Spot a feeling.Stop to understand it.Swap in a new way of processing.
This painting began in 2021 with three simple words: Spot, Stop & Swap.
Inspired by an idea from Jay Shetty’s Think Like a Monk, I wanted to explore what happens when we notice a negative thought or feeling, pause with it, and choose a new way of seeing it.
It took me four months to find the courage to begin.
I started by writing the three words directly onto the canvas. From there, I let the painting lead me—adding, covering, uncovering, and responding to what appeared.
The words slowly disappeared beneath layers of color, lines, shapes, and emotion. But the thought remained.
Looking at it now, I realize the painting itself went through its own Spot, Stop & Swap:
I spotted an idea.I stopped to listen.And I swapped the original thought for something new.
This is what I love about being a Visual Writer— sometimes the words disappear, but the story remains.
A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.” — Paul Cézanne
Spot, Stop, Swap
Spot a feeling. Stop to understand it. Swap in a new way of processing.
This painting began in 2021 with three simple words: Spot, Stop & Swap.
Inspired by an idea from Jay Shetty’s Think Like a Monk, I wanted to explore what happens when we notice a negative thought or feeling, pause with it, and choose a new way of seeing it.
It took me four months to find the courage to begin.
I started by writing the three words directly onto the canvas. From there, I let the painting lead me—adding, covering, uncovering, and responding to what appeared.
The words slowly disappeared beneath layers of color, lines, shapes, and emotion. But the thought remained.
Looking at it now, I realize the painting itself went through its own Spot, Stop & Swap:
I spotted an idea. I stopped to listen. And I swapped the original thought for something new.
This is what I love about being a Visual Writer—
sometimes the words disappear, but the story remains.
A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.”
— Paul Cézanne
—Sue Turayhi, Visual Writer