Creating Calm: Watercolor Painting with a Purpose

Fabric and wallpaper design has always intrigued me. Even as a small girl, I studied how prints look on different shapes like furniture, pillows, clothing, and draperies. Nowadays, we have plastered any and all surfaces with beautiful patterns of all types, which makes me incredibly happy.

That’s because I get to see even more art on even more things, which I think makes the world a better place. As an example, I once spent an hour at the Orange County airport in California after a trip to Disneyland. It’s a tiny airport, and the seating areas were filled with museum quality paintings from local artists.

I’d never seen such a quiet terminal as people studied the paintings, contemplating the soft colors, shapes, and forms. Honestly, airport terminals can be filled with anxious energy as people wait for their flights, anticipate their trips, and struggle to stay on schedule. But there was none of that here. I know there is artwork in many airports, but this was more up close and personal, and it was such a welcome and serene feature while waiting to board.

The power of art never fails to impress me!

My abstract paintings on Apple Watch bands in my current Society 6 shop.

The fact that we can now have our artwork hand-painted or printed on just about anything is mind-blowing to me. It means we can take it with us anywhere, potentially bringing calm and steadiness to any environment. I think that was why I was so compelled to learn surface design.

As an artist, I always wanted to see my creations on these things, but never knew I could before. I have so many collections in my head right now, I can’t even get them out fast enough! You can actually click here to read more about my journey with that. And I also shared this blog post about creating handmade things during the holidays while losing the guilt for taking time to paint.

My painted design work tends to take a backseat, but I intend to change that this year.

I know the best way is to just start, but I’m primarily a course and content creator, so my surface design tends to take a backseat. However, I intend to change that this year. That’s one of the reasons why I decided to host the Fall Watercolor Themed Collections Challenge which is now in full swing. It gives me a reason to work on my collections, while sharing my passion with other watercolor artists and surface designers, who would like a kind and helpful community to share and grow with.

It’s so funny, because challenges were never my thing before, but now I’m thriving with them. I’m building a community that is like-minded and has similar goals that I do. It’s been life-changing. I find, and I’m now part of a collective that cheers me on, encourages me when I’m down, and motivates me to keep going. One of those people is you, so, thanks very much for being here! You’ll never know how much I appreciate it.

I’m also thinking about how I can get through the holidays this year without getting caught up in all the rush, excessive traffic, and the overspending. I believe these are things that leave us exhausted and empty at the end of the year, and I’m making it my personal mission to figure out ways to live a better life in Q4 instead of getting caught up in the have to‘s.

Of course I think we should celebrate our holidays and enjoy being with our families and friends. That is a given! I just really believe that there are more sustainable ways to do this if we just look outside the box.

For example, what if there was a way to keep creating just as much, but make it part of the holiday prep? What if giftgiving, gift wrapping, mailing greeting cards, decorating, and hosting company, could all be part of a more unified and low-stress process, that could also feature our own lovely artwork? I know it’s a tall order, but this is something I long to achieve with this fall challenge.

That’s why I’ve called on my community to share ideas, suggestions, and even unique family traditions, that lend to spending more time with our loved ones, and doing the things we love most, rather than chasing our tails. I truly believe there is more magic available to each of us as we near the year end, and I want to tap into it.

If this sounds fun and intriguing to you, I hope that you will join us in the Fall Watercolor Themed Collections Challenge going on right now. It’s a weekly challenge, but there’s no pressure to post weekly. It’s just a fun online gathering space where we can share a Collective love for fall and get feedback on what we’re creating in the moment.

Click the video image to watch the lessons to learn more about it, or click the button below to join us, and I can’t wait to welcome you in!