Challenging Times Call for Art and Creativity

This time in our world has really shaken all of us up. There’s the raw reality of what COVID-19 has done to people’s health and financial wellbeing. For those of us who are healthy, we’re suffering from nasty thoughts and feelings.

You know what I’m talking about.

The nagging worry. The old negative self-talk. The sheer exhaustion of caring that we all get through this time with minimal hardship or losses of any kind.

But despite all the COVID-19 malarkey I’ve been dealing with, I have been doing something new, and it’s been very helpful. I’ve been painting with watercolors.

I like watercolors because painting with watercolors seems more forgiving than drawing or painting with oils. I can paint abstracts, flowers, whatever I want.

Experts say we’re all “born creative.” I chuckle when I hear this because not that long ago, I would have sworn up and down I didn’t have a creative bone in my body! It wasn’t until I got into the “flow state” of photography that I found myself flourishing, experimenting, trying new things. That was a turning point for me because I allowed myself to get out of my own way. I gently acknowledged the negative self-talk and kept working on my craft.

My experiments with watercolor painting are helping me learn how to relax into the process of creating. I think we’re all doing that right now: creating. We’re creating new ways to get through challenging days.

We’re creating pivots in our work because COVID-19 has put the kibosh on what we were doing. I don’t know about you, but I like to be good at whatever it is I do! So painting watercolors is my way of learning how to be okay with not knowing what I’m doing, or not being good at something.

Here’s my mantra for watercolors, which I think applies to just about everything:

1. Play

2. Learn

3. Mess Up

4. Grow

5. Repeat

Perfection is the enemy of creativity. I believe my playing with watercolors will positively impact my photography. How could it not? We bring our entire life experiences into our work. And COVID-19 has definitely added whole new experiences to our lives. The challenge is not to let the negativity seep in and take over.

I am learning to listen better to my inner voice and give myself a creative outlet every day. I feel like a kid who needs her recess time.

Make sure to find your own recess time. Every day.

We need you strong, wise, beautiful and resilient. We’ll get through this together.