Intuition - The Inner Voice of an Artist

Looking back, I can see how everything was quietly preparing me to become an artist.

Growing up in East Africa felt raw and honest where nature doesn’t hesitate when it moves or adapts, it just does without asking permission. I see now how I absorbed that without even realizing because there was a lot of space to observe, to be alone with my thoughts, to trust what felt natural.

Then, starting at 17,  I spent years traveling alone. Eight years, to be exact. And when you’re on your own for that long, something shifts. There’s no one to ask and no one to validate your choices. You either learn to listen to yourself, or you stay stuck.

Like the time I arrived to the airport in Vietnam not knowing anyone, the language, or my new town.  But by taking it one step at a time, I found a house, settled into my job, met fabulous people, and made memories of a lifetime.

That inner voice became everything. over and over again.

And stepping into art, I realized this is where it gets fun.  

Because creating isn’t just about making something—it’s about trusting your instinct when there’s no right answer. It’s choosing not to follow trends, not to overwork something, not to explain every decision.

It’s leaving space and stopping at the right moment.
It’s letting something be what it is.

That goes against how most of us are wired. We’re taught to refine, to improve, to make things make sense inside the box. But intuition doesn’t care about that. It’s subtle. You have to be willing to listen.

For me, that’s the real work of being an artist.

Not the technique.
Not the outcome.

The ability to hear that inner voice—and actually follow it no matter what the world says.

Now, 25 years later, I find myself looking for that same space to be alone with my thoughts and observe the world. Except I am not looking out the window on safari anymore, I am sharing that voice on paper for everyone to see.