NEWSLETTER - June 2026

Hello Reader,

I have fallen in love with painting. Please don’t tell my guitar.

I’ve been working on a recent series of abstract “Night Owls.” And I love them. I look forward to painting like a giddy schoolboy:

There are two key components that I think are making a difference - why I am enjoying myself so much more - and loving the final product.

#1 Dropping the agenda

Up until now I have always painted from a reference photo, and most of the painting’s success or failure has been relative to my ability to reproduce the colors, angles, and energy of the reference photo.

Nothing wrong with this, except I notice it activates my perfectionism, creates anxiety about finishing the piece, and feels a bit like a cage.

With these pieces - I came to the canvas with no agenda, just a desire to express and play with the colors.

And I managed to stay in that state of play, through several stages of creation and destruction, each time adding another layer of textural complexity.

No strategy.

And it almost did me in - whilst at the eleventh hour, still staring at a messy, non-cohesive abstraction - a few strokes of black paint landed and a little bird character emerged.

Playful, laughing lovingly at me and my late night anguish.

Since that first piece, I of course now notice myself TRYING to recapture that same magic, trying to find the formula - which only returns me to the cage of the agenda. So, each time, I have to drop it and return to the formless place. Then I can get somewhere. Or rather, then something can get through me.

#2 Stepping back

I am learning to step back as I paint.

Sometimes snapping a photo of the painting and seeing it through the phone - gives me a wider perspective.

As David Hawkins would say, I begin to see contextually, instead of getting lost in the content.

And usually, there is an accompanying insight “ooh I actually like what that’s doing”

These two skills - dropping the agenda and stepping back - are two essential components that also run through IFS and Gestalt work.

My best sessions are a total meandering - until at the eleventh hour, when something beautiful pierces through and weaves it all with a Divine thread.

And, if I manage to get fully Present before a session - then I am constantly in a process of stepping back, getting a peek at the expanded perspective and then returning with fresh eyes.

And, my real work?

Applying these skills not just to the canvas, but to my life.

To the busted plumbing and the cranky toddler. Removing the agenda, and playing with what is.

And, if I can step back far enough, maybe - “ooh I actually like what that’s doing”

If you'd like to see more of my art - I have updated my website josephmach.com to be more of a creative hub and also I have partnered with a wonderful online gallery, Saatchi Art - where many of these pieces are now available for purchase.

Now Accepting New Clients

I love this work. I love sharing the tools I have learned; helping my clients navigate their inner world and then watching that ripple out into their external world in remarkable ways. And I also remember feeling SO NERVOUS to begin my inner exploration. It might not be time. But if you are feeling that call - what the Gurdjieff work calls "magnetic center" pulling you towards working on yourself - then I would love to explore with you.

Virtual or In-Person. For details on package rates and special trainings, visit www.tenoxcoaching.com.

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I'm so glad we get to stay connected in this way and I'm grateful that you are in my life. Feel free to share this with anyone in your life, and I would love to hear how you are doing.