Using Art as An Access to the Unconscious
Being at home more, I find myself being more reflective, noticing thoughts about the past come up. Memories of places I can’t go to right now. I had a lot of wild experiences in San Francisco my twenties that I’m recalling. I had a lot of tough career experiences in my early thirties that I seem to need to process. I’m dealing with a lot of challenging adult experiences now.
I’m having vivid dreams every morning.
And all of that is welcome, because I am now in the pursuit of tapping into my unconscious as much as I can. I want to dig deep into the layers there, to eventually get down to where I can touch that collective super consciousness we share with the universe and each other and all the spirits who have let go of worldly life to be as one.
First, I am deliberately using painting to access what’s deeper inside of me that I am not aware is running in the background. Utilizing the more immediate, visual side of my brain, the part without words, makes it easier to recall images, moods, answers.
Second, in between painting and all the Zoom calls, washing dishes, laundry, cooking, thinking about how to buy enough groceries for two weeks at a time...I have been asking myself these questions:
If after I die, given the choice to come back to this world after completing this life, would I?
What have I not done in this life that I am meant to do?
What lessons have I not yet learned?
These questions are not easily answered with logic. Knowing anything about what life should or shouldn’t be isn’t going to cut it. It will be in the discovery, on a gut and heart level, for me.
There is wisdom in realizing life is meant to be simple, to be enjoyed, to be shared, used as a vehicle to contribute to others. But without hurting oneself.
As I stay at home, life is simpler. It looks close to what I wanted when I pictured arriving at my ideal life. It’s quieter, more peaceful. There’s more space to try things out, to read, to create.
Third, I sleep to dream.
I am fascinated by sleep and dreams. I am exercising more, so sleeping longer. There’s more time for dreams.
Usually the settings are familiar (my grandmother's house or a mall), extraordinarily beautiful (coastal towns or neighborhoods with beautiful architecture), romantic (a wedding on a huge historic estate), full of life (a quaint shopping district), or picturesque (castles).
I get to go to all these amazing places in my dreams. And there is usually a strong feeling of deep connection with the people in my dreams.
All of this because I am painting! That's why I encourage art. It makes life so rich. It makes the interior places where you dwell vast and full of adventure.
