not immediatelychange you.

When you trust and honor the innate wisdom of your body, mind, and spirit enough to create something out of nothing, you willingly put yourself in the drivers seat with no map and no clear destination. This is especially true when it comes to brave, intuitive painting.

With no formula or predictable outcome in sight, every moment becomes a courageous adventure in trust.

Each brush stroke, color choice, and micro-decision leads you somewhere, but your eventual destination is not yet clear. In fact, you might not even know the language or the accepted codes of conduct in this wild, creative place. You just know youre the one behind the wheel.

If youve ever traveled or painted in this unpredictable way, you probably know how unsettling it can beperhaps even a little scary at times. However, this a small price to pay for the remarkable growth, freedom, and personal discovery available when you put yourself on the edge of what is known and trust that you will eventually find your way through.

Thankfully, painting provides a safe, forgiving, and dynamic place to practice the art of letting go without a whole lot at stake. While choices in the creative process can feel momentous at times, its important (and relieving) to remember: Its only paint. So why not give it a go? Why not do the thing your soul is craving? Why not pick up a paintbrush and see where it leads you?

Intuitive painting offers a rare and wonderful opportunity to loosen your grip of control, dig beneath the surface of your daily existence, and respond spontaneously to ever-evolving circumstances. In this way, painting allows us to become the alchemist of our own unique experiences, while providing a tangible vehicle for expressing them to the world.

When done with courage, integrity, and heart, these gutsy creative acts have the capacity to connect, empower, enlighten, and ultimately heal.

Even if your creations never leave the kitchen table (and this is a perfectly fine place for them to stay), you were still brave enough to show up without a map, trust your personal ingenuity, and attempt to express what stirs your soul. This, my friends, is what matters most.

We all have infinite wells of creative capacity just waiting to be tapped and remembered, and its my sincere belief that we are remembering.

All around the world, a genuine desire to create personal and meaningful creative work is growing and becoming more and more necessary. While complex global situations intensify, we are being called back to a time when creativity was both an essential part of survival and an integral part of human expression.

A creative revolution is brewing. Can you feel it?

If youre wondering, What the heck is brave intuitive painting? Im happy to share a bit of my story.

Born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, to two dynamic, free-thinking, YMCA directors, I was raised in a world where health, community participation, and the body-mind-spirit connection laid the foundation for my everyday life. As a little person, I was free-spirited, imaginative, active, and loved. I was also incredibly shy, and I found my greatest comfort and joy in the creative process and the natural world.

Thankfully, I was given space to roam, freedom to think outside the box, and encouragement to follow my heart. I grew up knowing that (some) rules are meant to be broken and doing it my way was more important than fitting in any particular box.

Creativity and resourcefulness were also core values in my family. I made art out of whatever I could get my hands on, and I grew up thinking my seaweed jewelry, watercolors, and clay pots were all worthy works of creative expression.

I was encouraged to do what I loved, and this set the stage for a lifetime of doing just that.