Discovering Your Artistic Resonance: A Fun Experiment
Updated: 6 days ago
At the end of the day, art is about resonance.
So today, instead of telling you the stories behind my paintings, I want to try a little experiment.
Look at the four paintings below. Don’t analyze them. Don’t think about which one would match your couch, where you would hang it, or whether you have enough wall space.
Just look. Don’t overthink it. Which one pulls you in first?
Got your number?
ROUND ONE
1 to 4 ~ left to right!
Okay. Let’s see what your choice might say about you…
1 — The Dreamer
You’re drawn to possibility, softness, and a little bit of magic. You probably need space to think and recharge, but your inner world is anything but quiet. You notice subtle things others miss, and you trust that there’s usually more happening beneath the surface than what we can immediately see. You don't necessarily need to know exactly where you're going before you begin. Sometimes seeing the horizon is enough.
Your energy: I don’t need to know exactly where I’m going. I just need to see the horizon.
2 — The Alchemist
Of course, you picked the mysterious one. You’re attracted to transformation, contrast, and things you can’t immediately explain. Predictability gets boring fast. You’re curious, intuitive, and probably constantly reinventing some part of yourself. You don't just want beauty; you want meaning. You're interested in what happens when things collide, change, evolve, and become something they weren't before.
Your energy: There’s always another layer.
3 — The Free Spirit
You want space. Space to move, explore, change your mind, and follow whatever is calling you next. You’re drawn to freedom more than certainty and would probably choose an experience over another possession any day. Ironically, that’s exactly why the things you do choose to own need to mean something. You don't want to fill your life just for the sake of filling it. You want to surround yourself with things that remind you of how you want to feel.
Your energy: Don’t tell me where the path is. I’ll make one.
4 — The Force
You didn't choose the wave quietly sitting in the distance. You chose the one coming directly at you. You’re drawn to momentum, intensity, and becoming. You probably don't do anything halfway once you've decided you want it. There’s a strong side to you, but underneath it is intuition. You know when something has energy, and you're willing to follow it, even when you can't predict exactly where it will take you. Standing safely on shore has never been quite as interesting as finding out where the wave goes.
Your energy: I’d rather ride the wave than watch it from shore.
Okay… did I get you?
Before you decide, I have another test for you.
ROUND TWO
You know the rules now. No overthinking. No matching your furniture. And definitely no going back to change your first answer after reading the results.
Which painting pulls you in first?
Got it? Here we go.
1 to 4 ~ left to right!
Okay. Let’s see what your choice might say about you…
1 — The Seeker
You’re drawn to depth, perspective, and what might be waiting on the other side. You’re probably not satisfied with surface-level answers. You want to understand how things work, why people behave the way they do, and what else might be possible. While someone else sees the underside of a pier, you see a passageway. You're willing to walk through uncertainty when you sense there might be something interesting waiting at the other end. And you probably have a tendency to turn your life into one giant experiment.
Your energy: There’s always something more to discover.
2 — The Intuitive
You picked the painting that feels almost completely still. You’re sensitive to energy, atmosphere, and the things that can’t necessarily be explained logically. You need moments of solitude, not because you dislike people, but because that's where you can hear yourself again. You probably make some of your biggest decisions because something simply feels right, and only figure out the logic afterward. While everyone else is asking for evidence, part of you already knows.
Your energy: I trust what I feel before I can explain it.
3 — The Perspective Shifter
Okay, this one is interesting. You found beauty in a scene most people wouldn't immediately call beautiful. You’re someone who can change perspective instead of needing circumstances to change first. You notice contrasts. You can hold beauty and imperfection at the same time, and you probably have a strange ability to find possibility in places other people overlook. You're not looking for a perfect world. You want to see the world differently. And sometimes that's far more powerful.
Your energy: Change the perspective, change the experience.
4 — The Grounded Explorer
You want the horizon, but you also want somewhere solid to stand. You’re adventurous without needing chaos. You love possibility, but you also value home, stability, and knowing where you belong. You're probably happiest when life gives you both: something familiar to return to and enough freedom to keep discovering what's beyond it. You don't need to escape your life. You want to build a life you don't need to escape from.
Your energy: Rooted enough to wander.
So… what did you choose?
And more importantly: did I get you right? Of course, this little experiment isn't exactly scientific. But there is something underneath it that I find fascinating.
We spend so much time trying to explain why we like what we like. Why this color? Why that painting? Why does one piece make us stop while another one doesn't? Why can two people stand in front of exactly the same painting and experience something completely different?
As an artist, I find that fascinating because sometimes I think we feel the answer before we understand it. Maybe you recognized the freedom you've been craving. Perhaps it was stillness, movement, mystery, possibility, strength, home, or simply a combination of colors that made something inside you light up.
You might not even know why, and maybe you don't need to. Like I said at the beginning, art is about resonance.
That's also why I don't think choosing art for your home always needs to begin with: "Does this match my couch?"
Try this question instead: "How does this make me feel?"
Because you're not just choosing something to fill an empty wall. You're choosing something you're going to live with. Something you'll walk past hundreds, maybe thousands, of times. Sometimes it can remind you of a place, a feeling, a version of yourself, or even the person you're becoming.
And since we're talking about paintings you're drawn to…
There's one little detail I haven't told you yet.
Every painting you just chose from is currently part of The Birthday Retrospective.
For my birthday this year, I went through ten years of my work and selected 23 original paintings from different chapters of my life as an artist. I gave each one special Birthday pricing with one simple intention: I want these paintings out of my studio and into homes where they can begin their next chapter.
Their price changed, not their value.
The Birthday Retrospective ends Saturday, August 29, and after that, the entire collection disappears from my website along with the Birthday pricing.
So if there was one painting you kept going back to while reading this, even after you'd already chosen your number, maybe pay attention to that. After all this talk about intuition and resonance, it would be pretty funny for me to tell you to ignore yours now.
What if you didn't choose the painting... the painting chose you? ;)
And before you go, tell me in the comments:
What were your two numbers? And did I get you right?
I really want to know.
Color Your Life!
Drica
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