Having recently launched my own little Etsy shop and Ko-Fi corner, I thought this would be a good opportunity to talk about my own history and process with intuitive art!

Intuitive art is something I explored in-depth several years ago in my late teens and early twenties. I honestly cannot remember what inspired me to try it; I may have started with trying to draw my own guide(s) and branched out from there. At the time, I was part of a spirituality forum, so I had plenty of people to work with. Intuitive/psychic art isn’t a common form of reading, so I imagine many of those people were intrigued by the notion of receiving a visual reading. I know I certainly was.

I spent a couple years or so experimenting with various forms of intuitive art: simple energy paintings, spirit guide interpretations, higher self interpretations, soul connection portraits, and even aura paintings and past life paintings. I was hungry for information. I wanted to know what the limits were. At what point could I no longer intuit spiritual information?

While I don’t yet know the answer to that question, I do know that my art helped a lot of people, and that in itself was a major motivator. I remember livestreaming sessions where I would paint and the sitter would watch, with a handful of other people chiming in with information they were sensing from my art. I remember people recognizing almost instantly the spirit guide I had painted for them. Even the handful of past life paintings seemed to resonate with the sitters. It was wild.

Never in a million years would I have guessed that this was a skill I could share with the world. I spent much of my childhood as an artsy kid, doodling on scrap paper in school, filling sketchbook after sketchbook with art class assignments or original characters from my stories. I was one of those young artists who sought a life of creativity. “I’ll publish books and illustrate,” I decided upon graduating high school. I attended an expensive art school and lasted two years before I realized art school had killed my passion for drawing.

That was in 2013. Fast-forward to today. I’ve barely drawn in the last several years. I threw myself into writing and gaming and work, instead. Only within the last couple months have I felt the desire to return to art, and I’m sure that’s for a reason. I want to help others with my creations — even if the only thing my creations do is make someone feel happy.

Process

Intuitive art is a strange and subtle thing. When I’m working, the process feels so natural that it’s wild for me to think that I may be connecting with something deeper. I usually begin with colors, because colors come through more easily than shapes or concepts. Once I have colors, I just begin painting. I build up shapes such as faces, bodies, and symbols. As I work, I slide into a focused state. I’m not sure if I could call it trance-like, because I’m still highly aware of what I’m doing, but I have a flow going that I try not to break by talking, typing, or clicking away.

The intuitive part comes in when I’m trying to piece together details, such as colors, facial expressions, symbolism, and even things like hair or dress, which I don’t tend to render in detail (unless the art demands it). Usually, I’ll sit there and feel, “This isn’t right,” and fix something, or I’ll have the urge to incorporate a detail, like a symbol or a certain form of attire. All of it is so subtle that it feels as though I’m simply drawing anything else.

Due to the nature of my process, these spirit portraits are not intended to be realistic or technically accurate. I focus more on emotions, energies, colors, and symbolism, which I feel is easier for someone else to resonate with. People place different values on physical appearance, so I choose to create portraits that are ethereal, almost alien, with hopes that my clients can connect with the energy conveyed.

As my technical skill improves, my portraits may look a bit more realistic, but for now, technical accuracy is not my goal. My goal is to convey feeling. I want my clients to be able to receive a portrait that they can use as a tool for connection, whether it’s an actual representation of their companions in spirit or a bridge to a more personal relationship. If even one aspect of my art helps my clients, then I will feel as though I’ve succeeded.

While my medium is primarily digital, I am open to exploring intuitive art through traditional mediums — especially paints and inks. However, my space is rather limited in my current apartment, so this may have to wait until the future.

Regardless, I look forward to seeing how this skill evolves!