Hi Priya! I loved that post about the painting. It was so neat. Re gut feelings, hunches, yes I think they're important to pay attention to. Maybe not Always right, but oftentimes they can be. Like being wary of someone we may not feel we trust, etc. Since our long evolution, I'm sure these gut feelings exist for a reason--to beware, or aware.
Stephanie, this is so true. It makes me think of all the times, I wanted to say yes, but for some possibly logical reason, didn’t. Though I don’t know if these instincts are always on the other side from logic.
Thank you for sharing. I’ve often thought about the painting. If I was to write this as a short story, these are the lines I would add:
I asked the salesman the cost of the painting and he looked away before quoting the price. As I glanced back at the painting, I thought I heard him mutter, “… though she doesn’t want to go anywhere.”
Beautiful essay, I was with you all the way! Instincts which force us to act, almost, are easy- we have no option but to deal with them. I am curious about the instincts which keep coming back, which refuse to go away, demanding an answer we must submit to.
Thank you, Ajay. What you said about instincts or I guess you could call them urges, that refuse to go away immediately makes me think of CG Jung’s idea of the Unconscious. And how little we know of its tendencies. I would love to know if you were thinking of a particular example.
Thanks for pointing out Jung’s work , useful inputs for me to ponder over. For me an eg would be this whole area of community action, I see social entrepreneurs who run NGOs doing it so well and am constantly tempted to do more , the urge keeps coming back and yet some barriers stop me from going “all in”. The urge does force me to move incrementally and do stuff though!
This speaks to me, Priya. 🚪 I'm also drawn to antique stores, flea markets, used book stores, outdoor market stalls, etc. ✨️ There is something mystical & magical happening in those spaces.
One of the things I love about this story is how suspenseful it was! I’m inspired by it—the way you took a small adventure, made it huge and colorful and exciting, and the way it held so much. I love what you wrote about the way things we create live on in the art and connect to the souls of the viewer, I have experienced that so many times with so many objects! And I also loved the woman in the painting saying “sorry! Not for you!” I could see and feel that moment so clearly and it made the world more exciting.
As far as gut feelings and hunches, I’ve had so many that I always follow them, no matter where they take me, and they are always right. Once a bottle in a store spoke to me. I was trying to figure out what to write that day, and the second I touched the bottle I heard the voice of a healer/ witch who had lived in the area in the 1800s. She’s been slowly telling me her story since then. And what the bottle sometimes says, when I hold it is: “nightflower. That’s what I held. You must find out everything you can about its healing and magical properties.” Of course I did! How can you say no to a research project like that?
I loved, loved, loved this post Priya. Thank you for sharing it!
Nightflower! Rebecca, everyday the world offers up some magic to make me fall in love with in even more. I love that you’re researching it. You can’t say no to a project that walks up to you and says, please do this. I sometimes think I live for these moments when the visible and invisible collide.Thank you!
Yes to "trust your gut" and yes, I think, mostly quietly to myself, that anything that has been created has a message for us in it somewhere if we're willing to spend time looking, considering and discerning what is being offered up on our behalf. This includes the worlds of both animate and inanimate. See that flower over there? Now look carefully at the pot holding it.....and so on. This is one of the reasons I like the part of "The Artist's Way" that includes a weekly date out. In fact, it inspired 12 Notes I posted here back when a group of us were working our way through the book together, some having done it several times previously. I featured an artist each week for 12 weeks and now I may have to go back, find them and. put them all together in one post. Is that even possible?
It was most enjoyable. Working with the group which dwindled in size over time, which is the norm for most groups in a 12 week “course” we ended up with about 12-14 some of whom have stayed in touch. An offshoot was an even smaller group using Julia’s latest book 6 chapters, 6 weeks, ‘LIVING THE ARTIST’S WAY”. I might be up for another group this Spring with a dozen or so willing to work together. Several people have been through and used the book more than once. I would recommend a preliminary gathering to explore the possibility, the expectations and goals so that we might be able to hold ourselves and each other accountable for the good work.
Priya. I decided that publishing or reposting my 12 artists all in one post is too much, so trying to figure out a better format, maybe 4 at a time, Part I-IV??. And this was part of my response to our work with the book and also to my earlier post, "Carving Out A Creative Life." https://garygruber.substack.com/p/carving-out-a-creative-life
Gary, I really like the idea of going through the books with companions. I’ve done it by myself but am going to see if I can get friends to read the book together. Thank you! Your post brings up a lot to think about.
