Transcript #004 - Spiritual Art

#004 - Aida Murad - Healing with Spiritual Art - Transcript

Amanda: Hello, and welcome to today's episode of Don't Step on the Bluebells. I'm thrilled to be here with Aida Murad, who is an incredible spiritual impact artist and really excited to dig in today to what exactly that means, what that looks like, and a bit of your journey and how you got here. So thank you so, so much for agreeing to be a guest on the podcast and for joining us here today.

Aida Murad: Amanda, thank you for having me. I'm, I'm thrilled to be here. Honestly. It's such good energy. You're such good energy. Excited for the conversation.

Amanda: Well, I have to say, before we dive into anything, I'm just seeing that you are sitting in a gorgeous studio space, and before I even ask you anything, I'd love to hear a little bit about. What is hanging on the wall behind you?[00:01:00] 

Aida Murad: well, I have to start with the floor. Uh, you know, I had just opened my art studio in Jordan, so I'm in Amman, Jordan, and just a little chore. And I painted the whole, uh, floor, uh, as if you're walking on clouds, because the intention of my studio opening was for people to feel magic. And that's been more of an attention alive in my life.

Like, life is magical, life is beautiful, and it's delicious. And I said, why would I have empty, like blank white floors? Like, why, why wouldn't they be clouds? And that kind of summarizes my personality at the moment. And that huge painting is like, took a hundred hours to make. I painted it only with my index finger.

Um, and then there's this painting that is about fostering our capacity in being in bliss. [00:02:00] So, we'll, we'll dive into these, but um, yeah, I have people here walk on clouds because why not

Amanda: I love that metaphor like, Why would I have the floor white when you could be walking on clouds? , it is so beautiful and such a nice way to think about how we move through our life. Like also really intentionally thinking about where are you stepping? Where's your energy going? What are you actually walking into? So, uh, I'm really, really excited also to hear that you have this new studio space that is just opened. That's really incredible. And I have to say, I've been following your journey. We met a few years ago at a coffee shop in New York. There was more to that story. We were both in a fellowship together.

That's how we actually got to know each other. But where you were at that time compared to where you are today, at least from what I knew about you, it has been so . [00:03:00] Incredible. Just to watch the evolution of you fully stepping into this incredible embodied artist and watching that journey. I mean, I have goosebumps.

Just watching your paintings come to life and the way that you present who you are and share that in the world has been really, really, truly inspiring to me.

Aida Murad: Thank you. That means a lot. Uh, yeah. It's, it's something I've been trying to practice a bit more of is stopping throughout the day. and saying how proud I am of myself. And I used to feel guilty to do that. And now I feel it is, it is critical, at least for the phase that I'm in, because I'm reprogramming my being and myself to like to be in joy and to be a whole human.

[00:04:00] And part of that is having fun with the journey and. . Part of that is recognizing like your gifts and your value, and I'm so happy that I'm an artist. Like I can't imagine being anything else. Like I used to be an economist. I used to be a strategist, and when we met, I was still doing strategy and partnerships for startups and for international development organizations as well as doing coaching.

Never would I have thought that I would be a full-time artist and being, and be able to do this successfully, you know, on a number of levels, but also with such joy I've had to do so much reprogramming. And we'll dive into that. Um, yeah.

Amanda: Well, it's, it's really incredible. And you know, this podcast is really all about that healing and transformation and that there's so [00:05:00] many different ways that we can heal. And that's why this is also something, um, at least in the world, I come from thinking of art as a tool for healing is something. That I wouldn't have known about, I wouldn't have thought about probably five, 10 years ago.

So I'd love to hear from you. What does healing mean to you?

Aida Murad: Healing means to me, it's, it's a shift from an old reality to a new one, and I go back and forth of. Saying, is it a healthier one? Is it not? Why? Because your healing stage will be different from mine. And even in my own journey of life, like, you know, I don't really believe in wrongs and rights or black and white in terms of like definit , but I do believe in life lessons [00:06:00] and

going from one old reality that doesn't serve you anymore to one that will, and that's kind of what I define as as the healing journey.

Amanda: If you were to explain to your five-year-old self what you're doing today, how would you describe it?

Aida Murad: Oh my God. I love that question. Um, I would tell her we are reminding the world about play and magic, and we get to do that through . being like us just showing up and being magical and being playful and also through art, but at the essence of it, we are in the business of creating magic, reminding people of magic.

[00:07:00] That's it. . And she'll understand what magic means, um, because all kids do, they haven't lost that. That curiosity, that imagination, they're just connected. Right. And my job is to remind the adults really about that.

