5 Creative Intending Techniques

5 Creative Intending Techniques

26-Jun-2018 12:24

Learn how to take your art to the next level in spirituality by infusing your art pieces with positive intentions. This blog post lists the 5 main techniques in this new method of spiritualizing your art which I've been developing for the last few years.
 
After more than 2 years in the making, hours and hours of slow stitching, painting and intending, the Art With Intention Exhibition started it's tour in February 2018. On inauguration day I was very nervous to talk about a creative intending technique I'd used whilst creating the art pieces. It was, and is, a very personal process. The response I had though, on that nerve-racking inauguration day, was so positive with lots of interest in the technique that it has spurred me on to share it with you.

But let's rewind a bit first to talk about what it is and why I do it...
 
It - that is Creative Intending - is a technique similar to but more than visualisation. It combines the positive intention techniques that I learned from Lynne McTaggart with the Betty Edwards Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain techniques that I used to teach. In 2008 I joined Lynne and thousands of others across the globe in Intention experiments that were being scientifically monitored. It was an amazing experience with amazing results, you can read more about it in Lynne's books. I also taught drawing classes based on the drawing on the right side of the brain techniques pioneered by Betty Edwards. You've probably heard artists talk about entering the ‘zone' or being in the ‘flow'. When they achieve this they're accessing the right side of the brain or ideally a fusion of both left and right modes of thinking. I decided to try and extend this zone to include the positive intention techniques I'd learned.
 
And why do I do it? I trained and worked as a Graphic Designer for many years then, when I moved to Spain in 2002, transferred my skills to fine art. Art is my love and my life and therefore has to reflect my ideals and passions. Creating beauty has always been important to me as is using upcycled and natural elements to make my art as eco friendly as my earthship home. But I wanted it to do even more which is when I realised that I could combine the two techniques of positive intending and Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain to infuse my art with positive intentions that would have a palpable and positive effect on the world - a spiritualy charged piece of art in effect. I choose to focus these intentions on wild areas as I believe if we conserve and expand them we could reverse much of the damage humans have caused to this planet. But you can choose whatever is close to your heart to focus your intentions on.
 

Ok, so there it is, the what and why. Now for the 5 main techniques you need to practice to fill your creative process, and therefore what you create, with positive intentions.

1. Choose your intention subject. Something you feel passionate about, read up on it, learn as much as you can about it. Fill yourself with compassion for it.
2. Create a positive and in the now intention statement. It's really important to say positive statements like ‘the rain forest is growing and expanding' rather than ‘the rain forest is not being chopped down anymore'. Your brain doesn't understand the ‘not' and will hear chopped down as the intention - noooo! Also keeping it in the now is essential, you need to feel the rain forest growing and expanding all around you right now. Intending things to happen in the future will always keep them in the future, the aim is to feel that what you want to happen is already happening right now.
3. Feel the intention with all your senses. What does it feel like to be in a growing and expanding rain forest? What do you hear? How hot and humid is it? Can you see the trees sprouting, the vines curling up the trunks, the orangutans swinging between the branches? Can you smell the orchids and the rich soil of the forest floor? All these things will help immerse you in your intention and make it real for you.
4. Start your creative process whilst keeping immersed in your intention. To do this you have to ‘infuse' your intention into every cell of your body so you're not really conscious of it anymore, it's a part of your body and soul. I recommend doing a creative process where you can disengage from your inner voice and access right brain mode. For me the act of drawing, embroidery, knitting and crochet all flick my brain into right side mode where all is happening right now, where I feel one with what I'm doing and more importantly one with everything. The important thing is to choose something that you know won't engage the language part of your brain, something that you know how to do so well it happens by rote.
5. Release with love. As you finish your creative session release the intention into the piece you've been working on and beyond into the universe. Let go of any attachment you have to it. Send it out into the world with love.

Practice these 5 techniques often and you'll be infusing your creative pieces with positive intentions that could change the world.

Please note, these 5 techniques are simplified to get you started with positive intending. If you'd like to go more in-depth with this spiritual creative practise subscribe to my web site to learn more as I expand on each point. You can also find out more at Lynne's Intention Experiment and Betty Edwards Drawing web sites.

What do you think?

I'd love to hear how you get on with these techniques or what you think of them. Have you done positive intending before? Were you involved in the Intention experiments (that would be cool to hear from fellow intenders)? Do you have any questions? Please do get in touch, it's good to talk ;-)

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