TEMPLATE - DUPLICATE ONLY: Artist Spotlight on Artist Name

What is your Origin Story with Intentional Creativity?

My story starts in 2015, when I intuitively initiated a connection to the planet Venus who represents the Divine Feminine. I didn’t know it then but I was going through a Venus return cycle, a key initiation in every life. I started to work with Venus/Divine Feminine that year and worked with every Venus cycle since then. This awoke, healed and strengthened my relationship to the Divine Feminine in HUGE ways! By this time I had learned that I was going through some big planetary transits of Pluto/Chiron/Uranus/Neptune that were inspiring a major awakening within me, and that this phase is also commonly known as mid-life crisis.

As a result, I was beginning to explore many new topics related to self-development, karmic clearing/healing and astrology, in order to understand the purpose of the transits better and just simply navigate this incredibly challenging time of my life with a semblance of clarity.

But having a mental idea of the transit is one thing, and working consciously with it to embody its gifts is another thing altogether. That's when Intentional Creativity came in.

I happened upon Amber Bonnici's 2016 Winter Solstice Woman Unleashed event and it opened up a completely new world to me!! This is where I first came across Shiloh Sophia and her incredible work. This form of creativity that she called Intentional Creativity®, spoke to my soul in such a resonant way.

I took several of her many complimentary classes and experiences that she so generously offered. And each one started to awaken the creativity within me and my soul’s voice became louder. I was already beginning to study astrology in earnest, knowing this was next on my life's path. But the fear of change, of the unknown, of moving away from engineering, my then career, was still strong.

Then I did Shiloh’s class, Tea with the Muse, not really knowing what to expect. During this process, I accidentally spilled black paint on the cardboard I was painting on. Rather than clean it up, I decided to follow the flow, feeling it had something to share with me. What the Muse ended up revealing to me was something I knew deep within but had not been able to fully take in due to the fear.

She was singing the song of the planets! Wow! She was clearly showing me the way, articulating in symbol what my next step was. This experience shook me in a very good way, and really solidified my faith in my inner voice and got me hooked onto Intentional Creativity® for life!

What has your creative journey been like leading up to finding Intentional Creativity®?

I had always been creative as a child, loving to play with paint and color. But I would think, ‘I can paint but I cannot draw’. The thing is, drawing & painting realistic figures, landscapes and portraits did not interest me at all, but I had the mistaken belief that it was ‘real art’ so I was ‘supposed’ to do it. So over time, I started to put less effort into my own creative practice, and other priorities in life took over.

When I went through my ‘mid-life awakening’ phase, reclaiming my creativity was a very big part of my awakening.

Intentional Creativity® played a HUGE role because it gave me permission to paint intuitively and rather than the product, the process had immense value which was a new approach for me.

This changed my relationship to my own creative power in a very positive way and freed me up to start painting again, even if I didn’t like what I painted then.

How have your Intentional Creativity® paintings inspired you or communicated with you?

Oh my goodness, my paintings speak to me! And I have learned to listen! The presence of my Muse or Divine guidance comes through very strongly for me through the painting process, especially the 13-step process. It takes me months to integrate and really get the message sometimes, and the message has timeless value!

But I have learned to listen deeply and honor the process of painting and also take the time to bring the learnings into my life, because they not only have uplifted my life, but they are a shortcut to the most joyful path!

After IC came into my life, I started to apply this philosophy to the tough planetary transits I was going through during the mid-life phase. As a result, I started to experience a deeper realization of the gifts of the transits, meaning that I was embodying the essence more and more as I worked consciously with them.

I still had to do the hard inner work of courageously facing the shadow, the fear, the unresolved karmic patterns. But working intentionally with them, calling out the gifts, and receiving those gifts, showed me a solid pathway to clear karma and move on to a higher expression. This gave me courage to make many transformations in my life & career, and expanded my ability to hold space for others to experience big transformation in their life.

The symbols that emerge during the painting process have a special place in my heart, and have unlocked much wisdom. These are not traditional symbols that appear, but things that have meaning for me personally, and these are some of the things I watch out for now, as I listen to my Muse.

The paintings I made during my Color of Woman training, seemed to mirror the higher aspects of my natal chart. This one reminds me of my Mercury in Capricorn, Sun in Aquarius and Aquarius Ascendant.

Through this painting process, I am embodying the higher essence of the energies in my natal chart, moving closer to my higher self.

Some of the big benefits of working with IC for me have been:

Ability to curate my consciousness and embody the gifts of transits.
Honoring the energy of the planets, transits, rhythm of the cosmos and inviting forth its highest essence, thereby connecting to the higher consciousness & benevolence of the solar system
Provided a powerful & constructive way to work with the unseen and the unknown.
Enabled me to really step into Creator energy and not just my Higher Self.
Woke up my authentic expression and creative drive in a powerful way.
Deepened my connection to the Divine and this gave me such a sense of relief. I always knew it was there but IC made me realize just how easy it is to access my intuition and connection to Greater Mystery.

What do you desire other people to experience when they see your paintings?

I desire for people to experience the immense presence and power of the Creative Self within. To be able to feel the purity & strength of Presence within them when they see my paintings. For them to feel the incredible beauty of this planet and Gaia and awaken a connection to her higher realms.

What inspired you to submit your painting to be included in the ICF Annual Wall Calendar?

