At the beginning of this year, I gave myself a simple creative goal: paint at least one watercolor every month.
It sounded wonderfully manageable.
And then life happened.
In May, I lost my dad, and I stepped away from much of my work and social media while I spent time with my family and worked through that loss. Then came the excitement and busyness of welcoming a new grandbaby into our family.
My creative life naturally took a back seat for a while.
I don’t regret that at all. There are seasons when other things need our attention.
But lately, I’ve noticed something changing.
I’m feeling very creative!
Six Weeks of Paintings
Rather than worrying about being behind on my original goal, I’ve decided to simply start where I am.
For the next six weeks, I’m challenging myself to paint one watercolor each week.
It feels exciting to have a little structure around my creativity again—not because I need to prove anything, but because I genuinely want to paint.
This challenge also happens to coincide with a Series 6 Challenge that I’m doing alongside some of my artist friends.
Six paintings. Six weeks.
And naturally, my series is going to be inspired by one of my favorite subjects:
nature.
Starting With a Swallow
My first painting is a beautiful swallow resting on a branch.
I was especially drawn to the way the sunlight catches its deep blue feathers. There is something so beautiful about birds when the light hits them just right—the colors become more dimensional, almost glowing.
Birds have always been a subject I enjoy returning to, and this little swallow felt like the perfect way to begin this new series.
There’s something fitting about painting a bird as I begin this creative reset.
After a season of feeling grounded by grief and pulled in many different directions, I’m ready to let my creativity have a little room to move again.
Painting Without Overthinking
One of the things I’m hoping to remember during these six weeks is that not every painting needs to be a masterpiece.
Sometimes the value is simply in making it.
Sitting down with my paints. Trying an idea. Experimenting with color. Working through a difficult passage. Learning something new.
Every painting teaches me something, even when it doesn’t turn out exactly the way I imagined.
Six weeks, six paintings.
I’m looking forward to seeing where this little challenge takes me.
Maybe I’ll discover a new favorite subject. Maybe I’ll experiment with techniques I’ve been wanting to try. Maybe one of these paintings will surprise me.
I don’t know yet.
And that’s part of the fun.
For now, I’m simply grateful to feel that familiar pull toward my paints again.
One painting at a time.
One week at a time.
And six weeks of nature-inspired watercolor ahead.
Leave a comment