Diary of a Human Being: Following the Intuitive Pull
I am starting a new series on the blog. As you can probably tell from the title above, it’s called Diary of a Human Being. This is going to be an off-the-cuff series where I go all-in on a topic that I feel like discussing. There won’t be an agenda. There won’t be an outline. There won’t even be research (unless I feel like diving into research.) The idea is that I will discuss from my heart and share what’s on my mind. There won’t be any goal to the posts themselves except self-expression.
What do you think? I’m really looking forward to diving deeper into a lot of topics that pique my interest, without the character limits that inhibit my thought process on other platforms.
Following the Magic
When this idea first came to me, it was on my car ride back from Joshua Tree 2 weeks ago. I tend to get the best ideas for my business and life in the car. I don’t know why, something about the focused attention that goes into driving really gives my mind space to think. I tend to forget the ideas I get while driving because...you know, I’m driving, LOL. But luckily this one stuck.
I knew I wanted to create space to discuss things that really got my wheels turning, but I wasn’t exactly sure how to go about it. Then the idea flowed through I knew it was a great one, and that I had to follow it along the path it set forward for me.
Which lead me to start thinking about what my first diary post should be about. I had a ton of ideas, from discussing my issues with the current Cancel Spotify movement to exploring why copying is the worst possible thing you can do in business. Ultimately though, it seems fitting that I discuss intuition and listening to its pull as my first topic. It’s this way of being that even got me here writing this post for you right now. Let’s explore and see where the magic takes us.
Exploring Intuition
I haven’t always had a deep connection to my intuition. Truthfully, I didn’t discover it until I was in my mid-20s. I spent most of my childhood far removed from myself and who I truly was. There are a lot of reasons for this, including but not limited to: childhood trauma, parentification, societal misconceptions, capitalism, etc.
It was when I discovered the practice of yoga that I really started to feel the pull of my intuition. And when I say I discovered yoga, I really mean that. It was the first time in my life that I was pulled by an unknowing force toward something. I didn’t know why I was drawn to the practice. I didn’t know anything about it before I started. But once I went to my first class at my local yoga studio my life changed. Literally. I have never been the same person since.
What yoga did for me was introduce me to myself. It showed me my depths. It demonstrated my personal power. It was with the practice of yoga that I discovered my autonomy as a person. It was because of yoga that I am who I am today (all because yoga reconnected me with myself.)
It was through this disciplined practice that I started to cultivate my own personal power. The more I practiced the deeper I went inside of myself. The longer I looked the more I uncovered. With this exploration came total transformation, and a pull toward authenticity and fulfillment in self. As I changed and delved deeper into myself, the more open I became to the magic of the universe. Because of these changes, I became adept at connecting with my intuition and my own personal magic.
What Is Intuition?
When I talk about intuition with those that aren’t familiar with it, they often look at me like I’m a bit strange. It can seem so out there, being guided in life by forces outside of the self. But, for me, I know that I am both autonomous as a being and also connected to everything outside of myself as well. The idea of oneness in yoga philosophy dictates my connection to intuition. That is how I am going to approach discussing it in this next section.
Intuition, to me, is a deep understanding from the self. It is a guiding force that drives us to make interesting life decisions. From doing something new to shifting the way we think, our intuition is something that changes us without any particular reason attached to it.
I know there are some of you right now reading this and cringing. What do you mean you let unknown forces dictate your decisions? It can seem so odd to allow feelings to guide you in life as opposed to strategized action plans.
To me, it’s a feminine way of being as opposed to a masculine way of being.
What I mean by this is that intuition doesn’t always make sense. It doesn’t follow a rigid path. It is flowy and windy, as though it is a gentle stream. It reminds me of when Pocahontas finishes singing Just Around the Riverbend in the Disney movie. She doesn’t necessarily know why she chooses the left path toward Mother Willow, but she does. She has a life path laid out for her by her father, her village, her society at large. Nevertheless, she moves away from that structured path toward a path of her own. Not because of any particular reason other than she just knows that’s right for her.
I am lucky enough to say that I have countless instances where I just know the path I’m meant to be on as well.
From creating The Desert Oracle Deck to connecting with my boyfriend in the middle of a crowd at a music festival, I have let my intuition guide my life for years since I first connected to it. I’d say at the beginning of my intuitive journey it guided me on more of a subconscious level, very similarly to that stream metaphor I mentioned above. These days though, I’m more of an active participant in my intuitive practice. This has informed my life in so many different ways.
Using My Intuition in My Creative Practice
If you follow my work at all, you know that my intuition is a deeply rooted part of my design practice. It informs my design decisions and plays an active part in all of my projects. If you’re not someone who has faith that spirit will guide us to the right path for your design deliverables, we probably shouldn’t work together. That being said, my intuition wasn’t always as tied to my design practice as it is now.
Backtracking to 2017, that was when I first came up with the idea for The Desert Oracle Deck. At the time it was a really expansive and heartwarming discovery. I couldn’t wait to bring this tool to life and change the world through the downloads I gathered from the desert.
What I didn’t understand at the time was how this deck tied into my design practice.
On a basic level, I did know they were connected. I literally couldn’t have designed my deck without having an understanding of design programs like Photoshop and Illustrator. But beyond that, I couldn’t fit the puzzle pieces together.
In 2017 I was just graduating with a certificate in Web Development and Design from MiraCosta College and had no idea how web design and my deck tied together. I was so confused about it that when I first started my business I kept both things separate. I figured, OK I’ll have a product based business featuring magical tools that I create and also a service-based business for my design work. Well, after doing that for about 6 months after going full time in my business in 2019, I knew that way of thinking wasn’t the right fit. My deck and my design practice were connected, I just couldn’t find the connection yet.
Ultimately, what it came down to was just trusting that the connection would reveal itself to me in time when it was ready. Having patience was the name of the game. And eventually, this would help differentiate me from other designers.
The more design work I’ve done over the years has helped inform me of how my design practice works. Not only has it helped me develop a process for creating beautiful work for my clients, but it has helped me understand how my brain works and the uniqueness of my own practice.
I work best in doing, learning through experience. This helps me get to know whatever I am pursuing in great detail, and analyze it in a way that draws meaning from the experience. This draws on my experiences as a researcher and scientist in college. I majored in Human Biology at the University of California San Diego and worked in a biotech lab for 4 years in college. The scientific method is ingrained in me, which I think is a positive thing. It helps me see the world in a more nuanced way and gain meaning in deeper ways (at least, that’s what I like to think.)
Through consistent client work from 2019 until now, I have determined that my intuition is a major part of my design practice. My work is not only rooted in strategy. Likewise, it is not something that I just randomly download from beyond as well. I talk about this in my approach page, but my design practice really is an amalgamation of strategy and intuition. I use magic every day in my work and I also use design strategy every day as well. This balanced approach allows me to connect deeply with each and every client I connect with and ensure the work I am doing for them is as authentic to them and their businesses as possible. I truly could not be as effective of a designer as I am without both sides of this practice.
The strategy informs my path forward into a design challenge.
My intuition creates the dreamy design results.
Conclusion
What do you think? Are you someone that follows an intuitive practice? Does anything that I’ve talked about even make sense? I’d love to hear about your experience connecting deeper with yourself and how it affects your daily life. Let’s discuss!
READY TO TAKE YOUR BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH AN INTUITIVE APPROACH TO DESIGN?
You can reach out to me directly to talk about bringing your business vision to life through brand or web design!
Take care and talk soon,
Alex
