Powerful Sharing from an Intuition Painting® Graduate
Episode 14: Lighting a Creative Fire in the World
Based in Switzerland, newly certified facilitator Maia Ritter shares a heartfelt interview about her personal and professional journey with Intuition Painting®. She opens up about her own profound healing from childhood trauma and reveals the deep fulfillment she experiences in guiding others through this transformative process today.
Transcript
Montine:
Hi everybody, this is Montine Blank, the founder and trainer for Intuition Painting. I’m here today with Maia Ritter, who is based on the border of Germany and Switzerland. She just finished Intuition Painting® Facilitator Training in 2024.
Today we wanted to share a little bit about that experience—the program itself, what she’s doing with it, what she discovered both about herself and what it does for other people. One of the reasons we’re making this video is that many people are interested in becoming facilitators, and they want to understand more about the program and hear from people who’ve been through it.
So, Maia, would you tell us a little bit about how you got drawn to Intuition Painting® Facilitator Training? What made you decide to do it?
Maia:
Thank you, Montine. In 2023, I went to your retreat in Tuscany. It was a week long and absolutely amazing—so life-giving. When I came home, I thought: all my friends and community here don’t speak English, so I can’t just send them to Montine. I’ll have to bring this work here myself.
That was one part. The other was that I wanted more. It was calling me—I wanted to go deeper. So at the end of 2023, I called you. Then in the spring of 2024, I started the facilitator training in Joshua Tree. That adventure with you and a group of wonderful people—who now feel like family—was truly life-changing.
Montine:
And what were you doing before? What’s your background?
Maia:
My background is in lean management, which is organizational development. I still do that work, and I also teach businesspeople about lean management and product management.
So yes, very corporate on one side—but there’s always been this creative part of me too.
Montine:
And were you using much of that creative side before you went on the retreat?
Maia:
Not really. My creative story goes back to childhood. I grew up with parents who supported creativity. They gave me big sheets of paper and watercolors, and I painted everything—the paper, myself, even stones. I was lost in time, totally immersed.
But later, in school, I was taught how to paint “properly.” That added a pressure—paintings had to be right, people had to like them. It became rigid. My paintings were “fine,” but I always felt not good enough.
In my twenties, I took painting classes because I wanted to decorate my house. They were okay for decoration, but I never got that childhood feeling of joy back.
When I came to Tuscany, I rediscovered that painting doesn’t have to be difficult. You don’t need technique, you don’t need to know which colors go together—you just paint like a child. That awakened my creativity again, and I wanted more of it.
Montine:
Yes—that’s beautiful. I often say many of us become “dormant creatives” in adulthood. Productivity takes over, but our brains also need imagination and free flow. Creativity brings balance—it’s not about making something “pretty,” it’s about being lost in time, expressing joyfully, reconnecting with childlike wonder.
Children aren’t worried about the outcome of their paintings. They just paint freely, one after another, without seeking approval. That’s the joy adults often lose.
And what I love about your story is how reconnecting to creativity not only balanced your life but also brought emotional release and freedom. Life piles things on us, and creativity helps us clear what’s stuck.
So you joined facilitator training to get more and to give more. Then what happened?
Maia:
Then I came to Joshua Tree. It was a beautiful retreat house in the desert—I didn’t even realize there were so many animals in the desert!
Training as a facilitator is different from attending a retreat. You’re doing the process again, but also learning the background—why it works, how it works. You’re holding a double role, and it’s very intensive.
At one point, I had terrible stomach pain—so bad I thought I’d have to lie down. But you said, “No, let’s do some individual work.” Ten minutes later, with some painting, the pain was gone. Not only that, but I understood the feeling behind it—shame issues from my childhood.
Montine:
Yes, I’m so glad you brought that up. Our emotional blocks often show up physically. As a facilitator, I’ve seen it over and over—stomachaches, migraines, urgent thirst, sudden fatigue. They’re signs of resistance, meaning you’re right on the edge of a breakthrough.
And the amazing part is, unlike counseling, you don’t have to talk through or relive it. The painting itself processes the emotion. When you painted through the resistance, the pain disappeared.
I’ve seen migraines, cramps, flu-like symptoms—all vanish once someone paints through. It’s powerful.
Maia:
Yes. In our group, one person was sick most of the week—sneezing, coughing—and by the last day, after a breakthrough in her painting, she was completely fine again.
Montine:
Exactly. And during training, you go through phases—an in-person launch week, online sessions, then a final closing retreat. At that closing retreat, you practice facilitating, and I mentor you through blind spots. You also get a detailed manual with bullet points for running workshops.
How was it for you to bring that into your workshops?
Maia:
It’s been wonderful. I’ve now led several workshops, and yes—people bring migraines, emotional breakdowns, deep resistance—but I can handle it because of what I learned in training.
And you always said, “You only get as much as you can handle.” That’s true. The right people show up, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see their eyes glowing afterward, realizing they had so much inside them.
Montine:
Yes, exactly. And you also had your own very deep journey during training—moments of doubt, breakthroughs, even rebirth imagery in your paintings. By the time you came to Asheville for the closing retreat, I saw you birth your inner teacher, your inner warrior goddess.
That’s what often happens—first you clear the “gunk,” then the greatness emerges.
Maia:
Yes. And what I love is that the work doesn’t stop. Each workshop I lead also continues my own practice. For example, in Asheville I had the image of a crown in my painting. Recently, I realized I don’t need that crown anymore—I can just be. That was another step forward.
Every time, there’s something new—sometimes a reminder of love, sometimes a release of pressure. The practice never ends, and it nourishes me as much as my participants.
Montine:
That’s so true. As facilitators, we must paint alongside our students—modeling the process, even when it gets “weird.” That authenticity builds trust. And it forces us to keep doing our own work, which I love.
For me, this practice has always been about both giving and receiving. It teaches life skills—curiosity, resilience, letting go of control.
When did you start noticing those life skills showing up in your everyday life?
Maia:
From my very first Intuition Painting retreat. That’s when I realized—it’s not just painting, it’s about how you live your life.
And in my workshops, people notice too. I tell them: I’m not here to hold your hand or judge your painting. I’m painting with you. That authenticity surprises people, but it’s powerful.
Montine:
Yes. And some people take this training just for personal growth, like therapy. Others use it lightly. But the reason I teach the full depth is so facilitators can handle both. Even if someone expects a “light” workshop, sometimes they need a deep dive.
That’s why we train you in the full six-phase process. You can dial it back later, but you’ll always know how to hold the deepest work if needed.
Maia:
Exactly. Learning the deepest levels gives us freedom. We can run light workshops or full retreats. We can adapt it. But we know the core.
Montine:
Yes. And we also cover business and marketing—because some people add this to counseling or coaching, while others launch retreats or workshops. It has to fit who you are. There isn’t one single path.
Maia:
Yes. And the support continues even after training—you’re still there for us, and we have all the materials and resources. It doesn’t just end—it keeps nurturing us.
Montine:
Exactly. And that’s what I want.
So, is there anything else you’d like to share before we wrap up?
Maia:
Just a big thank you—for creating this program and bringing it into the world. Intuition Painting creates a space for people’s inner worlds. As facilitators, we hold that space. And there aren’t many places in life where people have that.
It’s a forgotten thing—that we all have the ability to heal ourselves, and creativity is the key. Reminding people of that feels like a beautiful mission.
Montine:
Yes. We are designed to heal, and creativity is the key to emotional healing. Thank you, Maia, for sharing your story—and thank you all for listening.
Take care, and we’ll talk soon.