“Why do I struggle with authority figures?” Find out what insights a painting offered Akash when he did Museum Sage with his Guide Laurie, Vishal, and online art from the Phillips Collection.

"Is it the right time in my life to take a break from my career?" Find out what insights a painting offered Vishal when he did Museum Sage with his Guide Laurie, Akash, and online art from the Phillips Collection.

"Why is my art important to the world?" Angela's underlying question about how to feel safe while putting her art out there was answered by an abstract painting whose boldness initially felt intimidating to her. With the help of Museum Sage Guide Laurie and Angela's friend Todd, she found a strategy to feel grounded while making short, bold moves to increase the visibility of her art.

"Where will I find my future husband?" Find out what insights a 19th c. porcelain vase offered Selina when she did Museum Sage with her Guide, Laurie, and three other players using the online collection of the Brooklyn Museum.

"What do I need to know about my next step in terms of where I'll live, how I'll earn a living, and my creative path?" From her location at a writer's residency, Kelly's questions were answered by Enrique Grau's artwork of birds taking flight. With the help of Museum Sage Guide Laurie and fellow player Michelle, Bandada reminded Kelly of a Sandhill Crane festival she had attended and suggested her next step.

“How do I deal with imposter syndrome as I get more into my career as an artist?" Niki’s question was answered by a Matisse painting of a woman who seemed like an imposter to Niki. With the help of a Museum Sage Guide, Niki found a way to bust through the imposter syndrome that so many of us deal with.

“What’s the future of my memoir book? Simplicity was the insight I got, that it’s not the right time to bring in editors. My action step is to meditate on the book and look at joining a writer’s circle.”

-Ellany Lea

"How can I bring more of my creative self to everything I do?" Sanna's question was answered by a Mayan vessel from A.D. 250-450 that Sanna thought looked earthy and contemporary. With the help of Museum Sage Guide Laurie and Sanna's niece Emma, Sanna found two actions she could take right away to be more of her creative self.

"How do I how protect myself from other people’s negativity?"
"What is in my immediate future with love?"
Two conceptual sculptures offer Shikah and Francesca intriguing insights during a Virtual Museum Sage session with Laurie, using the online collection of the Walker Art Center.

Donna asked the question, "What’s getting in the way of me taking care of my body?" and got some interesting insights from this vase.

"How do I accept and trust myself?" Emma's question was answered by an 18th c. painting that Emma initially felt very judgmental about. With the help of Museum Sage Guide Laurie and Emma's aunt Sanna, Emma found an action she could take on a daily basis to accept and trust herself.

“Given that I’m in a cycle of some endings, what can I be proud of about my personal spiritual growth?
These women remind me of my great-grandmother, who was an immigrant from the Armenian genocide and was a tea-leaf reader, and my grandmother who opened a fancy restaurant here in the US. I feel like they’re telling me that I have a seat at the table, that I’m welcome and supported. A fellow Museum Sage participant suggested that their message might be that what I enjoy gives me my abundance."

- Kimberley

“Museum Sage was the single most powerful experience that I’ve had in a museum — and I’ve been going to museums my whole life and worked in them for the past five years."

– Caryne Eskridge, Yale University Art Gallery Fellow

Melanie asked the question, "What would make me more content about my health?" and got some insights from this vase, her Guide Laurie, and three other players.

"I’m a writer who hasn’t written – and hasn’t wanted to – for several years. My Museum Sage question was about how best to express my creative energy. I was led into the museum’s Jane Austen room and found myself in confrontation with a wooden desk strewn with letters and a pen. Not what I’d hoped for. As my Museum Sage Guide engaged with me, though, I discovered deeper layers of meaning in the installation and left feeling like I’d let go of some inhibitions and discovered some new possibilities for my creativity.”

- Eric

"What makes me feel alive? When I opened my eyes, I was in a beige corner with a bronze crucifix that was literally titled, 'Crucifixion.' NOT what I had been expecting! However, my Museum Sage Guide did a great job of leading me through the process and I got a ton of great information from this heavy artwork. My favorite part was when I chose to turn around towards what DID feel alive, and I had been standing in one of my favorite rooms in the museum the whole time. Museum Sage was a delightful experience that made me think about things from a really fresh perspective."

- Amanda

“How can I be happier at my job as a high school teacher? The museum piece that answered my question was about sacred music. The first thought that popped into my head was that I need to be meditating with my classes for three minutes each hour. But I immediately said, ‘The School Superintendent will never go for it.’ My Guide coached me about this fear and challenged me to try it anyway. So I have! And I’ve experienced nothing but administrative support for it. It’s helping the kids to focus on their schoolwork, but the person it’s helping most is me. I like my job so much more now.” 

- Mary Clare

Epilogue: After one year of meditating with my students for 4 minutes at the beginning of every class, they're calmer and I feel energized (I used to feel tired all the time.) Thanks for giving me the courage to do this, Museum Sage.

Banner image: Minneapolis Institute of Art.

"My question: How can I streamline my business so that I’m not going crazy all the time!!!? Interpreted Answer: Fly with your strengths: design for natural history. This comes easy to you and gives you confidence, joy, and velocity.”

