As artists, we collect things. Maybe it's vintage books, like my stack of dictionaries from different decades. Maybe it's song lyrics that punch you in the gut, or pressed flowers from important moments, or even the tags from your favorite tea bags. We gather these pieces instinctively, often without knowing why. But what if these collections aren't just creative hoarding? What if they're actually clues to something deeper?

I discovered this truth while working on my Ophelia series, kneeling on my studio floor. Something magical happened when a new song came up on my carefully curated playlist, and suddenly the whole direction of my work shifted. This wasn't just luck; it was the result of a process I now call Spiritual Archaeology, guided by what I have distilled into the STORIES framework.

What is the STORIES Framework?

Sentipensante (thinking-feeling): The fishermen of the Colombian coast gave us this beautiful word that means "feeling-thinking" - the marriage of heart and mind in how we process the world. In art, this means honoring both our emotional truth and our intellectual understanding, allowing them to inform each other as we create.

Time + Transformation: Art exists in conversation with time - not just linear time, but cyclical and spiral time. Our work transforms as we do, building layers of meaning through iteration and evolution. Sometimes what begins as one thing becomes something entirely different, and that's part of the magic.

One True Thing: At the heart of every piece lies a core truth - something real and authentic that drives the work forward. This isn't about having all the answers before we begin; it's about finding that thread of truth and following where it leads.

Ritual + Release: Creating meaningful work requires both structure and surrender. Rituals ground our practice and create safe space for exploration, while release allows us to let go of what's not serving the work. Sometimes our best breakthroughs come when we loosen our grip on control.

Intention + Intuition: Like the inhalation and exhalation of breath, our creative practice thrives on the balance between conscious choice and instinctive knowing. We set intentions to guide us, but remain open to the wisdom that emerges through the making.

Emergence + Evolution: Like mycelial networks spreading beneath the forest floor, meaning and connections develop through an intricate web of relationships. Complex patterns arise from seemingly simple interactions as our work grows and branches in unexpected directions. What emerges is often more fascinating and interconnected than anything we could have consciously planned.

Symbol + Story: Every piece of art tells a story, whether we intend it to or not. By working consciously with personal and universal symbols, we create layers of meaning that resonate both with ourselves and others. This isn't about making obviously symbolic art - it's about creating work that speaks on multiple levels.

Why STORIES Matters

In a world that often pushes artists to focus on productivity or perfection, the STORIES framework offers a different path. This isn't just about making "better" art or building a more successful creative business. It's about liberation - both personal and collective.

When I was teaching English and Reading, I learned from theorists like Paulo Freire and bell hooks that true education is an act of freedom. The same holds true for art. When we create from a place of authentic self-expression, when we honor both our thoughts and feelings (sentipensante), we begin to break free from the constraints of what we think art "should" be. We liberate ourselves from the limiting stories we've been told about who can be an artist and what art can mean.

But this freedom isn't meant to be experienced in isolation. Just as mycelial networks connect and nourish entire forests, our individual creative liberation contributes to collective transformation. When you uncover and share your authentic voice, you create space for others to do the same. Your willingness to explore uncomfortable truths, to sit with complexity, to transform personal experience into stories that resonate beyond our individual circumstances - this doesn't just serve your own artistic growth. It helps build a more honest, nuanced, and liberatory creative culture.

This framework grew from my own need to bridge seemingly separate worlds - art and education, emotion and intellect, personal truth and resonant themes. What I've discovered is that these aren't actually separate at all. They're interconnected parts of the same ecosystem, each supporting and enriching the others. Those collections we gather - the vintage books, the song lyrics, the pressed flowers - they're not just creative inspiration. They're artifacts of our lived experience, pieces of a larger story waiting to be told. When we bring these pieces into conversation with each other through our art practice, we're not just making things - we're excavating truth, building connections, and participating in collective liberation, one artwork, one artist, one community at a time.

Ready to start excavating your own artistic archaeology? Join me for my free workshop: One True Thing, a Spiritual Archaeology Expedition.

Want to learn more about Spiritual Archaeology and the STORIES framework? Follow me on Instagram @elleandwink or join my newsletter for regular insights and updates. Ready to dig in deeper? Get the full Spiritual Archaeology course by enrolling in the Studio Intensives.