Are you looking with your eyes?

I facilitated a private workshop this past month called “Portraits + Poetry.” It’s a workshop where guests bring a picture of themselves and we use them as a tool for self-reflection and inspiration for writing poetry. I’ve facilitated it before virtually so it was really lovely to provide it in person for two friends.

I don’t give too much guidance to attendees about which picture to select. All I ask that it be a picture that evokes an emotion. Some people select a picture that brings them joy and others sadness. All that matters is that attendees feel something when they look at them.

When we look at pictures of ourselves, we notice all the things that we don’t like about ourselves, nitpicking at our imperfect physical qualities (everyone tells me they don’t like how their eyes are different sizes), and meeting ourselves with judgment.

But what are we using to the look at our pictures?

During the workshop, I opened my Yogi tea and found this quote: “The heart sees deeper than the eye” and it perfectly embodied what I was trying to facilitate with the workshop, as well as all the portrait work I do.

It’s natural for us to begin the process of looking by seeing with our eyes but if we were to go deeper and start looking with our hearts, how would that shift how we see ourselves? Do you think you would meet yourself with deeper understanding and compassion?

When we allow ourselves to get into this space of looking with our hearts, we can access parts of us that we normally don’t in the minutiae of everyday life. These spaces store our wisdom, knowing and intuition and it is where our true selves live.

So next time your find yourself judging yourself or someone else, ask yourself, “Am I looking with my eyes or my heart?”

Would you like to gift yourself or someone else the Portrait+Poetry private workshop experience? Available for 1 to up to 4 people. Connect with me to learn more.