Amanda: That is such a beautiful framing, and you're absolutely right. She's gonna ask you, well, where did they forget it? ? When did they forget that

Aida Murad: Yeah.

Amanda: great? And actually

Aida Murad: she's. Go ahead.

Amanda: Something just in my own journey, um, play is definitely something that gets lost very quickly. I set my goals, I have ideas about what I wanna create, and then I sit down with my to-do list and I. Have at it. And it's funny, I can always tell [00:08:00] when I'm really out of alignment because I start craving, going into nature, going into the forest, going for walks, getting my hands, you know, dirty in something.

I'd say even one of my favorite things, um, when I'm going into the park, Right nearby where I live is Hamstead Heath. It's this huge wild old forest, and you see these dogs who are allowed to run around off leash, and it is unbelievable to see this unbridled joy as they're just bounding around in this huge park.

And honestly, I love to just sit there and watch them. It reminds me so much of just that. Open freedom and play that, I mean, really is available to us all, but we're sort of trained out of that as we get older.

Aida Murad: Yeah, and this sparks the, the thought about the beauty in having [00:09:00] divine masculine and a divine feminine part of your work and part of your being. and you know, a lot of people think being an artist is, is just painting whenever I want and, um, like extreme divine feminine, let's say. But what I actually need in order to play, in order to be in magic, I do need this beautiful masculine container that gives me that safety.

And, and structure in order to keep playing and keep being in magic. And that's where I feel like so many of us have lost that balance. We've either become too masculine and go, go, go, go and goals and all these things and have forgotten the feminine side of just being, and, you know, having that space to flourish and not, not have like a back-to-back scheduled [00:10:00] day.

and I'm really grateful. I've, I've learned through trial and error how to foster both so I can keep creating magic play, but also have real goals. Like right at the end of the day, I do run my own business, right? Uh, and there are concrete goals and employees to care for and things like that. So I need to have both.

Amanda: And for someone who's listening who maybe has heard these words of feminine, masculine, divine feminine, divine masculine, but doesn't really know what that means in their life, how would you maybe define that or explain that to someone who's not as familiar?

Aida Murad: So my own definition, I can only speak from my experience, the divine masculine gives structure like in order for. At least for me to feel safe to expand and get curious and get like, [00:11:00] like almost flourish. My, my, the flowers, my my wings, um, and play. I need a structure. I need a safety, um, net. And, and for me that means, like, for example, when I walk into my studio, I'm very conscious that I have four walls, right?

And I connect with like, okay, . This divine masculine is giving me this container. So I see it as the masculine, giving me the container and setting boundaries and setting like tangible, um, you know, parameters to move around something. And in this safety, I tell my divine feminine, like, okay, you're safe to come out now.

And then she tells me What does she feel like doing? And maybe it's laying on the floor and staring at the ceiling, and maybe it's painting and maybe it's writing that email. But [00:12:00] she's really, I feel for me, she's more the inspired kind of, um, not structured version of me and flows. The divine masculine is more of the container and the parameters.

So like I try to connect with my ma divine masculine when I'm doing finances because that version of me will guide me on, you know, budgeting will guide me on, okay, here's how much you have to play with this month, and then the divine feminine comes in to guide me. Oh, what should I play with that would be most nourishing to me.

You know what I mean?

Amanda: Yeah, and I love that you also bring in this element of, yeah, you're running a business. Yes, you're an artist and you spend time in this play and creation, and you also spend time in the grounded world of [00:13:00] how do I make this business run? How do I keep my employees happy? I think that's often a misconception, especially for people who. look to get on a spiritual journey and just see that, oh, okay, either you're floating in the clouds or you're working in the real world in like a corporate job or whatever that means to them, and you're showing that there's actually this blend of both. There's a way to bring these two sides, these two things together and still have your spiritual practices and still do healing work, as well as connecting to, yeah, finance and material needs.

Aida Murad: So beautiful point, and I went through such struggles to get to, I would say where I am of, so I, I love to say that I love money and it's, it's not, you know, there've, there's had to be a lot of reprogramming around that. The reason I say that, 'cause money's just energy [00:14:00] and money with that energy, right?

Gives you freedom, gives you also the ability to be kinder, like in terms of supporting this, supporting that. It also like allows you to buy healthier food, right? There's so much beauty to money, so. A lot of my art is a, is a, has a very deeply spiritual practice. So I had to go through this rewiring of this guilt and shame I had around selling my art and the price points that I put.

