How Do We Fool Ourselves?

April Fools! We all know a prankster or two in our lives who loves nothing more than to "get us good" at least once this time of year, or maybe you are that trickster. No matter who it is playing the prank, April Fool's Day is a wonderful time to celebrate laughter and surprise.

Of course, it did get us thinking ... Sitting around the table at the studio with fellow painters, a conversation about April fools quickly turned into a full on heart-to-heart about how we can fool ourselves. We realized this juicy query of how we trick ourselves wanted to be explored further.

Ask yourself ... Are you living a lie for someone else? Are you telling yourself that you can't do something? Or that you need to look a certain way? Or that you need a special-something or -someone to be happy? Have you said "no" to something big? Is the job you're in what you want or what others wanted for you? What would you do today if there were no consequences?

Perhaps an occasional dive into the deep inner landscape is just what we need to trick our own inner fool.

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Going Deeper:

This month on April 14th we will host a day-long workshop of painting, restorative sound with Karen Folgarelli and a writing exercise that will help us to uncover the ways of the trickster mind. It promises to be a fun and revealing day, working side by side with our inner fool!

Find out more...

A Revealing Conversation

We were recently interviewed by the fabulous Rev. Heidi Alfrey on the Unity Online Radio show Let's Get Naked: Revealing Our Authentic Selves, and how perfect when we're talking about painting for process and finding our authenticity?

In case you missed the original broadcast "Notice the Nectar and Let Life Be Juicy!" on March 19, 2012, we invite you to take a listen to our scrumptious conversation about painting and life...

Meeting Our Judge

Why is it that sometimes painting for process feels less flowing and more like a difficult task? Often fueling those less-pleasant experiences is a pesky little voice hiding out in the back of our heads. You may know the voice ... It says things like "That looks terrible. You're not an artist--What do you think you're doing?!?" It tears us apart with hateful words that we would probably never unleash on another person, and yet the voice incessantly fills our minds. And what's worse--we sometimes BELIEVE it.

One of the seeming-miracles process painting is that we get to glimpse an insight that can forever change our lives. Like practicing meditation, we can gain awareness of the subtle voices we carry around with us, and with attention we notice them, label them, and then do something extraordinary ... we let them be. In other words, we don't buy into what they're saying. We don't let the voice of limitation win anymore.

Sometimes it's helpful to imagine what this judging voice would looks like if it took a physical form, and then invite it into your painting. It may look like a monster, or a strict parent, or a religious figure, or it may even look like a ridiculous frog trying so hard to taunt you! Often times when we bring it visually into the painting, the voice subsides or disappears altogether.

Where does this judging mind come from? It's helpful to remember that we develop internal voices as survival mechanisms. These voices, as nasty as they may be, are actually trying to protect us. Rather than meeting outer harm and criticism, we attempt to judge ourselves first. It probably developed as a strategy from a very early age. But the question is: Is it still serving us now?

We invite you to notice the next time your inner commentary is rattling off and to ask yourself with curiosity "Who is this speaking?" What does it look like? Is it a clown, or a frog, or maybe a parent? See what happens when you bring compassion to that voice, and at the same time respectfully decline to buy into its story. You might find yourself surprised by the outcome.