Guided by Intuition
In October, I attended an intuitive art retreat in Joshua Tree, California — Free Yourself!, led by Montine Blank of Life Is An Art. I stumbled on to the website last spring while looking through some artists offerings and was so intrigued that I signed up for the retreat immediately, trusting my intuition that this was right for me.
Through Montine’s guided process of painting from intuition, we explored releasing fear, embracing transformation, and reconnecting with our innate creative freedom. The practice became a dialogue with the painting — a mirror for the self. I spent five transformative days cocooned in the quiet expanse of the Mojave Desert with Montine and three other beautiful women.
On the second full day, about fifteen minutes into our first painting session, I hit resistance — a humbling part of the process. My body ached, I felt anxious and exhausted, and I wanted nothing more than to lie down. I stayed with it, placing seemingly random colors and shapes onto paper while trying not to use my thinking brain. Somehow, I made it through the next hour on my feet.
Later that afternoon, during a break, I wandered outside into the desert. Hoping to spot some wildlife, I soon noticed what I first thought was a chipmunk — actually a baby California ground squirrel. To my surprise, it seemed to be following me. I took a few steps, stopped, and waited and watched it circle around me. A few more steps, and it did the same — each time coming closer until it eventually tapped my toes.
Then I let the squirrel take the lead. It would run ahead a few yards, turn back to make sure I was following, then continue on, as if saying, “Keep going, keep going…”
After a while, I remembered the warning about wandering into this property — that the property owner wasn’t fond of visitors and was known to carry guns. So, I said goodbye to my little guide and quietly made my way back.
That encounter felt like a message from the divine — a living reminder to trust the path, even when resistance shows up. When I returned to the afternoon painting session, the heaviness lifted. I painted freely, guided by intuition rather than thought.
On the last morning of the retreat, before our final “decoding” session, I drew an oracle card that read:
“Purpose is the song of the soul. It’s the reason I was born, the secret wire connecting each experience. It is not meant to be found in the world, but recognized in myself. It is my heart tugging at hand, eager to breathe into vision.”
I’ve always believed we each have a purpose. Living it means choosing intuition over fear, clarity over distraction, and faith over doubt. It means paying attention to the subtle nudges — a song lyric that suddenly pops into your head, a sudden impulse to call someone, even a tiny desert squirrel reminding you to keep going.
On the final morning, I honored my painting’s request to be burned — for me, a symbolic act of completion and release. Yet I still hear Montine’s voice saying to me, “Your painting isn’t finished.” And I know she’s right.