Like, it's expensive to be an artist. People don't really recognize that of like the art supplies are expensive. The studio space, the amount of time it takes, like there's . and then there's this lack of predictability of when the painting will sell, you know? So, um, it's, it's it's expensive business, but what I, what I started doing is [00:15:00] reframing it that I am sharing my gifts and my gifts serve people, and I visualize this exchange of, you know, for example, this painting in the background sold.

And before the opening of the studio, I just visualized, you know, people being so grateful for my art and in that gratitude and me being so grateful for them being present. And in that gratitude we exchanged, like I gave them the gift that the painting, and they gave me this financial exchange. And there was just simple gratitude.

No one was better than the other. No one was superior. It was a beautiful mutual exchange. and then I recognized that I don't have to please everyone. There are some people I actually rejected from purchasing my art because I just knew that energies weren't aligned. They would somehow, you know, those customers who are bitter and then will come back to you saying, I'm not happy, and I just could feel it.

[00:16:00] That just feel they weren't energetically aligned. So, and that takes you being really in tune with yourself and having a healthy relationship with money, healthy relationship with sales, trusting that the right people will come and yeah, there's, there's, again, the, the, the feminine part of, of that conversation.

And there's a masculine of taking action, of being proactive, like. Inspired action of calling that person because in your conversation you realize, oh, they were just looking for a painting for this new home they purchased. You know what I mean? Um,

Amanda: Hmm.

Aida Murad: yeah.

Amanda: It's really a powerful reframe, and I love that you're using visualization also. You create this piece, you pour your love into it, and then you're actually Using visualization, using your mind to think through who is this going to going to go [00:17:00] to? What loving home will this find? And really seeing that whole interaction, that's a tool that I've used in the past when I've, you know, facilitated a workshop and I've been nervous because it's, you know, all senior leaders sitting in the room.

Or somehow I feel, oh my gosh, am I gonna be able to really deliver on what it is that I want? And just close my eyes and imagine everyone in the room getting value and being happy and being stretched to their whatever potential or capacity. But it can often be really hard to remember that that's actually a tool that we have that we can really use that.

Aida Murad: and Amanda, I'll add two things, so. , yes, it's hard, but at the start, but then it becomes easy, it becomes just almost second nature, right? The more you train, it's like when you run a marathon, you don't run it overnight, you train and then running becomes so easy, it's like breathing. Uh, so I would just say that like I, [00:18:00] I've developed that tool of visualization.

It's almost some days I just don't even feel like I need to visualize because . I just feel aligned to what I'm, I've been seeking, you know? So that's, that's a blessing. And of course, now I'll have another aspiration, and then I'll need to use visualization again. But what I did wanna say is, you know, after one visualizes what they, they want and need, um, there comes this other counterpart of surrendering and letting go.

And the way I surrender and let go is with this question of what it, what if it could be better than I ever imagined it to be. Like. We only visualize, we have a capacity, like I call it the dreaming muscle. So I actually do reality tales where I write down scenarios of how this painting finds its new home.

And as I keep dreaming, I, I, I use my imagination muscle, [00:19:00] which builds into the dreaming muscle. And it allows me to come up with scenarios I never thought. But even with that exercise, I still hold space for things to be better than I ever imagined it to be. And I'm gonna give you a concrete example. So I had this painting that everyone loved, and usually when people really love my art, I'm really grateful it sells.

Finds a beautiful home. This one for a whole year was not selling and I was really confused. So I talked to my art, and my art talks to me, it's like, um, Yeah, I just, I channel them. They tell, they tell me yes. They tell me no. So whenever someone asks to purchase a painting, I ask the painting, are you okay with it?

Anyway, so a year later, someone who has been following my art for two years, he used to be the chairman of Saatchi and Saatchi uk, a board member of Manchester United. So a pretty, you know, influential man owns thousands of paintings. Comes to my studio [00:20:00] and he looks at that painting and starts tearing.

And he said, either that describes the moment that my mother passed away. And what blew my mind is when I was painting that painting, I painted it fully with my eyes closed. I was crying most of the time. And I could feel a man in his seventies mourning a woman who passed away. I couldn't tell if it was his mom, his wife.

And also celebrating her light and also mourning the, the gap. She left and then it hit me at that moment, you know, I, I made peace with, I trusted painting. You're supposed to go to the bright person and I knew it was supposed to go to someone who was grieving a woman and then he purchased it. And from the thousands of paintings he has it.

