Breaking Free from Distraction: The Role of Arts in Aligning Intentions to Achieve Aspirations

By Susan Goldsworthy and Cyrille C. Catel

In a world brimming with external distractions, the arts emerge not merely as a form of expression but as a coaching tool for achieving intentions and fostering communication with oneself, including at subconscious levels. Artistic creation invites us into a deep dialogue with our inner worlds, offering a reflective space where aspirations can be clarified, emotions processed, and deeper insights unveiled.

This article explores how engaging with art supports personal growth, highlights research into the arts as a mode of knowing, and examines how visualization through art can guide our actions. Artwork can be a ‘secure base’ coaching tool that gives its creator a sense of support to explore unknown potential. The article also shares a case using Intentional Vision Anchoring (IVA) techniques that can be used to apply the learnings and create one’s own dialogical partner.

According to Simmons & Daley, (2013), arts-based activities are a way of supporting thinking and learning for people of any age. Creating art transforms the intangible into the tangible, establishing a dynamic dialogue between the creator and the creation. When we paint, draw, sculpt, or write, our subconscious communicates through symbols, colors, forms, and metaphors. The artwork becomes a mirror, reflecting back our intentions, fears, and aspirations. This dialogue fosters clarity and alignment between our conscious and subconscious minds, enhancing self-awareness and intentionality.

Psychologists such as Dr. Shaun McNiff have highlighted the transformative potential of art making. In his book Art as Medicine, McNiff discusses how the process of creation fosters a dialogue that reveals hidden truths and facilitates emotional healing. Through this interplay, the artwork becomes a non-judgmental partner, inviting introspection and guiding individuals toward clarity in their intentions.

The arts are uniquely positioned to support our ways of knowing, engaging multiple dimensions of cognition, emotion, and intuition. Research in neuroaesthetics—the study of how art impacts the brain—provides evidence for how creating and viewing art activates neural pathways associated with emotional regulation, memory, and problem-solving.

Visualization through art transcends simple daydreaming by anchoring abstract intentions into concrete forms. This process engages both conscious and subconscious realms, enhancing focus and motivation. For example, creating a visual representation of a goal—whether through a painting, a vision board, or a digital collage—serves as a touchstone for daily life. Each interaction with the artwork reinforces the desired outcome, guiding thoughts and actions toward alignment. Artistic visualization techniques can also leverage the power of neuroplasticity. As individuals repeatedly engage with intention-anchoring artworks, they reshape their neural pathways, fostering new habits and thought patterns that support their goals. This practice aligns with Donald Hebb’s principle: "Cells that fire together, wire together." By consistently engaging with meaningful visual cues, individuals prime their brains for success. As Dr. Bruce Lipton highlights in The Biology of Belief, repeated exposure to specific imagery and affirmations can reprogram the subconscious mind, effectively altering the beliefs that guide our behavior.

The co-author of this article, Cyrille C. Catel, became inspired to work with art by reflecting on other’s failed aspirations that he had noticed throughout his strategic consulting, business coaching, and executive coaching career.

Comments Cyrille, "Over the past 20 years spent in, I have observed a common challenge: Despite the widespread use of Vision Boards, most people centre their aspirations around material desires rather than deeper, more meaningful transformations. The turning point came in 2018 when I encountered a powerful work of art—a lion’s face that exuded strength, intention, and purpose. This piece struck a deep chord and was the first of many instances where I experienced the profound impact of Intentional Vision Anchoring artwork. That encounter opened my eyes to the potential of art as a tool to root and reinforce personal goals and intentions.” 

In 2023, he joined IMD’s International Executive Coaching Certificate (IECC) program which incorporates the use of collage as both a tool for self-discovery and as a basis for deep coaching conversations. The artwork he produced on the program helped him to go deeper into his own Intentional Vision Anchoring (IVA) exploration. Following a future visualization technique and grounding of self through simple breathwork techniques, Cyrille created his collage, incorporating words and images:

 

Future Self-Visualisation, 2023 – Cyrille C. Catel