I truly & honestly with my whole heart believe in the power of Intentional Creativity and the vision of ICF and how this work is so transformative in uplifting consciousness. When I saw the email request for art submission for the calendar, my heart immediately said Yes! and I'm so glad that I submitted it right away! I appreciate the opportunities that the ICF gives for artists’ work to be shared. When I heard about the calendar, I thought it would be an honor to be a part of this incredible offering because there is such beauty, power, and presence in the work created by Intentional Creativity artists. Plus it's so cool to be a part of the very 1st calendar!

Please tell us about your Guild Membership. What part does Guild Membership play in your life as an artist and in sharing Intentional Creativity?

Being in a community of artists and those who identify as artists as well as having gone through IC training, I finally feel like I am home.

Creating my life intentionally is one of my deepest values and it's wonderful to be in a community where others are actively practicing that too.

The Guild has been instrumental in me feeling seen and received as an artist as well as providing ongoing support and practice to embody Intentional Creativity®.

This is a very conscious, kind, compassionate community of intelligent, creative women and I am so honored to be a part of it!

How do you express and offer Intentional Creativity specific to your cultural context (either with personal paintings and or offerings to beloveds)? What are some of the powerful insights you have received from your Painting Practice?

I am a Visionary Coach helping individuals awakening in mid-life to find aliveness and joy by activating their true voice in their life and career.

My skillset includes Astrology, Sound Healing, Intentional Creativity® and Transformational Coaching to help people transform & heal blocks in their voice, so their unique authentic gifts and skills can come through.

Through my courses and workshops, I combine Astrology of the Natal Chart and Intentional Creativity to transform unresolved patterns into empowerment and create a bridge to step into higher expression and embody their unique hidden skills and gifts in a fun and playful way.

One of my biggest insights through my painting practice is that making art intentionally during big mid-life planetary transits to release the shadow from unresolved karmic patterns and embody the highest essence of that energy is a potent way to design your future and next phase of your life. So I incorporate this into all my courses and creative workshops.

I also bring my deep and intimate connection to Gaia and nature into the creative process, as a way to move into the new consciousness of Earth.

Tell us about your experiences with Art Show Exhibits – has this been a part of your journey as an artist?

This is my 2nd submission and both my experiences thus far have been very positive. Submitting my work was new to me and I learned a couple of things from the process of participating in Art Show Exhibits:

Starting to see myself as an artist and treating the entire process with reverence. Recognizing that this is a sharing of my own creative journey and first and foremost, it has value to me, even if it may not meet an external standard. Somehow, this feels like an important point for me to remember for the future :-)
Recognition that the work submitted by others is a deep part of their creative energy, and treating it with honor and respect.

What inspired you to submit your paintings to various art shows? Do you have advice for other artists in the IC community on how to get past any resistance there might be to participating in exhibits, especially Juried Exhibits?

To be honest, I've been very inspired by the Intentional Creativity® way of painting, in that it has freed me up to express with joy & play, and sharing my work without inhibition comes as part of that sharing with joy. So, I actually feel happy when I share my work! But I also recognize that often in my journey, I will make work that I just don't like and moving through that discomfort with kindness and patience for myself has been key to getting over that inhibition of sharing. So, I would offer that a couple of things that work for me to get past resistance is:

Treating my creative practice as sacred and doing it everyday.
Being kind and compassionate with myself especially when I don't like what I've created, recognizing this discomfort is part of the creative process.
When I am grounded in the value that the practice has for me, I am less likely to be hesitant to share my work or worried about how it might be received

How do you think that participating in Art Exhibits has contributed to your development as an artist? Do you have additional advice for artists in the IC community about how to more fully step into their “Artist Archetype”?

For me, creating anyway, regardless of the outcome, has been key. Meaning, that not attaching importance, at least initially, to how I am or my art is viewed externally, but creating for myself, just because I enjoy the process and it gives me joy, has been a really important step to claiming the artist within me. That means giving myself permission to make stuff that looks downright ugly! And then creating anyway beyond that.

Is there anything else you would like the readers to know about you or your creative work?

Intentional Creativity® gave me a path to not just reclaim my creativity and higher expression, but awakened in me a way to embody my Creator State. What a powerful priceless gift! And what a way to live, really deeply richly live into this incarnation! And for that I am grateful to this practice, this movement, this community and its lineage!

About Swati Kameswar

I love to intuitively create whimsical playful paintings inspired by the myriads of shapes of botanicals, sounds of the birds and elements that evoke a sense of peace, calm & delight.

Nature nourishes me and feeds me. Watching birds and listening to bird song is a meditative experience for me. I am energized by the shapes, colors and vibration of flowers.

Drawing on my deep intimate connection with the natural world, through my art I seek to convey the abundant beauty of this planet and the essence of wholeness and harmony that being in nature brings.

I find color delicious and magical! And feel immense joy in playing with color and patterns, using acrylic paints, inks and paint pens on water color paper or canvas.

In recent years, I have also been expanding my relationship with the Muse of my Natal Chart, and bring that energy through in my paintings, as a way to embody my highest expression.

Learn more about Swati here:

swati@activateyourtruthandpower.com

https://activateyourtruthandpower.com/

Donate to the Intentional Creativity Foundation

The Intentional Creativity® Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We are a self-funded Foundation, which means that your donations and our Museum Membership is what allows the Foundation to host Museum Exhibits, steward the MUSEA Museum + permanent collection, employ women - all graduates of MUSEA's certification programs - to run the day-to-day business of the ICF, offer grants to artists to assist them in creating and sharing Intentional Creativity workshops, offer Arts Activism events and programming, along with other programming and more. Without you, none of this would be possible. Thank you for your generosity and support!