That's one, the one that is . His bedroom and he tells me he sees his mother every morning. And this is where like honestly, if you told me a year ago when I made that painting [00:21:00] that that's the person who will buy my painting and he's gonna be an champion and ambassador of my art to a lot of in incredible people, I wouldn't have believed you.

You know, I'm like, why? Out of thousands of paintings he has, like, why would he buy mine and why would he put it in his bedroom? The most sacred space, right? Uh, so this is where as we visualize, it's so critical, at least for me to incorporate space for what if it's better than we ever imagined, and that involves surrendering and letting go.

Amanda: I have goosebumps listening to this story. It's really just a powerful reminder that when you have that inspiration that you know to just keep moving forward and you don't always, I. Know why yet, or you don't know what the outcome is gonna be, but when you're really touched to create something and that, I mean, for [00:22:00] some of us, maybe it's just a voice or a nudging that just pushes you forward In your case, it's just letting, whatever's coming out onto the canvas, there's, there's a reason for it.

There's something deeper than what you can even see or imagine and allowing that to be. I. And this is, you know, for someone like me who's always been, who likes to have control over things or has been known to be a perfectionist in recovery, um, that's such a beautiful lesson and reminder that you don't need to know the outcome and nor should you, because something so much more incredible and beautiful could come out than what you would've been able to imagine when you began.

I.

Aida Murad: Yeah, it's, I love what you said about the outcome. 'cause this has been a new, uh, way of being that I've been fostering. So with this opening, I have 15 paintings, uh, up [00:23:00] available for purchase and I just, Didn't put pressure on any sales. I, you know, as an outcome. I just knew the outcome was gonna be magical.

I just knew it was going to be beautiful. So I, I entered that kind of vibration, that energy field of, of just feeling so happy and people felt that, and guess what? I sold half of the collection in less than three days, like, Thank you, God, but you, you know, thank, I'm so grateful. But that's never happened to me.

And that's the thing, like it's the be do, have, like, be do, have formula. You have to be the, the, the, the outcome that you want. Like, because of the end of the day, it's a feeling like, how would I feel if I sold out this collection? I'll be in bliss, you know, I'll be so happy. So what I actually did is I just

[00:24:00] Fostered bliss fostered happiness. I was that vi that energy and everything else followed. And I, and now it's the art of maintaining that, you know, and, and it's okay. Like I crashed the next day 'cause I was just exhausted and I had to learn like there's highs and lows. That's still okay. Uh, yeah.

Amanda: That's incredible. So now I'm really curious to know how did you get here? So you are a spiritual impact artist. You've had many paths before. You described some working in economics and strategy. How did you end up in this place today?

Aida Murad: I,

Amanda: However you wanna get there.

Aida Murad: Yeah. I mean, so I started working since I was 13 years old. Like I love building, I love, I love working. and, but the, the issue was from [00:25:00] 13 till, I would say 21, I really overworked myself. Like I, I remember in college, like I just, I, I hated sleeping. I genuinely re like resisted sleeping 'cause I thought it was a waste of time.

And that tells you how much I was in my masculine rather than my feminine. Right? I just, I wanted to get the best grades. I wanted to be at every party I wanted to. I worked 40 hours a week, which is a full-time job, right, while managing all the other stuff. And by my senior year, I just, I kept saying like, I want a break.

I was exhausted, but I didn't understand that I didn't have to do all this. I didn't understand that I could take a break and I could take life easy. and then my, you know, my words are, at least for me, I find them very powerful, especially when they're backed by emotion. So I did get my break. I became overnight, semi paralyzed.

Uh, [00:26:00] I just couldn't, I woke up one day and I couldn't move my body, and so I had to drop out of college. I did. I graduated, but it was something easier. So instead of Bachelor of Science and Economics, I graduated Bachelor of Arts in Economics and. . Yeah. For me that was very hard because I was really proud.

I wanted to be in the science field, uh, but I just couldn't go to classes. So then I ended up, uh, going back to Jordan. In between that I, so this is my first experience with depression at the time, and I wanted to end my life because I just didn't know what was going on. Uh, and I, I knew I didn't want to remain like in bed sick.

So I was strategizing how to end my life, and then an angel appeared and she just told me, it's not your time. And I just knew. I knew that my thoughts, my words, my actions create my reality. [00:27:00] And I knew I was healed. It was beyond belief. And then I just convinced myself that I was healthy and I was healed.

