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10/20/2004: "Art reveals what lives within!" by Monique Veyt
It is fascinating to see how people, when they are the creators, show themselves in art and in artistic expressions. Already since a while I use it in my ‘The-Art-of-Living’ workshops.‘The-Art-of-Living’ is about how to create a life that is fulfilling, about how we create the reality of our life and about how we can change that reality into the better. I handle a simple concept and I know how to pass it on to people.
I have a well founded theorie, but my workshops are very light and playful, although they are going very deep.
Since quite a while I use ‘artistic expression’ in it and time after time I am amazed about what people reveal about themselves. For themselves! Because that’s the purpose! How they can bring things in the consciounsness that otherwise they wouldn’t , unless perhaps after a very long time.
Of course I have my extensive experience as a psychologist to guide the process, this is very important!
A few weeks ago, in one of these workshops, there was a woman who all the time was saying that she failed in everything in her life and that she did not believe she still could change. But during that weekend, I felt that deep within she made the choice to change! I told it to her, but she did not believe it. She continued wining.
In the afternoon I let them paint. I gave short instructions for 3 paintings. The woman seems not to be a great painter, but that does not matter…I was not looking for artistic talent, but I was helping people finding themselves…
After a while, I invited the participants to look for a nice place in the room, on the floor or somewhere where they were comfortable and to lay their paintings around them. When everyone had found his little place and was sitting, their painting around them, it became very quite… Slowly and very consciously I invited them to look again to their paintings, to go deep inside themselves and to find a title for each painting.. It had to be a feeling or a desire or something like that…
These are sacred moments, where I don’t say anything….Where I only go into myself too…
Then I make my round guiding the people in deepen their insight in what they have painted.
It was amazing what the woman had brought into the light! Uncounciously she made a construction with the paintings that revealed her ‘past’, ‘now’ and ‘future’… Her ‘past’ was ugly, confused and desperate, her ‘future’ had a huge bright shining sun and her ‘now’ revealed her –still unconscious- choice to let go her wining attitude and to choose for creating a good life, even she did not yet know how to do!
I was amazed myself how clear it all became through these three two-minutes paintings.. I told her what she had painted, what she had revealed of herself.. for herself…She became very silent.. she connected with within, recognised her choice, felt secure in the insecurity of not yet knowing… And she stopped wining without realising it!
She never will be a great painter, but her simple artistc expressions revealed to her what really lived within….
At the end of the workshop, I advised her to go dancing and to wear color, because that’s what she really is: a dancer of life!
Love,
Monique Veyt