Thanks, Priya. If you do this and would consider me as a “companion” on that journey, let me know. Time zones vary and that can be challenging depending on location. I am currently missing “morning pages” and enjoyed it as a discipline during and following the group work. I gave up quite a few practices and gatherings when I got sick back in December and I am now looking for a couple of new ones to replace what I gave up. One thing, among others, that I appreciated was the checking in and checking up on each other as a way of being both supportive and accountable. 12 weeks seemed like a long time commitment at the beginning but the time went by as it does so well! I have to give credit to our “leader” for facilitating the conversations with good insights and questions.
Beautiful writing, dear Priya! I have been having this feeling recently of keeping my balance with one foot in the physical "real" world and one in this one you speak of, one I cannot name properly, yet. It's a constant pull I find myself in struggle with. More to talk when I see you...
A wonderful story, Priya. And you I must say, you told it beautifully.
This part struck me as I have had the same experience — “So, you can see, we hadn’t even left and already, we longed to return to the very same place.” — The home of skateboarding is LA in California. And the day I had to leave that place at the end of a skate trip, I felt exactly the way you described. It hurt to leave and I wanted so badly to return.
Also, I’m totally into the idea that our gut feelings or intuitions hold merit (my last price touched on just that). I think if they didn’t, people wouldn’t have continued to talk about such things for all of time. :)
Yes! Your story of your grandfather touched on this and I was thinking how rational thought sometimes discourages our instinct intelligence. Thank you, Michael!
I totally agree, Priya. I never posted it because it just didn’t come out right, but I wrote a whole piece about how our insistence on being rational sometimes stymies our other faculties like intuition, instinct etc :)
I'm just adding to your list which I sent to Win,who stacked you and I can only remember a few, cobwebs, moss, mushrooms,lichen, tiny bugs, moths, butterflies, reflections in tiny pools, faces on stones from the beach, weird natural objects that resemble other things, storms, and baby boo
Hi Priya! I loved that post about the painting. It was so neat. Re gut feelings, hunches, yes I think they're important to pay attention to. Maybe not Always right, but oftentimes they can be. Like being wary of someone we may not feel we trust, etc. Since our long evolution, I'm sure these gut feelings exist for a reason--to beware, or aware.
I totally agree, Jeanine. I was looking for some good quotes on gut feelings and I found this one on Goodreads:
“Prayer is telephoning to God, and intuition is God telephoning to you.”
― Florence Scovel Shinn, The Magic Path of Intuition
I like it!
I get these, and it’s the gut instincts ignored that can become regrets - not the ones we listen to. I wonder who that painting was waiting for.
Stephanie, this is so true. It makes me think of all the times, I wanted to say yes, but for some possibly logical reason, didn’t. Though I don’t know if these instincts are always on the other side from logic.
Thank you for sharing. I’ve often thought about the painting. If I was to write this as a short story, these are the lines I would add:
I asked the salesman the cost of the painting and he looked away before quoting the price. As I glanced back at the painting, I thought I heard him mutter, “… though she doesn’t want to go anywhere.”
ooh, love that fictionalized addition!
Beautiful essay, I was with you all the way! Instincts which force us to act, almost, are easy- we have no option but to deal with them. I am curious about the instincts which keep coming back, which refuse to go away, demanding an answer we must submit to.
Thank you, Ajay. What you said about instincts or I guess you could call them urges, that refuse to go away immediately makes me think of CG Jung’s idea of the Unconscious. And how little we know of its tendencies. I would love to know if you were thinking of a particular example.
Thanks for pointing out Jung’s work , useful inputs for me to ponder over. For me an eg would be this whole area of community action, I see social entrepreneurs who run NGOs doing it so well and am constantly tempted to do more , the urge keeps coming back and yet some barriers stop me from going “all in”. The urge does force me to move incrementally and do stuff though!
Ajay, thanks for sharing. I resonate with this feeling of yes/no and I feel it in some areas of my life. It reminds me also of parts work.
This speaks to me, Priya. 🚪 I'm also drawn to antique stores, flea markets, used book stores, outdoor market stalls, etc. ✨️ There is something mystical & magical happening in those spaces.
Lisa, it’s great to know this piece speaks to you. I think there is some magic that previous owners, who loved these objects, leave behind. Thank you!
Love antique shops and ur post is beautiful .enjoyed every word .
The Wandering Pixie, thank you for sharing that. It means a lot to a writer!
One of the things I love about this story is how suspenseful it was! I’m inspired by it—the way you took a small adventure, made it huge and colorful and exciting, and the way it held so much. I love what you wrote about the way things we create live on in the art and connect to the souls of the viewer, I have experienced that so many times with so many objects! And I also loved the woman in the painting saying “sorry! Not for you!” I could see and feel that moment so clearly and it made the world more exciting.
