There’s a moment in the creative process when thinking falls away — when you stop planning what to make, and something inside starts to guide your hand. That’s the space where our intuition speaks.
In art-making, intuition often appears not as a thought but as a feeling — a pull towards a certain colour, a shape that insists on being drawn, or an image that arrives uninvited but feels right. When we follow those impulses without overthinking, we often discover that what emerges on the page carries more truth than anything we could have consciously designed.
Symbols
Much of what we create intuitively holds deeper meaning than we first realise. A colour, a shape, an animal, a landscape, a doorway — these images can carry messages from the unconscious mind. In art therapy, we call these intuitive symbols.
They aren’t chosen consciously; they emerge. They’re how our inner world can find a voice — visual, metaphorical, and always deeply personal.
I see this often in creative practice and workshops. Someone might paint a spiral or a path without knowing why, and on reflection something about it makes sense – perhaps they realise it reflects a certain journey that they are on that is unfolding in their life.
Perhaps the symbol of a bird, tree, or wave appears and it can be a suggestion of the search or need for freedom, rootedness, or movement. These patterns are rarely random. They are the psyche’s way of speaking, quietly and symbolically and when we reflect on what has come up important insights can be understood.,
Trusting What Emerges
Intuitive art-making asks for trust. It invites us to let go of control, of what looks “good,” and instead listen to what feels true. This requires bravery but also the understanding that it is in the play, the not knowing that the truth can emerge. As children we played without fear and as adults we need to simply bring a little of this play back into our lives.
Integrating Intuition
The real beauty of intuitive art is that its lessons don’t end with the artwork. The insights that surface — through colour, pattern, and form — can ripple into daily life. The same quiet knowing that guides your creative hand can also guide your choices, relationships, and ways of being.
When we begin to recognise recurring symbols or themes in our creative work, we start to see how they mirror our inner life. It’s a way of remembering that we already hold wisdom within — that intuition isn’t something outside of us, but something waiting for space to be heard.
A Closing Thought
Creating intuitively is both simple and profound. It’s an act of trust — in the process, in the image, and in yourself. You don’t need to understand everything as you make it. Just begin. Let the marks appear, the shapes take form, the symbols find you.
In time, they’ll tell you what they mean
Come and join me – get in touch and let’s have a bit of fun and do some intuitive art making!
