Life Kinda Sucks…
I think that a lot of Americans (probably the entire world for that matter) would agree with me that the past few years have been ROUGH. Economic and political issues coupled with my own personal family medical emergency have all piled up and made me and anxious an increasingly sad mess. Personally, I find that my financial struggles make it super difficult for me to do activities that could maybe help boost my spirits. I’m talking going to the movies, shopping for art supplies, treating myself to an after dinner Italian Ice; basically, things that may seem small but are not always possible if your bank account looks like mine.
A Beacon in The Dark
Then one day, out of the blue (not really…) I found a solution. Painting. During the pandemic at the young old age of 23ish I taught myself how to paint with watercolors. I even had a YouTube channel to chronical my endeavors. That period of time was the first time I had done anything artsy since high school. That’s kind of crazy to admit being that art had always been a passion of mine until I decided to turn down a scholarship to go to college for art. Dumb move.
A New Challenge
Anyways, being that I have been really into watercolors off and on since then, I came across a video from a watercolor youtuber that I’m subscribed to. Odds are, if you are reading this you’ve heard of Leslie Stroz. Well, in that video she explained why more people should do art. I don’t want to get into all the statistics so if you want to learn more, check out her video. What I will say is that painting, and art in general, has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety and boost your overall mood. Jackpot (especially for a broke millennial).
Game Plan: Painting to Heal and Find Happiness
So, here’s the plan moving forward; I’m joining in on the 100 tiny paintings in a year challenge, along with a lot of other watercolor youtubers (including the aforementioned Leslie). In a nutshell, you have to paint 100 tiny paintings of anything you want over the course of a year from when you start.
The paintings could be intricate and take a lot of time or be simple and quick. What’s great is that “tiny” is relative; there aren’t any size stipulations; because some people can paint very, very tiny, and I’m not one of them. I’ve got the supplies; the motivation and I’ll make time. I don’t know what my subject or theme will be yet but that will come.
Get Out There!
If you’re sill reading this, I encourage you to join along with me. You deserve to heal and find happiness too! Reach out to me on social media if you’d like and we can be accountability buddies of sorts. I’ll also be posting updates here and as well as on all my other socials. Hopefully you’ll follow along as I chase free serotonin boosts. With that being said, you never have to be the best, just try your best. And remember to create your own whimsy!
Watercolor Whimsy:
A Blog Dedicated to My Journey with and Love for Watercolor.
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