5 Essential Truths About Life

I couldn’t sleep last night and was scrolling on Instagram. I became fascinated with a post that someone had submitted a question to AI and received a profound answer…especially interesting because it mirrors what we do in intuition painting. I wanted to see if I got the same answer so I asked ChatGPT this: “Based on all the great psychologists, What are the 5 things everyone must understand about life or they risk failing at it?” It was basically the same answer. The interesting thing I realized is the relationship to what we do in intuition painting, read on:

1. You must face yourself, or your shadow will run your life. (Carl Jung, Freud, Adler)

If you do not become conscious of your inner world—your wounds, fears, desires, and patterns—they will control you from the background.

Self-awareness is not a luxury; it’s a survival skill. You must confront the parts of yourself you’re afraid to see. Otherwise, you’ll unconsciously project them onto others, sabotage relationships, or remain stuck in cycles of pain.

 2. Life has no inherent meaning—until you give it one. (Viktor Frankl, Rollo May, Abraham Maslow)

 Waiting for life to reveal its meaning will leave you empty.

You are the meaning-maker. Even in suffering, you can find purpose. The most resilient people are not those who avoid pain—but those who transform it into growth, connection, or service.

Frankl called this the “will to meaning,” and it’s one of the deepest human drives.

 3. Connection is not optional—it’s essential. (Carl Rogers, Bowlby, Brene Brown, Harlow)

 We are wired for belonging.

Authentic relationships—where you are seen, heard, and valued—are core to well-being. If you avoid vulnerability, isolate yourself, or wear a mask to be accepted, you may succeed externally but feel deeply alone.

The quality of your relationships is a powerful predictor of life satisfaction and even longevity.

 4. You can’t grow without discomfort. (Piaget, Erikson, Jung, Dweck)

 Pain is not failure—it’s a teacher.

Life will confront you with challenges. Avoiding discomfort means avoiding growth.

Real healing and transformation happen not when you're “fixed,” but when you learn to stay present with what’s hard—to feel without collapsing, to try without perfecting, and to stretch beyond your known limits.

 5. Your inner voice matters more than the world’s opinions. (Rogers, Maslow, Winnicott)

 To live authentically, you must listen to the voice within.

If you live only to please others or meet society’s expectations, you risk losing yourself.

True success comes from self-actualization—becoming the most you version of yourself, not a product of conditioning. This often requires unlearning and reclaiming your own authority.

 Bonus truth:

“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” —Viktor Frankl

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These skills are all practiced, learned, and honed through intuition painting workshops. Intuition Painting® is not just an art practice—it’s a direct portal into these five truths.

Here's how each core psychological insight comes alive through these workshops:

1. Facing the Shadow through the Canvas “You must face yourself, or your shadow will run your life.”

When someone steps up to a blank canvas, they meet their unconscious. Intuition Painting invites what’s hidden to emerge—grief, anger, longing, even joy buried under years of silence. It creates a safe, creative container to encounter and integrate these parts rather than deny or project them. Shadow work becomes color, shape, and movement.

2. Making Meaning through Creation “Life has no inherent meaning—until you give it one.”

In intuition painting workshops, participants stop waiting for permission or purpose from the outside. The act of painting from within—even when it “makes no sense”—is an embodied reclamation of meaning. Every brushstroke says: “I choose to create, to participate, to find purpose even here.”

3. Healing Through Connection and Witnessing “Connection is not optional—it’s essential.”

The sacred circle we create, the quiet presence of others painting nearby, the shared vulnerability in group reflection—all of it builds trust and belonging. In the studio, people remember they are not alone. They’re seen without judgment, and that kind of witnessing is a balm for the nervous system and soul.

4. Embracing Discomfort as Growth “You can’t grow without discomfort.”

When a painting gets ugly, or someone feels stuck, or emotions rise unexpectedly—that’s the edge. In Intuition Painting®, those moments aren’t mistakes; they’re doorways or portals. We teach people to stay with it, to keep painting, to trust that even the mess has medicine.

5. Reclaiming Inner Authority “Your inner voice matters more than the world’s opinions.”

There’s no critique allowed through this process. No one tells anyone how their art should look. That silence of judgment is revolutionary. It lets participants tune into the whisper within—the voice that says, “Use red here,” or “Paint over the whole thing,” or “Stop. This is enough.”

That voice becomes stronger each time we listen. This is why this work is important. It’s not just paint and paper.

It’s liberation.

It’s psychology in action.

It’s soul work disguised as art.

Intuition Painting® literally teaches us the most important life skills we need to master our own lives. Thus why I called my business, Soul Journey Arts…I’m truly on a soul journey through art and would love to have you join me.

From my soul journey to yours,

Maria