How are Monet’s paintings so different than Intimacy Coaching?

I was first introduced to Impressionism and Post-Impressionism art in late elementary school in an art class. And I have enjoyed seeing and learning about these art movements over the years in museums in the U.S. and Europe, especially seeing and learning about Monet's work.

So I feel special excitement right now in Giverny, France. I’m writing a draft of this post while sitting in Monet’s garden overlooking the water lily pond and Japanese Bridge. It’s a particular joy to sit and watch the reflected light and colors shift on the surface of the pond, knowing that Monet was inspired by this same landscape.

Monet’s paintings of the pond were his impressions of what he saw, which were impressions of the trees, flowers, and sky around him as they reflected in the water.

As much as I love impressionist art, my work is exactly the opposite.

Because I don't want to focus on vague impressions, but dive deeply into details. I help people be:
Specific.
Nuanced.
Complex.
And get into the nitty-gritty.

I don’t want to only know one person’s reflection of reality like in the pond, but the specific reality of their bodies, relationships, desire, needs, beliefs, and circumstances. When I begin working with individuals and couples we start with their reflections and interpretations, but then we get specific.

Very, very specific.

There are so many aspects of sex, intimacy, needs, desires, emotions, insecurities, and dreams that we don’t talk about or sometimes even know about ourselves. Or our partners.

And when someone is having any sort of concern in any of these areas, there tends to be a lot of assumptions, vagaries, and misinformation getting in the way.

So it’s important to take the impression of yourself, your partner, and your relationship, and then get specific and detailed...which is often uncomfortable and quite vulnerable. Once you get on the same page of nuanced understanding with your partner, then you can create new impressions of yourself and each other, based on knowledge, skills, and humility,

And as an informed team, you can create a shared creative expression of your future together.