Complimentary Approaches to
SoulCollage® Card Creation
© 2014 Patricia Brown, SoulCollage® Facilitator, Ithaca NY
in·ten·tion·al – done on purpose; deliberate; left brained approach
synonyms: deliberate, calculated, conscious, intended, planned, meant, studied, knowing, willful, purposeful, premeditated, preconceived
Intuitive – doing what one feels to be true without conscious reasoning; having the ability to understand or know something without any direct evidence or logical process; trusting your hunch or gut instinct, right brained approach.
synonyms: instinctive, innate, natural, spontaneous, playful, free play
At first look, these two approaches to art making, intentional and instinctive, seem to be in direct opposition with little connection to each other. Yet, most artists utilize both approaches in their work. The key to creating is to know when to use each approach and how they can assist each other in developing ideas.
Swan Goddess, Crown Chakra, is an example of a SoulCollage® card for the companion suit created with both intention and intuition. At my SoulCollage® facilitator training, I was sharing a delightful breakfast with new friends and we looked up and noticed that a pair of beautiful wild swans had flown in to set up a home on the lake that surrounded our retreat center. I was thrilled because I had never seen wild swans before. I knew right away that I wanted to make a SoulCollage® card inspired by seeing the swans (intuition).
I did not have any swans in my image collection so I sent an intention to find swan images, which I shared with others who helped me look as well. I did not have much luck in finding a swan so I put the idea aside and developed other images. On the last day of the retreat, a fellow facilitator who saw my enthusiasm gave me several swan pictures that she had for quite sometime but had never really made it onto a card. Wow what a surprise and a wonderful gift. I was so happy and grateful. I took the images home to work on them.
Driving home I began to plan how I would create a card with the swan in a landscape that looked like the lake in Massachusetts. I even contemplated what chakra the swan would represent (intention). Once I started looking through my images with the Massachusetts landscape idea in mind (intent), I realized I did not have the images I needed and felt stuck (intention not working). I also felt anxious because I could not figure out what chakra the swan should be (intention not working). Then I let those specific ideas go and just played with the swan image(intuition). I went through my collected images laying down the swan on each until something just felt right (intuition). Eventually, I found the Goddess sculpture whose shapes seemed to echo that of the swan amazingly. It was suddenly clear to me that they were meant to go together (intuition). I cut the swan and the Goddess out carefully and glued them down together designing the best composition (intention). Trusting my gut feelings (intuition), I completed the card before my inner critic questioned “weren’t you going to put the swan in a landscape?”
The composition told me that the swan should represent my crown chakra, as she looked so beautiful above the head of the Goddess (intuition). I researched the symbolism associated with the swan (intention) and found that Swans’ wisdom includes understanding dream symbols, developing intuitive abilities, balance, commitment and grace in dealing with others. This confirmed for me that the placement of the swan as crown chakra was perfect (intention confirming intuition). I simply enjoy looking at this card. As I take in its beauty; I am astonished by the relationship of the winged body of the swan and the flowing garment of the Goddess; it is as if they were one (intuition). This card is important to me because it brings back memories of the magical camaraderie at my SoulCollage® facilitator training. In working with this card, I have come to see this Swan Goddess as a guiding symbol for my work as a SoulCollage® facilitator.
Pearl of Wisdom was created the same weekend and has a very different story. As we were silently looking for images, I stumbled upon the picture of this very muscular dark skinned man with a snake flowing around his body. I was immediately attracted and even embarrassingly so. My inner critic cried, “This is not a Goddess what are you doing with that man!” I wanted to put it back into the pile, but my gut said you really liked this take it even though you do not know why (intuition). I brought it to my table with other images and cut him out.
I tried to plan what to so with him but no luck (intention). I even avoided my attraction to this image and worked on other ideas for a while. Eventually, I began to dig in the landscape and architecture picture boxes, having no idea what I wanted (intuition). As soon as I placed him on this background of this ancient temple from National Geographic, the drama of the lighting and the old markings on the wall looked wonderful with his powerful pose with the textured snake (intuition). I glued him into the scene, thinking I was finished (intention).
I began to look in fashion magazines that I don’t particularly like (intentional decision for a strategy to let new ideas come in.) I found this very odd picture of a tall fashion model standing beside this Tibetan monk. All of us sitting around the table laughed and remarked on this unusual pairing – I ripped it out. This idea of “odd pairing” stuck with me (intuition building into intent). I wondered, “What would I pair him with?” and I cut him out. He sat around on my table for a while as images were scattered and rearranging themselves, as they will do when working on SoulCollage®. He found his way onto the “snake guy in a temple card”. I did not put him there, I found him there (intuition, serendipity). There he was so frail physically yet so powerful spiritually looking in the same direction as the snake man. As I glued him down, my inner critic questioned my sanity – was I being respectful? What are you doing? I still had few words to describe what was happening, it just worked – I went with it (intuition fights inner critic).
Now that they were together I began to wonder what they were looking at. I set an intention to figure this out. As I was looking through a craft magazine the idea of a pearl came to me (intuition). I looked for one and found it as part of a piece of jewelry (intention). I thought (intention) I was going to place it in his hand, but that slippery piece of paper flew up. It was so much more magical and illusive to have the pearl float, defy gravity (intuition). I quickly glued it down.
At the end of the card making session as we walked around the room in silence looking at each other’s cards, I was still very uncomfortable with this card. I was convinced it was too weird, different from all the other cards, and everyone looking at would think that too! I recognized the power in the image, but I did not comprehend it’s meaning. To understand my discomfort I decided I needed to work with this card (intention). In writing about this card using the intuitive ‘I am the one who’ process, I discovered that there are many ways to find the Pearl of Wisdom. We are the ones who have spent many years with deep commitment to our practice. We are highly disciplined and have great regard to what we put in our body. In this great temple we are humbled and in awe of the wisdom we have gained. We have great respect for each other’s journey. We will continue to deepen our practice. Together these men advised me that as a SoulCollage® facilitator I need to be open to and accepting of everyone’s unique path as they explore their wisdom.
I had no preconceived intention in creating “Pearl of Wisdom”. Essentially, the image grew out of spontaneous decisions and composed itself out of seemingly random events. To bring it all together I found it essential to set the intention of finding the pearl. “Swan Goddess” was created with more give and take between intention and intuition. My overriding goal to honor the swans that visited me gave me the drive to pursue this card. Intuitive decisions helped me to let the card to develop in an unexpected way. Both cards are very meaningful to me and are wonderful additions to my SoulCollage® deck.
Intention and intuition are creative siblings. Sometimes they get along and compliment each other with love and a knowing only possible after many years of living and working together. Other times they pull rank and take the lead; each confidant that their particular skills are best for the task. Sometimes these siblings argue with each other, fighting for attention and are less productive. The challenge as an artist is to recognize and honor both approaches and to work with each or both when the time is right.
Patricia Brown has dedicated her working and spiritual life to making art. She creates art to find and clarify her own voice, to explore her personal journey in this world. She helps others to find and nurture their creative voice as well. Patricia Brown received her MS in Art Education with a concentration in Art Therapy at State University College at Buffalo. Brown, an exemplary art educator, taught high school art for thirty years in central New York State. Patricia Brown now works as a SoulCollage® facilitator, a creative art coach, and creates in her Wild Spirit Art Studio in Ithaca NY.
You can email her with questions or comments: wildspiritartstudio@gmail.com