The art of making better decisions

In art and in life. Plus some journaling questions to help you in your decision making process.

I step up to my messy painty table, to the blank sketchbook page lying open before me. There’s a mess of paint tubes strewn around the table. A pile of brushes, palette knives, a mechanical pencil, eraser and a rag piled up on one corner, the dirty paint water positioned just so at the far right of the working area on my messy table.

I’m ready to begin this painting session.

Casting my gaze along the tubes of paint, my eyes snag on the tube of orange paint. That’s the first color I swipe across the page. The rest of the colors follow seamlessly — aqua green, crimson, raw sienna mixed up with white, iridescent graphite — and then I begin the layering process. A dash of ancient copper, followed by white, titanium buff, a beautiful grungy brown that I mix up with some orange and blue paint. Some more white paint, and somewhere between those layers, some scribbles with a charcoal pencil.

Stepping back, I look down at the page. The colors that I laid down in the first layer are still peeking through here and there, as are some of the charcoal scribbles, but it’s a beautiful, grungy brown background and I love it.

I step away from the table, waiting for the paint to dry. And then, it’s time for some decisions:

• Should I come in with collage?

• Add in some more scribbles with a charcoal pencil? Or maybe a color pencil? Or how about my water soluble graphite pencil?

• Maybe I could bring in some color?

I take a few deep breaths. Shake my shoulders. Come back into my body. And I know what I want to do next: Collage.

And then I’m back to thinking:

• Do I want to add in some of that bold black and white collage paper?

• Would that patterned, colorful paper look better?

• Or maybe I should use that light blue translucent gelli print that’s peeking out from my collage pile.

• What about that scrap of stenciled paper I spy in my collage bin?

Decisions. Decisions. Decisions.

In art, and in life, it’s all about the options we have and the decisions we need to take to move forward.

Sometimes, our decision making process flows easily, as it did at the start of my painting session. At other times, our decisions are more difficult: We have a couple of options before us. All of them with their own merits, their own set of benefits. The outcomes with each choice will be different; how do we make sure we are making the right choice?

Our bodies generally know the answer, but we are often up in our heads, disconnected from our body and its wisdom.

An accurate representation of my decision making process.

While painting, all I need are a couple of deep breaths, a shake of my shoulders, some movement, and I’m back in my body, listening to my intuitive nudges as I create my art.

It gets a bit more difficult with life choices, but it does work in a similar way.

Tell me, how often have you found yourself worrying about a problem, having mental arguments with yourself? And if you sit down and write it all out, how often does it happen that your decision becomes clearer?

Writing by hand, or even typing on the computer, can force our mind to slow down, put us back in touch with our body, making it easier for us to more clearly hear our body’s wisdom…our inner wisdom…our inner voice…

And still, it can be difficult to act on our decisions sometimes, especially when they entail a bold move, a sweeping life change. Much like I got caught up with trying to decide which pieces of collage paper would be best on my art journal spread, we get caught up with trying to decide on the minutiae of our decisions. We want certainties. Guarantees of how things will work out. We want to micro manage every little thing. {No, just me?}

All it takes is for us to remember to step back. Take a few deep breaths. And listen to our inner nudge.

Will it always lead us in the right direction? Help us to make the correct decision?

Well, no. No one can guarantee that.

But it’s only by making a decision and acting on it that we can move forward…that life can move forward…that new paths can unfold beneath our feet. And isn’t that the point of this wild and precious life?

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How to make a decision: A journal exercise

Here’s a journaling exercise you can use the next time you need to make a big decision.

Start by making a list of all your options. Next, list out the pros and cons of each of these options.

Once that is done, look over your pros and cons list. You may be able to eliminate some of the options at this stage.

With the options that you are still weighing, identify your biggest concerns/worries/fears. Brainstorm ways in which you can mitigate some of those fears. For example, if finances are a concern, brainstorm ways in which you can create a buffer for yourself or eliminate any expenses that seem unnecessary to your bigger goal.

Take a moment to check-in with yourself. Are you starting to gain a sense of clarity? To lean towards a particular option? Lean in to that. Explore these questions:

• What is the best that can happen if I choose this option?

• What is the worst that can happen if I choose this option? How can I cope with this scenario? Are there any safeguards I can put in place for myself?

• What will I potentially need to give up if I make this decision?

• What will I potentially lose if I do not make this decision?

• How will choosing this option enhance my life?

May we remember to breathe when we find ourselves caught up in mental loops that keep us stuck.

May our fears and our worries be revealed to us, and may we find ways to counter them and soothe ourselves as we asses our options.

May we be able to discern the nudges. Gain the clarity that we need. Pay attention to our worries and our joys — always, always our joys.

May we find the courage to take the next step, no matter how small, and the next, and the next, and the next.

May we gain the clarity that we need to make our decisions.

May our decisions be in the service of our best interests.

May our decisions help in the constant and beautiful unfolding of our life’s journey.

And so it is. For you. And for me.

Studio Diaries is a publication of notes from my art studio. Every week, I share pages from my art journals, short process videos, notes on the creative process, and the best ideas from my journey as an artist and thinker.

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