And then all the slowly, slowly solutions started coming to me. So I moved back to Jordan and that's where my family were. And, uh, I attracted this man who healed me through plant oils. Then I started my first tech, uh, company. He was an e-commerce startup, inspired by, by my need to sell everything that I owned through eBay to pay the doctor bills.

So I started kind of an eBay version here, and then became an economist at the top two ministries and. Uh, worked, you know, in strategy partnerships, uh, for a lot of startups, international development and, you know, et cetera. And then I had another episode of the arthritis. It came back much stronger. So this whole paralysis was from arthritis, [00:28:00] which causes, uh, severe inflammation in your joints and depending on how severe it causes bone erosion.

So I started getting bone erosion in different parts of my body and. , the second episode came back also because I was extremely sad due to, you know, some personal stuff. But, and yeah, it, it, it came back unexpectedly and came back worse. So that time doctor said, I like never use my hands again at the rate that the bone erosion was happening.

I was applying for a job and someone asked me, why should we hire you? And I said, I have no idea. 'cause again, I was depressed. And then I just PA decided, I don't know, I remembered I have a unique fingerprint. And I said, what if I painted over and over with this unique fingerprint? Maybe I'll remember what's special about me.

Like I remember talking to God. I'm like, there must be a reason why I'm here. I just don't know. [00:29:00] And then I found it. I genuinely found it, which was art. And 10 years later, I'm. You know, I'm really proud of, of open art studios in New York and Los Angeles, and Washington DC and now in Jordan. This is my 34th I believe, exhibition and sold out, um, 10 collections.

And I don't have a gather as I, I, I, I don't, I, I don't believe in rules and structure, and I don't, especially in the art world, they're so, You know, there's beautiful parts to it and very unhealthy parts to it, and I believe, like I came here to have fun and I'm gonna follow what feels fun, smart, beautiful, and magical.

I'll stop there.

Amanda: That's an unbelievable story and, and something that, it's incredible what's sitting behind [00:30:00] you. 'cause I just keep looking at this gorgeous painting that you're sitting right in front of and to know that that from, yes, so much struggle, but also just so many choices to just be different, to do it differently, to see things differently. It's like pure intention on the wall behind you. So really this choice that, no, I wanna know what, what does this look like? What does this feel like? If it's just beautiful, if instead of looking at whatever's holding me back as a setback, that I just remind myself and reconnect to that just incredible. Yeah, beauty is really the only word that I can think of. It's just coming back to me over and over. Just really connect to what is so deeply innately beautiful and taking a chance on it, but also because [00:31:00] there's this element of there's no other choice and there's something really powerful that commitment and conviction as well. That there's no other choice but to go forward into this beauty and see what happens.

Aida Murad: I, I thank you for sharing that. I, I appreciate you. Um. You know what's interesting about the conviction and there's no other choice. You know, it's easy one, you know, a person forgets, right? And also talking about healing, there are layers to that. So it was easy for me to do this part-time for, for a while, for about six years, and then it became extremely hard to only do it part-time, but it was extremely.

Scary to jump into full-time, and I had to break [00:32:00] down numerous times, and this is where community is so special because I was so scared about the societal narratives that we've been ingrained with, which is, you know, especially around artists, about you can't like the starving artists. That's, that's what, when you think artists, you say starving artists.

And I'm like, I definitely don't wanna be starving. I wanna be thriving . And second is, you know that you have to create your best work when you're depressed or when you're on some substance. And you know, you can't consistently be creative if you're not taking some substance or the art world is so competitive and I don't wanna be competitive.

Like I want to be so overflowing, there's enough to share with everyone. And so that I would say that. Commitment to keep doing this. I did face a lot of challenges of rewiring the, the narratives that were ingrained in me. And then [00:33:00] I kept, I remember like my really close friend would carry me to the mirror 'cause I was again breaking down and he's like, look at the mirror and say, hi, I'm Ida and I'm an artist.

Then he'll have me vo recorded over, you know, voice memo. Write it on paper. Look at him and tell him that until my whole body heard that, and, and then I, you know, this is where the divine masculine comes in. He bought me a stopwatch and said, every day you have to paint two hours a day. You cannot come home unless you've done at least two hours, and then you can do whatever you want.

So I started, you know, instead of running away from the fear, I just went through the storm and. from that storm. I rewired the narratives and ingrained new ones, but community is so essential to them.[00:34:00] 

Amanda: So now I know that you. Have the, the artwork that you're creating, so your creations, but you also support people in their own healing journey. Could you talk a bit about that and what that kind of work looks like?

