5 ENCOURAGING BENEFITS OF A DAILY 10-MINUTE PAINTING PRACTICE

The lives we lead are busy ones and are filled with to-do list tasks, meetings, responsibilities, appointments, falling into bed and then waking up all to do it all over again. It can be totally overwhelming and feel like you're on some speed train to who knows where.

As a self-taught watercolour artist, I learnt how to paint initially because I was a Sunday School teacher and would like to create different visuals for the Bible stories I'd teach each Sunday. It first came out of necessity (because I was a Sunday School teacher, I had to create visuals) and then, as I realised I was enjoying the process of painting, I would spend time learning different techniques through YouTube tutorials to then paint wall art and greeting cards as gifts for family and friends.

So my love for watercolour grew, but it came at a cost. The time I needed to spend painting meant that something in my life had to go - 3 episodes of a Netflix series would be cut back to 1 episode at night, or, when my young children napped, I would opt to paint for a bit instead of doing something on the house cleaning to-do list. These were trade-offs I was willing to make because I really wanted to paint. And to be honest, I think I am better for it - it's calming, it's fun and it stretches my brain in a new way. And who doesn't want a little more of that in their life?

Let this list be my encouragement to you to take up a creative hobby (can I strongly suggest watercolour, wink) to add a little joy, creativity and calm to your life! 

Painting is a wonderful outlet for your mind to spend time processing your skill, your thoughts, your day into this creative energy. Once you spend enough time painting, you will hopefully get into, what they call flow state. A period where the time just passes by like a gentle breeze while you enjoy putting paintbrush to page. As the paintbrush glides across the page, and the paint moves around creating something special on the page, it is an incredible way to ease your highly inner critique and get lost in the process.

When you learn something new, it is not only nerve-wrecking but it can be somewhat defeating. 'Why doesn't mine look like the teacher's?', 'I've been struggling with this for so long, I may as well give up', or 'This is such a waste of resources and time, which I don't have much of so why should I even bother?'. Now, while those can be valid reasons, let me argue that the benefits of focusing on the process will far outweigh the benefits of the end result. I make 'bad' art all the time - is there even such a thing? I used to get scared staring at a blank page thinking I may 'ruin' it, but I knew 2 things: 1) you can only get better by doing the thing over and over again, and 2) if I had a heart for painting, then that's just what I must do. As simple as that. Take note from young children when they paint - they paint without a care in the world. And afterwards, they would proudly show you their (messy) creation. Somewhere down the line as adults we have lost that playfulness, so tap into that, and you'll see your skillset grow and thereby your self-confidence to carry with you in other areas of your life. 

Now, this may seem like a rather boring benefit but it is a great skill to grow in. When taking up a creative hobby such as painting, you will need time to practice. You may be wondering that if your life is so busy, where are you going to find the time? The way you do that is to put limits on certain things, like the time you spend painting, the supplies you use when you paint and the themes or topics you paint. When you place these simple constraints, you reduce your overwhelm, you keep your painting practice actionable and before you know it, choosing to paint in this act of diligence becomes easier and more enjoyable. Why not try painting lines in the same place in your home for 10 minutes each day (or how often that may look for you), with one paintbrush, 2 colours and a sketchbook. Once you have done that for a while, consider painting leaves. Keep it simple to keep it actionable.

In our tech-savvy age, screens and smartphones are a part of our daily life and it is so easy to resort to scrolling through social media and binge-watching the latest additions on a streaming platform. I am very guilty for this so while I don't have my screentime dialled in as much as I want to, when I unplug and do something creative with my hands, I feel lighter. Whenever you are faced with scrolling for 5 more minutes, or watching 1 more episode, think to yourself, "could I perhaps create for 10 minutes when I say 'no' to easy consuming?". Like with the benefit of diligence, keeping your supplies in an easily accessible space and opting to live a life that has a healthy harmony between creating and consuming, why not choose to say 'yes' to creating and 'no' to consuming in one decision each day?

For me, to create is to worship the Lord by quietening down the noisy areas of my life and observing creation around me. Through challenging yourself in a creative skill, you will grow new neural pathways (it's true, it's science!) which improves your brain health. When you exercise creativity in a painting practice, you will be able to apply creative thinking to other areas of your life - your work, your parenting, your relationships, your studies, your household tasks. If there is anything AI cannot do better than humans, it's to use our God-given brains and hearts in creative ways through our own personal journeys of our lived human experience. So, build up your creative skills and be amazed at how you will view the world differently!

Be encouraged that starting or perhaps, re-visiting a long-lost, painting practice doesn't mean to create museum-worthy art every time you sit down to paint. It's about choosing to find the joy in the process, to unplug and grow in skills that you thought you weren't capable of for an approachable amount of time. Have fun and when you feel discouraged next time you paint, read through this post again to find inspiration and encouragement to press a short pause on your busy life to create.

DOWNLOAD Getting Started With Watercolour Checklist from The Artful Library