- Matt

“What color should I paint my room? The art piece that answered my question was an installation that looked like a giant video game. I love different colors so much I can’t pick just one for my bedroom, so I’m going to paint the walls blue but have big paintings that are squares of colors I can move around whenever I want to. Kind of like this art piece.”  

- Sienna

“What does my professional future look like? The art that I got was a case of silver objects. My first thought was, 'Oh, I’ll do many little things that are beautiful and functional.’ Beautiful and useful is one of my mantras, so this art really resonated for me!”

- Kris

"How can I best care for myself during Covid?"
"How do I choose what path to follow for my career?"
Find out what insights a reconstructed 18th century room and a Georgia O'Keefe painting offer Jadah and Sierra when they do Museum Sage with Laurie.

"Should we put down roots and buy a house?" Lynne and David sold their house several years ago to live on their sailboat full time.. This lifestyle had deep joys as well as a few challenges. During an in-person session, Lynne intuitively stopped in front of a set of huge granite sculptures. When she opened her eyes, the insights came pretty quickly: go for being grounded and on solid land. 60 days later they found a house that had everything they wanted and more. Lynne said, "Doing Museum Sage cleared the path to our decision and our vision."

“How do I Prioritize Myself Without Feeling Bad?” Michelle gets suggestions from a Ricardo Benaim print, her Guide Laurie, and fellow player Kelly.

"How do I stay more focused? I can view my life as a video game that I'm creating. This exhibit is about how babies spend as much time examining monkey faces as human faces because they see everything with fresh eyes. I can be willing to take a moment to reset and see my task with new eyes so I stay focused."

- Charlie

"Should I do more to help my son who is struggling with real life?" The painting I got was a lovely impressionistic rendering of a cove on the Breton coast of France. What I saw was the Leelanau Peninsula on Lake Michigan, my favorite place in the world. My action step was to live in a way that brings me closer to the peace I feel in that place where the water meets the land. By caring for myself, I am in a better place to support my son and his journey into adulthood."

THREE YEARS LATER: "Overall I've followed the wisdom from my Museum Sage session. My son is finding his way, and quite suddenly my husband and I are going to live on the Leelanau Peninsula. There's a view near where we’ll be living that looks exactly like my Museum Sage painting!"

— Carrie

"How do I stay present? I asked the question in a context of tension and conflict. The Museum Sage process took me to this beautiful bronze sculpture. The experience provided so many incredible insights: Bronze can be used for a shield or for artful expression. Staying calm, peaceful, aligned and continually returning to balance keeps me present to what is emerging even if I can't at first identify what it is. A whole-hearted thank you to my Guide, Karen Olson! I heart Museum Sage!!”

- Kara Marie

"What do I need to know about my health?" Kathy's question about her Stage 4 cancer was answered by a Picasso painting of a woman looking in two different directions. Kathy decided it was about two different ways of looking at cancer: her oncologist's way and her intuition's way. Kathy and Museum Sage Guide Laurie discuss how to balance conflicting perspectives.

“My questions were, Will I find love? Will I get married?  I got an unexpected image of two sisters in a circus ring surrounded by men wearing black. Why is one sister able to look at the men and receive affirmation and the other sister needs something tangible to hold onto? If the oranges represent love, what’s the love I already have in my life? I love my sisters and wonder what roles they’ll continue to play in my life. I saw this painting 20 years ago and it was very powerful to have it brought into my life again in an online Museum Sage session that made the impact of the art go deeper.”

- Anonymous

"What's going to be unfolding in the future for me?" John gets an insight from a porcelain vase, from his Guide, and 3 other players.

“How can I open my heart to my wife more?  I’m not attracted to religious art but I got to have an experience of this artwork that was incredibly evocative and responsive to my question. Now when I feel my heart not being open to my wife, I connect back to the image in my painting and remember the simplicity of Jesus putting a crown on Mary’s head. That gives me a shortcut to opening my heart. Using the Museum Sage process transformed stuckness and confusion into flow and love.”

- Adam

“How can I be a loving partner while maintaining self care?” Adam’s wife was about to undergo a double mastectomy and he was concerned about how to take care of her while taking care of himself. When Adam did a virtual Museum Sage session with Laurie, an abstract painting gave him lots of insights about how to do just that.

“My wife Candace and I have two rescue cats, Maddi and Jolee. My question was, “What is the cats’ role in our lives and what is our role in their lives?” The sculpture shows the warrior Diana and two wolfhounds she’s on the hunt with. Insights into the relationship between humans and animals was exactly what I was seeking! My takeaway was about the harmony of joint purpose — the animals are there to serve Diana, and she’s helping them to achieve their purpose. It reinforced my sense that Maddi and Jolee came to us for a reason: they’re supporting us and we’re helping them. The cats foster feelings of goodwill, happiness, love, concern, and caregiving that help shape who I am. Then I can bring those qualities out into the world in what I do.”

- Vinnie

The eyeballs in this image are telling me I should do something involving a lot of people. They’re watching me — some are fascinated by me, some are scared of me. Some are good, some are bad, some are indifferent. I think it’s telling me I need more space. They’re expecting something, like I’m on a stage. I should do something that draws attention to myself. I’ll be talking to a lot of people.

- Molly