Where am I an artist in my life?

Last week, I went to see an exhibition at the British Museum of the work of Grayson Perry.  I didn’t know much about his work – beyond the fact that he seems like a wonderful eccentric spirit.  I enjoyed it very much – particularly how he used artifacts and made references to everyday words/phrases and experiences while also producing work that had a mystical resonance.  I also loved how he described his work and I found myself how much his words also describe the process of coaching.  In this quote, Perry refers to the importance of intuition and the non-rational.

‘Part of my role as an artist is similar to that of a shaman or witch doctor. I dress up, I tell stories, give things meaning and make them a bit more significant. Like religion, this is not a rational process. I use my intuition. Sometimes, our very human desire for meaning can get in the way of having a good experience of the world.’

This quote leads me to ask myself: Where am I an artist in my life? Where do I tell stories? How do I access my intuition? And where does my desire for meaning get in the way of me having a good experience of the world? 

And as a coach, I’m  reminded about the imporance of some of the techniques like mindfulness, creative visualisation and conscious embodiment is because they help to access intuition, the creative, the knowing that is not necessarily a rational knowing.

note: Image above of Grayson Perry Tapestry published in the Guardian newspaper website

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