“A painter makes creative decisions about the colors to use in a composition by referring to the Color Wheel, a set of principles used to create harmonious color combinations. After years of practice, when the technique of a master painter is an integral and spontaneous part of his creative expression, he becomes less self-conscious of the act of painting. Once he reaches the point of mastery, he creates in relationship to the canvas, from his whole being, trusting what he knows and allowing the right combination of light, space, form and color to come to him during the process of painting. In a sense he is painting unconsciously, not caught up in thinking about every step he has to make. He is in the flow of his expression.
Good painters follow rules of composition and pay close attention to how light and shadow relationships give definition to form. This principle shapes form and gives emotional tension or mood to the work. All of these principles interplay with each other along with the use of color, giving emotion, tone and life to the finished composition. All works of art are created with these basic principles, even though a highly experienced and skilled painter manipulates the rules giving spontaneity and inspiration to his subject.
A painter who does not honor the rules of composition and color theory will not give form to a well-balanced harmonious painting. Similarly, a partner within a co-creative relationship will not create harmony if certain rules that regulate emotions are not respected. ‘Emotional Intelligence,’ written by author Daniel Goleman, sets out a number of ideas that can determine our emotional experience with others. Think of this as emotional color theory.
1. Being self-aware or the feeling of awareness—knowing what’s going on and how I feel in the moment; what is true for me right now?
2. Self-regulation or managing feelings—the ability to shape the way we experience emotions by creating space for feelings and constructively expressing them; allowing the regulation of feelings in the best interest of my relationship with others.
3. Emotional foresight—understanding that my impulses and feelings will influence my thoughts and behavior and that expressing them may have consequences; consciously welcoming impulse and feelings as part of the process of being in relationship with others and knowing how and when to communicate them.
4. Social awareness—the ability to sense, understand, and respond to others’ emotions, reading others’ feelings as empathy; being open to others in a socially engaged state of “We” consciousness.
5. Relationship management—managing relationships by avoiding conflict through the ability to inspire, influence, and lead others; the integration of self-awareness, self-regulation, emotional foresight and social awareness.
Leaders who possess a high level of emotional intelligence inspire and motivate their team members. There is a much higher probability that a team will be in synch and on the same wave length when the five streams of emotional intelligence are honored.”
Excerpt from Pages 186-188 Oceans Beyond: In Search of the Enlightened Organization