Follow the small, still voice.
I had no idea what to paint when I started this one, and a cow was the last thing on my list. In fact, it wasn’t even on the list at all. I could feel the familiar frustrations rise, and considered just walking away from the easel all together. Then I sat down to meditate. After the loud, crowded voices of my mind cleared, silence ensued. I imagined myself in a dark void, peaceful and comforting. And then clear as day, a cow walked out of the darkness right up to my face. She practically booped me on the nose.
I have learned over the past seven or so years to follow my intuition, that small still voice. So often we defer to the loud ones, the noise of ego that tells us all sorts of lies based in old stories and societal ”rules”. But when we get quiet, when we allow the clanging untruths to fade away and turn our attention to the stillness, we create space for the small still voice to be heard. From this voice, magic happens.
I had no idea why I painted a cow, but I have learned to listen to that small, still voice. I listen and I paint. Then somehow the universe lands the painting in just the right hands. Every single time I paint this way, the EXACT right person find the painting at the EXACT right time. A cardinal painting turned out to be the perfect gift from a husband to his wife celebrating their life transition from their home on Cardinal Drive. The blue heron found it’s way to a brother celebrating a birthday and health milestone… blue herons are special to him. The lioness spoke to a woman who one week before chose this very animal as a symbol of her inner spirit. Every painting I create from inspiration is actually a commission for a person I have never met. Incredible!
So the cow? Well, I ended up naming her Bessie after she found her person. Cows are a symbol of fertility, and the mama who brought her home found out a few days before that she was pregnant for the first and only time, naturally, without fertility treatments. When she saw the cow, she knew it was meant for her. What a gift.
No matter what you do, be it painting or teaching or welding or accounting, make sure to follow that small still voice. That is where the magic of God speaks to each of us.
