The Angel that spoke through Fred Flintstone

How intuition can silence the little devil

When I was growing up back in the sixties, the one person of any consequence who left an impression on my childhood sense of good and bad, right and wrong, was a cartoon character called Fred.

Not Rabbi Fred or Guru Fred. But Fred, the star and stone-age patriarch of the tv animation series, the Flintstones.

Fred Flintstone with his Devil and Angel advisors

When Fred had an important decision to make, up would pop the little devil and angel to offer Fred opposing views, all for his well-being.

What does Fred Flintstone have to do with Genesis Art? Everything – and I mean everything that has to do with the mindset you bring to making art. It’s a choice you make every time you create.

If you’re new to drawing and painting, there’s often going to be this little devil that pops up in the corner of your mind telling you that what you’ve just made is childish. Don’t worry. It’s not just artist beginners who experience these moments of self-doubt and futility. The devil won’t stop there. It will say to you that you’re wasting your time. You’re wasting your money on art supplies. And with a sweep of the Devil’s pitchfork, pronounce that you have no business even trying to be an artist.

I saw it happening last night at the first Genesis Art workshop of the year attended by a smart, deeply introspective young man, who was the exact same age as me when I started drawing some decades ago. Shalev is 35, and after finishing this cheerful, colorful drawing, in which he boldly covered every inch of real estate on his sketch paper, out came his inner devil to sabotage his perfectly reasonable attempt at a first drawing after many years, possibly since childhood.

Below: Shalev wrote today’s word prompt, “Hope,” on the back of the paper before beginning. In Genesis Art, artists always work with word prompts of encouragement that act as seeds for creativity.

Shalev’s devil may have had the first word, but not the last, as far as I was concerned. When negativity comes up to the artist’s throat — words of protest, self put-downs, discouragement, this is when the Genesis Art Cards are most useful in offering a fresh, exciting perspective. With their messages of positivity and encouragement, look what happens next when Shalev chooses a card from the Genesis Art Card App.

He chose the King! I guided him to look at his sketch and see if he could find correlations. Shalev saw them immediately. He saw that the red motifs in his beach scene conjured the two kings. He read the message that accompanies the King card, and this too he could relate to in his confidence as a healer, a bridge builder between a healthy state or mind and a healthy body.

Seeing the strong presence at the center of the King card, Shalev could have continued his drawing by adding a strong element at the center. But he was satisfied with the way it looks. And that’s fine too. In Genesis Art, nobody is telling you what to draw or how to draw. The Genesis Cards show you connections and they show you opportunities to add more. Yes, we have word prompts and themes. But intuition and creativity go hand in hand, building confidence that the artist is in control every step of the way.

Next Step: Connecting

Shalev was sitting next to Miriam, my daughter, but they were both so engrossed in their own drawings that I doubt they looked over each other’s shoulders and took measurements. After they had both completed their drawings, they both had a good laugh when they saw the connections.

Immersed in their own pictures, they were clearly not aware of each other’s artwork until the session had finished.

Miriam too had drawn a beach scene, a close-up of the waves, a plant growing by the shore. When placed side by side, a very interesting thing happened. The scenes look as if they are a continuation of one scene to the other.

Look at how the lines match up! Do you see where we’re going with this? Genesis Art —which is drawing, painting and collaging alongside the Genesis Cards – guide you to a new way of looking at your art. When you see connections that are delightful and mysterious, this strengthens your drive and confidence to believe in yourself as an artist.

You’re not looking to judge. You’re looking to connect. You’re not looking to find out what’s wrong. You’re observing the miracles of synchronized colors, lines and motifs between two works of art. Fred Flintstone’s angel is nodding in approval.

I’ve got a lot to say about the cards that Miriam and Shalev chose randomly, and the synchronicity between them, so apparent here in the colors blue and red. I’ll be writing about it on my sister Substack page, Genesis Art Lounge: Where Intuitive Artists Can Meet.