That time when, while painting, I met my Soul.

It's not every day you get to see your Soul....

But when it does happen it is one of the most profound experiences there is.

It's like a homecoming, a re-embracing of a loved one you haven't seen for too long.

Only that person is YOU.

It is a really finding yourself, deep inside.

Like you've been wandering around randomly for years and now, finally, you know exactly who you are.

It's also kind of a strange feeling, because it's like looking in the mirror....

But seeing something much bigger than yourself.

And so you realize how great your Essence is, and how much Value you have.

And when you “return” to the concrete world ... that experience of Greatness and Value stays with You forever.

I, who have always underestimated myself and have zero self-esteem ... after such an experience, I was no longer afraid to show myself to the world for who I am.

I no longer feared being judged for my differences.

I no longer feared embracing my uniqueness.

On the contrary: I realized that precisely in my uniqueness are hidden my greatest talents, which I can now finally enjoy and make available to the world.

And this is true for everyone: we all have enormous talents that are hidden in what makes us different and unique.

It's just that accessing those talents requires connecting with oneself on a level beyond the mental level.

You need to have an experience of your Soul.

Which I admit is not something you do overnight.

On the contrary: it is a path that can take years.

A path that needs great spiritual guides, who are not even of “this world.”

I met these guides through Art.

After months of experimenting with art and spirituality, one day -while painting- I found myself in another place.

A place I like to call the Spiritual World.

And that's where I met my first guide.

And after listening to her, I made a portrait of her.

Then I met another one.

And one more.

Until, one day, I was introduced to my Soul.

And from that moment, in my life, everything changed.

That's why I always say that art is the most spiritual experience there is:

Because art breaks out of the bounds of the rational, and allows you to access areas of You that will otherwise always remain closed to you.

But it is in that hidden part of You that your true Essence is hidden.

That your Talents are hidden.

And your Purpose.

And your Happiness.

And I know I can't take you there (I swear I'd like to), because it's up to each person to find the path to their Soul.

But I can paint my experiences and share them with you, with the hope that you too can set out on the path to your Essence.

And that once you find it, you can make it available to make this world a better place.

Challenge the ordinary, embrace the unusual. Always.

Emanuele

PS: maybe you want to take a look at the paintings I did during these trips to the Spiritual World: you can find them here.