Building Intuition Into Business : Part 1
Every once in a while, I’ll briefly mention weaving my intuition into the design process. And although I’ve tried to somewhat explain within an instagram caption what that means, it’s hard to do. The reason for that is because each and every single person experiences and interacts with their intuition uniquely, requiring deeper exploration, patience, and personal observation.
That said, this is a topic I love talking about and decided that a short series was in order to dive a bit deeper. So here we go!
WHAT IS INTUITION?
In psychology, intuition is explained as “a form of knowledge that appears in consciousness without obvious deliberation. Often referred to as “gut feelings,” intuition tends to arise holistically and quickly, without awareness of the underlying mental processing of information.” (1)
While I agree with most of the above, my take on intuition expands into spirituality as well. Where those gut feelings are perceived as messages from the core of my being, beyond practical understanding. Some call it the inner voice. Soul. God. Spirit. Universe. Whatever it may be, certain life experiences and inexplicable messages have landed me in a more spiritual take on intuition.
HOW DOES INTUITION COME THROUGH?
Either way, psychological or spiritual, intuition often expresses itself through extra sensory perception. So, seeing, hearing, feeling, or knowing, beyond the way we typically experience those things.
Seeing: For this, you may receive intuitive messages in your mind's eye. Or even with your eyes open. Messages could be symbols, repetitive signs, colors, or vivid dreams. For example, think of someone who keeps seeing words or images of a dove and is able to find meaning from it.
Hearing: For this, you may receive intuitive messages through what *seems* like thoughts inside of your head, in your own voice. Messages could be internal dialog, repetitive words, or symbolic sounds / rhythms. For example, think of a musician who internally hears the melody to their next song out of nowhere
Feeling: For this, you may receive intuitive messages through physical or emotional stimuli from the environment or other people. For example, think of an empath who easily feels the emotions of others as if it were their own. So much so that they may understand that another person needs help.
Knowing: For this, you may receive intuitive messages through what comes across as an instantaneous download. Where you just know something to be true. For example, think of someone who just knows they are supposed to take a specific life changing trip in the coming year.
BUILDING YOUR INTUITION
The thing with all of the above is that it can be difficult to differentiate intuitive messages from everyday thoughts and feelings. That said, intuition is a muscle. Meaning, the more you use it, the easier it is to discern whatever it is that you are receiving. There’s even a few ways in which you can PLAY with your intuition to do this:
01. Have your intuition pick out your outfit: Stand in front of your closet or your dresser and ask yourself, “what should I wear today?” Then, observe how your body / mind responds. Maybe you see a picture of blue jeans in your mind’s eye. Maybe you hear the word “green.” Maybe you literally feel pulled towards the top right drawer. Or maybe you just know the answer immediately.
02. Take your intuition on a walk: Step outside and begin going straight until the option to turn left or right presents itself. When it does, ask yourself, “which way should I go?” Then, observe how your body / mind responds. Maybe you see something in the distance that pulls you right. Maybe you hear the word “left” in your mind. Maybe you literally feel pulled forward. Or maybe you just know the answer immediately.
* By the way, if you try either of the above exercises, tag me on instagram! I think it’d be fun to see where our individual intuition takes us …
03. Pull tarot / oracle cards: While this may be a bit woo for some, it’s a great practice for using your intuition. All you have to do is shuffle a deck of your choosing, ask what message you need to hear, and pull a card. Every other Wednesday, I do an oracle pull for the Rowan Made instagram community. So if you’re interested, keep an eye out! I always include prompts for you to engage your intuition for practice.
All of the above are what I like to call “low stakes” exercises to begin integrating your intuition into your every day. As I said earlier, intuition is a muscle and I find that it’s easiest to begin exploring on a smaller scale rather than jumping straight into life’s biggest questions.
The reason for this is because when you ease yourself into intuitive communication, there’s a sort of trust that’s built over time. Whereas, when you jump straight to bigger questions like “where in the world should I live,” your ego may not let you see / hear / feel / know the truth right away simply because it’s afraid of the answer. Needless to say, patience and trust are key, both of which I’m still very much working on myself.
In part two, I’ll share with you the most common way that I receive my own intuitive messages, as well as how I incorporate them into choosing clients, coming up with design concepts, and more. :)