Aida Murad: Yeah, so it comes through two pillars, I would say. One is through actual the actual paintings where, you know, people buy, like my, my, my Art isn't just about a beautiful object. It's really about shifting energy at the end of the day. So I'm a reiki master. I do reiki on all the paintings. I channel the art.

So they're really, there's an energy to them. Like I've been commissioned by the Georgetown University Cancer Center and their artists in residence to transform their whole waiting room to put paintings that will help in the healing journey of patients. 'cause nothing is neutral, right? Like if you have a, yeah.

Anything on the wall that affects how you feel, [00:35:00] especially in a place when you are feeling vulnerable. So, you know, people have bought paintings when they're trying to foster getting pregnant, and I have paintings that are really rooted in the energy of fertility. I have paintings that, you know, celebrate the spirit of someone who has passed away and someone has purchased painting around manifesting love 'cause it has the energy of love.

And we do a whole journey around habit stacking and. , you know, coming up with your affirmations. Every time you look at the painting, you embody the feeling of being in love. Uh, and then I, we both together over the time sense when like, placement in your home is also very important. So we do reread the energy of your home.

The energy of your land log goes to it. So that's pillar one. Pillar two is I. Create art experiences from, and it's, it's really from the spectrum of healing to innovation and [00:36:00] teaching people and holding space for people to use art for their intention. And what I mean by that is I have them paint with their fingers or their whole body to process something.

And the reason, my only rule is no one's allowed to use a paintbrush. Why? Because your body contains data. And when we paint with our bodies, we're actually accessing data points that we usually don't tap into. So you're releasing energy and then you're making space for new energy. And I'll give you kind of two specific examples.

So one example is someone who is experiencing severe depression. I'm not a therapist, I say that, but he, so he was working with a therapist and came to me. And what we did is I had two large canvases. One canvas was his relationship with depression, and we wanted [00:37:00] him and depression to speak to each other.

The second canvas is who is he when he's, you know, in his case he wanted to be happy, so we painted like who would he be? What would life look like? And we, and again, it depends from person to person. Sometimes we focus fully on the first canvas, then jump to the other. Sometimes it's a shift from one to the other.

Um, so that's one example. And, and you know, he, he left the experience feeling so liberated and closer to the reality that he wanted. Then on another, like the other end of the spectrum is I use art within like companies. To help them innovate, like m i t uh, Google, where, you know, innovation is all about seeing something in a different perspective, in a new way.[00:38:00] 

And art has crazy power in helping you do that. So my job is to facilitate for you to feel safe to access the data within you. And, and I've had, like, again, I've worked with 7,000 people globally. and they just, I mean, from engineers who paint with their, their hands and they're like, they see, they see their problem differently.

That's all I can say. Um, and that's, and they all, every person I've painted with or painted with me has left feeling more liberated and it's beautiful.

Amanda: It's so inspiring to listen to how you engage with what you do. Also, just how. it is and how much a part of you it is. It's such a, mean, really unique process. And also [00:39:00] it feels like you are the artwork, you, yourself are the piece of art

Aida Murad: I, uh, I am blushing and. I've heard that a bunch of times and it's funny, I, I usually dissociate when someone tells me that 'cause it's almost too beautiful to hear. And, uh, I am, I am taking a moment, Amanda, to receive that, so I, I appreciate you thanking.

Amanda: Well, it's in my own journey. You know, I, I'm also a reiki master. I started that journey of training in Reiki about five years ago, and it came from this moment. There was like a moment in time I was on a plane and it was almost like a voice, just saying, you are a healer. I'm sitting there. I had just finished my coach training and I have no idea what this means.

And at the time I really had no idea what this [00:40:00] meant. Like I was not into the world of spirituality or energy healing. It was something that I was vaguely aware of and maybe had some beliefs around, but wasn't really diving deep into it. And even to this day, I'm still learning what that means. Who am I as a healer? I know that for me, a lot of that healing is through my voice, through coaching, through sharing, through also normalizing a lot of experiences and things that people see or understand in the world, and helping them to just open up a new perspective or new possibilities with whatever that is. So I think it's. Just interesting to look, if I look at myself, if you were to say that to me that, you know, I'm the canvas or something to that effect, it would also be like, ha, thanks. Okay. Anyway, moving on, , but really listening to how in depth [00:41:00] you go with the work that you do is really empowering and just listening. I mean, I have been. Craving to put my hands in paint and like smear it on a canvas. This has been for like a year. It's been in my head, in my mind. I don't know why I haven't done it yet, but it's literally, I can see it like every day. I can imagine myself just getting completely head to toe covered and just letting whatever that is out and I haven't done it, you know?