As far as gut feelings and hunches, I’ve had so many that I always follow them, no matter where they take me, and they are always right. Once a bottle in a store spoke to me. I was trying to figure out what to write that day, and the second I touched the bottle I heard the voice of a healer/ witch who had lived in the area in the 1800s. She’s been slowly telling me her story since then. And what the bottle sometimes says, when I hold it is: “nightflower. That’s what I held. You must find out everything you can about its healing and magical properties.” Of course I did! How can you say no to a research project like that?
I loved, loved, loved this post Priya. Thank you for sharing it!
Nightflower! Rebecca, everyday the world offers up some magic to make me fall in love with in even more. I love that you’re researching it. You can’t say no to a project that walks up to you and says, please do this. I sometimes think I live for these moments when the visible and invisible collide.Thank you!
Yes to "trust your gut" and yes, I think, mostly quietly to myself, that anything that has been created has a message for us in it somewhere if we're willing to spend time looking, considering and discerning what is being offered up on our behalf. This includes the worlds of both animate and inanimate. See that flower over there? Now look carefully at the pot holding it.....and so on. This is one of the reasons I like the part of "The Artist's Way" that includes a weekly date out. In fact, it inspired 12 Notes I posted here back when a group of us were working our way through the book together, some having done it several times previously. I featured an artist each week for 12 weeks and now I may have to go back, find them and. put them all together in one post. Is that even possible?
Gary, thanks for sharing. I was thinking of the artist’s weekly date when I wrote this. Working through the book together sounds like a lot of fun!
It was most enjoyable. Working with the group which dwindled in size over time, which is the norm for most groups in a 12 week “course” we ended up with about 12-14 some of whom have stayed in touch. An offshoot was an even smaller group using Julia’s latest book 6 chapters, 6 weeks, ‘LIVING THE ARTIST’S WAY”. I might be up for another group this Spring with a dozen or so willing to work together. Several people have been through and used the book more than once. I would recommend a preliminary gathering to explore the possibility, the expectations and goals so that we might be able to hold ourselves and each other accountable for the good work.
Priya. I decided that publishing or reposting my 12 artists all in one post is too much, so trying to figure out a better format, maybe 4 at a time, Part I-IV??. And this was part of my response to our work with the book and also to my earlier post, "Carving Out A Creative Life." https://garygruber.substack.com/p/carving-out-a-creative-life
Gary, I really like the idea of going through the books with companions. I’ve done it by myself but am going to see if I can get friends to read the book together. Thank you! Your post brings up a lot to think about.
Thanks, Priya. If you do this and would consider me as a “companion” on that journey, let me know. Time zones vary and that can be challenging depending on location. I am currently missing “morning pages” and enjoyed it as a discipline during and following the group work. I gave up quite a few practices and gatherings when I got sick back in December and I am now looking for a couple of new ones to replace what I gave up. One thing, among others, that I appreciated was the checking in and checking up on each other as a way of being both supportive and accountable. 12 weeks seemed like a long time commitment at the beginning but the time went by as it does so well! I have to give credit to our “leader” for facilitating the conversations with good insights and questions.
Beautiful writing, dear Priya! I have been having this feeling recently of keeping my balance with one foot in the physical "real" world and one in this one you speak of, one I cannot name properly, yet. It's a constant pull I find myself in struggle with. More to talk when I see you...
Reena, what a lovely place to be, on the brink of a new form emerging. ✨
Our talks have been an influence so thanks for that dear Priya!
A wonderful story, Priya. And you I must say, you told it beautifully.
This part struck me as I have had the same experience — “So, you can see, we hadn’t even left and already, we longed to return to the very same place.” — The home of skateboarding is LA in California. And the day I had to leave that place at the end of a skate trip, I felt exactly the way you described. It hurt to leave and I wanted so badly to return.
Also, I’m totally into the idea that our gut feelings or intuitions hold merit (my last price touched on just that). I think if they didn’t, people wouldn’t have continued to talk about such things for all of time. :)
Yes! Your story of your grandfather touched on this and I was thinking how rational thought sometimes discourages our instinct intelligence. Thank you, Michael!
I totally agree, Priya. I never posted it because it just didn’t come out right, but I wrote a whole piece about how our insistence on being rational sometimes stymies our other faculties like intuition, instinct etc :)
I'm just adding to your list which I sent to Win,who stacked you and I can only remember a few, cobwebs, moss, mushrooms,lichen, tiny bugs, moths, butterflies, reflections in tiny pools, faces on stones from the beach, weird natural objects that resemble other things, storms, and baby boo