Painting Freely: The Three Dragons That Stop Us (and How Intuition Painting® Sets Us Free)

In expressive arts, we talk a lot about painting freely…following your impulses, trusting the unknown, and letting color lead the way. But when we try to do that, the mind immediately fights back.

Michele Cassou, creator of the Point Zero approach, describes these inner blocks as the Three Dragons, the forces that rise up whenever we step into true creative freedom. You see them in every Intuition Painting® session. We all do. And naming them helps loosen their grip.

1. PRODUCT — “Make something good.”

Product paralyzes spontaneity.

This dragon wants your painting to look a certain way: pretty, impressive, “worth showing.” But Intuition Painting® is about the experience, not the outcome. When you try to make something beautiful, you stop listening to your impulses and spontaneity shuts down.

Instead:
• Let your brush be messy, imperfect, curious.
• Let the painting surprise you.

2. CONTROL — “Plan it. Fix it. Don’t mess it up.”

Control paralyzes intuition.

Control demands certainty: What color next? Where do I put this line? Will I ruin it? But intuition only speaks when we move without a plan. In Intuition Painting®, we practice exactly that…one brushstroke at a time, without knowing why.

Instead:
• Follow the tiniest impulse.
• Let go of the need to understand before you act.

3. MEANING — “What does this symbolize?”

Meaning paralyzes letting go.

This dragon insists every mark has to be deep or symbolic or “about something.” But meaning comes later, after the painting. In the moment, trying to understand shuts down the flow. Intuition Painting® teaches us to trust the mystery. The meaning reveals itself naturally once you stop chasing it.

Instead:
• Let your painting be weird, wild, illogical.
• Let it just be.

Why These Dragons Matter

Because the moment you sit down to paint without rules, they show up. Not because you’re doing it wrong, but because you’re entering the doorway to real creativity. Every time you choose presence over product, intuition over control, and letting go over meaning…you reclaim a part of yourself.

That’s the heart of Intuition Painting®:
freedom, trust, and returning to the truth of your own inner rhythm.

From my soul journey to yours,

Maria