And then listening to you talk about the way. That you can connect to whatever that emotion is that channeling for you or for whoever you're supporting or working with, or the businesses that you support. I can really understand viscerally what that does, . So it's a really visual image of being able to take everything that's inside and really that childlike, as you said in the beginning, about that play, and [00:42:00] really allowing yourself just to bring that into the world and on a blank canvas. It's incredible.

Aida Murad: You know, it's, it's, a lot of people do tell me that they've been craving to paint, but they haven't for whatever duration. And what I say is, one, be kind to yourself. Like we're really hard on ourselves in general of like, I wanted to do this, but it didn't do this, and why didn't I do it? You know? And to different degrees of that voice.

And then I say it's all kind of in divine timing and sometimes just having that idea is healing in itself. Having that craving is healing in itself. And then when one is ready, You're just gonna buy the paint and do it, you know? And what sparks that? Maybe it's listening to this [00:43:00] conversation. Maybe it's seeing an arc piece.

Maybe it's like having a really bad day and being like, you know what? I'm just gonna go release everything over paint. Or maybe it's like having date night and painting. I don't know. But it's, if you have that craving and you're not doing it like it's, you can. Be kind and ask your body. Ask your heart like what's stopping you?

And just listening to it. And then maybe it's time to, maybe it's no longer relevant to ask what's stopping you, and maybe what's relevant is to be like, I'm just gonna do it today. Five o'clock is date night with my artist self.

Amanda: I love that also that concept, um, of the, the artist date, which I have also read about. I am . I'm guessing maybe you know the Artist's Way and Julia Cameron's work,

Aida Murad: I love her work.

Amanda: and she [00:44:00] really promotes that idea of taking yourself on that date to do something creative and fun and playful. And I remember engaging with that book and just picking flowers and collecting stones and putting them in my pocket and just allowing yourself to Do what you normally feel like is off limits that you're not really allowed or shouldn't be doing. as a responsible adult, of course,

Aida Murad: Yeah, and that's the rewiring that we need to explore. I mean, we don't need to do anything. That's the thing. That's the beauty of life. We're so free. We can pick bondage. As Abraham Hicks says, there's nothing we should do or need to do. It's a matter of like, do you want to be happier? Do you want to be more stages of bliss?

Do you want to be miserable? That's also okay if no one, like you don't need to do anything. . Um, but being an an [00:45:00] adult can be beautiful. Yeah. No, go ahead. I'm done.

Amanda: If someone is listening, They say, I really wanna have this experience. And they say, okay, now I know who I can get in touch with. What, what does that look like? So if someone reaches out to you and says, Hey, I really wanna work through something, what does that relationship look like? Or how does that work?

Aida Murad: So it's, I do it both virtually and in person. . Uh, I have quite like limited, basically spots per month, uh, because it can get overwhelming in, in, in having it be every day. But what they would just do is contact me and we'd have a 15 minute intro call just to see what is their intention and am I the right person to support them.

And then let's just say we're a match. Uh, if it's virtually they get their [00:46:00] paint supplies, their canvases, and we have, it really depends on the energy of the person, but there's a combination of verbal communication between us both. And you know, for those who are open, I read their energy and, and channel whatever I can channel for them.

And then painting and I guide them on. . Again, everything depends on the person's energy, but sometimes they choose what the intention of this campus is. Sometimes I very hear very clearly that this painting needs to be about your past relationship with your father or whatever, and this other painting has to be about you loving yourself so fully.

And what would that version of you say to you? And then we look at the canvases and we interpret. Like, because everything is data and part of the exercises is you paint with your eyes closed, you paint to a certain music [00:47:00] that has a certain vibration. Like there's, everything is orchestrated based on like to be a mirror of where you're at.

Um, and then if it's in person, it's just, and that lasts around two hours basically in person. Same thing. But you're doing it in person. Um, yeah. and you get to, oh, so the last part of that is you, you, we decide with the painting some, we have to actually either discard whether you wanna burn it, you wanna throw it, you wanna recycle it, donate it, and we do that with intention and the other one that is linked to your new reality.

We pick where do you wanna hang it in your home, in your office, so it can help you remind you of that intention. and that is powerful.

Amanda: And would someone need to have any skill or previous experience to be able to do [00:48:00] this with you?

Aida Murad: No, they just need to have curiosity and a openness to kinda move forward with whatever they're looking to move forward with that. But no artistic skills needed.

