In a Feng Shui consultation clients will often be ready to move their furniture around to change out the energy of their spaces.  They may be eager to paint, or change the layout of a room or even its purpose but sometimes they’re surprised when I ask them to tell me about their artwork.   What’s the best Feng Shui artwork?  It depends on you.  What’s on the walls is as important as what is in the room.

Here’s what we know about Feng Shui:  all things are alive with energy, all things are connected and all things are constantly changing.  Your artwork, along with your furnishings and accessories, is connected to you and reflects who you are.  Another way of saying this in Feng Shui lingo is:  environment mirrors consciousness.  Artwork speaks loudly and says a lot about you.   Here are some responses I’ve heard when I’ve asked clients to tell me about a particular piece of art:

• My mom gave it to me when I was a kid.
• I put that there because it fits.
• The colors match my couch.
• It was there from the last tenant.
• I don’t know what it’s doing there.
• I’ve never liked it but I don’t have anything else to put there.
• The salesperson said it would look good.

Sound familiar?  Most people have art on the wall that the above could be said about!

Your home is your sanctuary.  You get to decide what you live with, what you love and what you want out of life.  Your home and environment can help you reflect out to the world who you are and want to be, not who a family member or a salesperson thinks you are.   Here’s what to do:  select and display art that

• Makes your heart glad
• You selected for the space (even if it’s a gift, you don’t have to display it)
• Reflects who you are and/or want to become
• Fits the space
• Holds intention

That piece of art your mom gave you may still make you happy or you may have outgrown it – only you know the answer to that question.  If it no longer serves you, give it away to someone who will appreciate it, or put it in the guest room so it can make her glad when she visits.  It makes sense to place artwork that fits a space but make sure that the piece also fits you! A classic Feng Shui example of artwork not mirroring intention is when a single man or woman, who wants to have a life partner, displays art that showcases one person instead of two. And, be emboldened to put some art away and leave other pieces out; move art around and change it out to suit your nature, the seasons, or simply to be able to see it again.  Sometimes when something has been displayed in the same place for a while we no longer notice it – a recipe for stagnant energy.

Feng Shui reminds us to not only to be conscious of our surroundings but also to connect to them; be healthy, peaceful, balanced and joyful in them.   Does your artwork make you feel that way?