Recently, a client of mine wanted some clarity and direction around how to approach her future planning and choice making in a more positive and resourceful way versus through paralysing fear and anxiety. Through a session designed around a guided visualization she produced a beautiful metaphor that gave her the answers and insights she was after. In her vision, she saw herself as a child sitting at a desk with a blank canvas and many colours to choose from. In seeing this, she was reminded of a time in her childhood where she had been given a similar blank canvas and had felt overwhelming anxiety and pressure over producing what she felt had to be a "masterpiece", not knowing where to begin, what picture she was trying to create and how it would all turn out in the end. After a moment, she then remembered that once she had picked up the very first colour and just let herself make the first mark on the canvas, her feelings, instincts and innate creativity just guided her, and a beautiful picture naturally unfolded into it's own masterpiece.
The message and meaning that resonates for me in this image, is that our lives are so much like that blank canvas, with so many colours, styles and pictures to choose from, and that we often put experience so much worry and anxiety about the outcome and creating perfection, that this pressure often stops us from picking up the first colour and even making the first mark on our page. If we can relax, live more in the present and have faith in our own instincts to guide us, a beautiful masterpiece is more likely to emerge and come to life in full colour. |