Amanda: It's reassuring to hear for many, I'm sure

Aida Murad: they'll, but everyone will be surprised. I feel like everyone who has painted with me is surprised that they're beautiful creations because everyone is an artist. It's just, have we felt safe enough to play again? Right.

Amanda: Hmm. And, uh, just outta curiosity, do you also do this with like, is this with individuals? Do you do this with companies or teams

Aida Murad: Oh yeah. Everything, the spectrum from individuals to couples, to families to, um, multi-families, to, you know, small groups of like executives to [00:49:00] 1,300 people, that's a large number of done, of 1,300 people at the same time. Uh, so it's really the spectrum and from, you know, engineers to . To artists, to next gen inheritors, uh, to cancer patients.

It's, it's really been, uh, I'm grateful to say the spectrum.

Amanda: So if you were to give yourself one piece of advice, so imagine you're just starting out and you're giving yourself a piece of advice that you wish you had known, what would that be?

Aida Murad: Take life less seriously. The end because you know, I was like,

Amanda: Enough said.

Aida Murad: No, because you know, there's so, there's so much that I was just trying to figure out, right? Of, I don't know, just like how do [00:50:00] I do this? And honestly I think, 'cause no one wrote the, like there is a rule book and even if there wasn't a rule, like there isn't a rule book that applies to me.

And there isn't a rule book, honestly, that applies to anyone. I feel like it's, it's, and if we try to stick to those guidelines that people have created, they're still limiting and they're not fully applicable to me. And I was trying to figure it out, put it, put myself in some box so I can be understood.

So I just wish I took things less seriously and had more fun with things from early on and realized from that state, everything will work out just quicker.

Amanda: And also another question that I really like to ask because you are the fountain of knowledge in what you do and Are there like any resources or thought leaders or people that you really admire in the [00:51:00] world who you would recommend that people look up or look into?

Aida Murad: So these thought leaders yes, um, are not related to particularly art. They're people who have helped me become . The person I want to be. And part of that is the artist I wanna be. I would say Dr. Joe Dispenza. I love his work. He is a neuroscientist and, and focuses on neuroplasticity. I just, I listen to his work daily on repeat.

Uh, and then I would say Kylie O'Brien, she's an artist and a, she calls herself an art priestess. She has taught me . How to build more capacity to have fun and to recognize like this planet is a wishful, fulfilling jewel. And just witnessing her has really given me courage to be more free. And then in terms of like an actual, [00:52:00] like a book Untethered Soul has really transformed my life by Michael Singer.

And his concept, like I, the book I, the Surrender, his second book, the Surrender Experiment, I, I love the idea of it, but the Book of Untethered Soul spoke to me and then finally, an uncommon dialogue with God. That book also really changed my life, and I reread it a lot,

Amanda: That's amazing. So how can people get in touch with you? What do you have going on? Where can they find you? Please share everything.

Aida Murad: Well, they can, uh, come visit my studios either in wherever I am. So every month I'm somewhere different it seems. But primarily my website, which is item dot com, there they [00:53:00] can shop, uh, And by one of my paintings and join my art collector's family. Or they can join, follow me on Instagram, which is mora ida.

And then I'm also, I'm excited to share, uh, that I'm launching a book soon so they can, which is all about, it's a practical book about guided art exercises for, to use from the spectrum of healing to innovation. And I'm just incorporating all these tools and guided practices and prompts so they can join my wait list, uh, on my website.

So those are three things.

Amanda: Amazing. So I'm gonna link all of those things into the show notes. You'll be able to find everything that Ida's up to and when the book is launching, join the wait list. Definitely sounds like there's gonna be a lot of really exciting exercises in there. So I'm gonna go ahead and sign up for that as well.

And I just really wanna say a big thank you for sharing. So much [00:54:00] of you and your energy and just this incredible magic that you're really bringing into the world and allowing us to have, you know, even a glimpse of what it is that you're creating. I really am, can't even tell you how thankful I am that you've, you've spent your time with us in this way.

Aida Murad: I am so grateful, Amanda, you're, you're incredibly special human and. Thank you for creating this space, and even to everyone who's listening like you, you could have listened to a million other things and you chose to be here. So just thank you for sharing your time, your presence, your energy. So thank you.Amanda: So to everyone listening, go ahead and check out the show notes and don't forget to download the pod sheet for today's episode where I'll be sharing some of those resources and exercises that we've been hearing about throughout the episode, and I can't wait to hear you next time. So tune [00:55:00] in and see you then.