Is this who you want to be?

I received a series of messages from one of my lovely international clients.

She has worked hard on clearing everything holding her back and is at the point in the Interiors Therapy process where she is beginning to consider art to replace the detrimental pieces she cleared out of her home. This is the time to select pieces to enhance the new life she is creating for herself.

This particular lady is a delight to work with and since our two day consultation and the start of the Interiors Therapy process she has been enjoying life and is visibly more confident in herself.

So when she sent through a picture she was considering purchasing, I could see how far she had come, but at the same time was concerned she is still being drawn to single subject images… The picture she selected had an energy so contrary to her wish to meet a man with whom she can share mutual love, respect and admiration, that I questioned whether this was still her intention.

“It’s a beautiful painting but she’s sad and very alone. Look she’s hunched, naked, abandoned, with her back to the world. She looks as though she is hurting.”

She responded “It’s not sad, it’s romantic my dear, very French. Where is your artistic sensibility?”

That’s a fair point, and it often comes up. I love art and often visit galleries at home and abroad, but there is a big difference between something I admire in a gallery and the art I would choose for my wall!

I agree, the painting was attractive and could be seen as erotic or romantic at face value. The thing is, when I’m working with Interiors Therapy, I’m thinking about the impact on both the conscious and subconscious level. 

What did this particular painting or the other two very similar images she suggested, say about the deeper thought processes of my client and the energy of the new relationship she wanted for herself?

In my experience most people are drawn to images which either reflect their current situation or from the more positive perspective, represent what they want to have in their life…

At the most basic level, that’s what keeps poster companies in business!

Boys who wanted to be like Rocky, emulate a sportsman, or have a girlfriend like the tennis player in ‘that’ poster. The girls who chose images of the singer or actor they had a crush on or an actress they admired. Then as life got more complex, how defined their rebellion as ‘Che’ or displayed ‘The Scream’, believing it to be funny or ironic, but describing precisely how they were feeling inside.

I extend this to the men who feature Homer Simpson on T-shirts, mugs, prints in their homes (often given as gifts by family members, so make of that what you will!)… or the brittle lonely women who find an affinity with Frida Kahlo.

Conversely, politicians may choose Churchill, Thatcher, Obama, Mandela, Bevan, Octavian or other leaders they admire, although let’s face it, there are some dodgy ones in that list! 

Octavian is regarded as a hero by our current Prime Minister, and his methods were, without a doubt, ‘unlawful’… but I digress!  

Successful businessmen often have pictures of the people who have influenced them.   

People who thrive always seem to be surrounded by positive imagery representing their aspirations and inspiring them to even greater things.

We can learn from them.

My belief is that we tap into our subconscious mind whenever we see, or are aware of, imagery around us. In simple terms, negative images bring us down, positive images boost our wellbeing.

Sigmund Freud wrote of this in 1915, and much work has been done in the field of Psychology since that time to explain how our external situation is dictated or impacted by our subconscious.

So essentially, whilst I respect anyone who chooses to display images which are in opposition to their stated goals, I will deep-dive into what those images are really telling them and whether they are in alignment with the life my client says they desire. If I believe the images are harming them, I will say so, openly and honestly.

Some clients just ‘get it’ straightaway. Others don’t or won’t accept that their subconscious will have an impact on their conscious mind every single day.

If a client wants to bombard their subconscious with single women, backs to the world, head bowed and shoulders hunched, that is their prerogative, male or female. If in a year’s time those words personify the situation they are in, I reserve the right to remind them of my opinion!

Sadly some truly lovely people are so deeply entrenched in their belief that a picture is perfect for them, that even though it describes exactly the unhappy situation they are living in, perhaps in their employment situation, work or health, they will stubbornly refuse to let it go or even consider moving it to a less damaging location. I was one of them, clinging to a particular painting for over a decade, despite being challenged many times on its toxic nature. When the painting went, my circumstances changed, but I lost ten years in the process.

Whatever you want in your life, surround yourself with imagery which promotes the ideal of the life you desire. I’m always happy to give a detached perspective, so by all means send a photo and I’ll offer feedback.