I have been very busy of late painting the interior walls of my practice. I usually do only one wall per weekend so that the task is not overwhelming. That also allows for less physical disruption of the space each time. I have discovered that there is an art to painting and that this art is actually a metaphor for life itself. Here is what I have discovered:
- Prime things well before application. Without proper preparation there will be numerous coats of paint needed. This gets expensive as paint is pricier than primer. In life if we don’t prepare ourselves properly we have to revisit the same issues over and over again. Therapy can get quite expensive.
- Don’t take too much paint onto the brush. When you do it gets very sloppy. This also means that in life we have to not take on too much because our lives, as well, will then get very sloppy.
- Don’t spread the paint to thin or you will have gaping holes in the paint job. In life we also must remember to not spread ourselves too thin. Energetically spreading oneself too thin creates holes in the auric field.
- Reach into all the crevices. We can’t expect paint to cover where it is not placed. Just like all the levels of consciousness that we have, there are crevices here and there that we must look at and attend to, otherwise they become glaring examples of a job poorly done.
- Repeat when necessary. Two coats of primer, two coats of paint and the job is complete. Without that preparation and repetition, the job is shabby at best and the old colours will bleed through. Just like when our old baggage issues bleed through into current relationships.
- Allow proper time for curing. Paint has to cure before anything can be put onto it. That means proper drying time between coats and about 5 days to a week before hanging anything on the wall. In relationships people often don’t allow themselves the time it takes to cure after one relationship ends and another begins. So the new relationship is bound to have the old relationship bleed through and no one will be actually healing in any way.
- Give a good roll. By that I mean first in one direction, then in the next to spread the paint well. But in life it can mean either to give it your “all” or to…ehem…did I hear someone say something about hay?
- Have the proper tools. It is important to have a decent set of tools to work with no matter what we are talking about. A fine edging brush is extremely important, the right type of bristles on both that and the roller brush is a necessity, the proper extension handles when necessary, the proper rolling pan AND rolling pan liner so that you can interchange colors without having to stop and clean the rolling pan, and the right kind of paint cup that has a magnetic area near the lip so that your brush doesn’t fall over and spill everything as soon as you set it down. This is all metaphor for life skills as well. We have to have physical activity for our bodies, emotional intelligence for our relationships, reason for our thoughts, and openness for our spiritual consciousness. Without those tools we make a royal mess of our lives.
- Remember to do the edging first. This includes corners, trim etc. If you edge properly the rolling gets much easier. Again, refer to number 7! Edging can be the painters version of foreplay.
- Choose your colours well. Just like a relationship, your colours are something that you will have to live with. They should not be too bright or too dark otherwise you risk making yourself either hyper or depressed. They don’t have to be pastel by any stretch, but the softer the colour the easier and more long term you will enjoy it…just like a gentle relationship as opposed to an intense one or a depressing one.
- Clean up your tools and your messes. Everyone drips paint now and then. Some like to put down tarps etc to catch that. It has been my experience that by the end of the paint job when the tarps are lifted there is often a drip or two that went undetected underneath the tarp. By the time it is found it is dry and miserable to clean. So I like to go “tarpless” (the painter’s version of going “commando”) and keep a damp cloth nearby to dap up and wipe up any drips. When done while the paint is still wet, it cleans up incredibly easy. And proper cleaning of your painting tools will extend the life of said tools. So when we make a mess in our lives, we need to actually put work into it and clean it up. We can chuck it all up to experience and lessons learned, but in order to properly do so we have to be able to actually do the work involved in the learning.
- Put love into it. When I am painting I am consciously putting love and affection for that wall, that room, my home into the act. In order to do that, I have to paint slowly. I have to be fully present in the moment. I don’t rush anything. I relax by listening to pleasant music so that I slow down and enjoy the process. This way, it becomes so much easier to enjoy the total result. And being present and enjoying the moment is what makes all of life worth living.