Why I Paint the Way I Do: Letting Go Through Watercolor
“Nothing needs to be perfect to be beautiful.”
This belief didn’t come easily to me. It was learned, brushstroke by brushstroke, through a journey of letting go — one that watercolor guided me through.
Where It Started: Control as Comfort
I’ve always been surrounded by perfection. From the way I organize my home to how I approached every task — order, precision, and detail made me feel in control. Naturally, that same energy shaped my early art.
Drawing realistic portraits gave me control — but took away my joy.
Hyper-realistic art, especially portraits, became my outlet. It allowed me to measure my success through likeness and detail. But over time, it began to feel hollow. I wasn’t creating — I was copying.
It didn’t feel like art anymore.
From control to creativity — this is how my art evolved.
The Shift: Discovering Watercolor
I stumbled into watercolor by offering commissioned portraits. But instead of feeling expressive, it felt like chaos.
Watercolor became the medium I hated the most… because I couldn’t control it.
That changed when I started working with my mentor, Joanna Henly. She encouraged me to paint without trying to control it — to let the water and pigment lead. And when I finally surrendered, I felt something powerful:
Creativity flowed when control stopped.
This is what trust looks like in watercolor.
Trusting the Creative Well
For years, I believed in the idea that “an artist must create every day.” But I’ve learned that for me, creativity doesn’t thrive on pressure — it thrives on inspiration. I realized that when I let my days fill me — with nature, light, small details — something magical happened:
I painted from overflow, not from obligation.
Sometimes, I would sit down and create an entire series in one afternoon. But afterward, I’d feel empty — as if all the creativity had left me.
At first, this scared me.
So I forced myself to paint.
But nothing came out.
That’s when I learned one of the most important lessons of my artistic life:
When I stopped chasing creativity, it came back on its own.
Resting is part of the creative process.
Letting Go to Make Space for Beauty
Here’s what I know now:
The more I try to perfect a painting, the less I love it.
I used to sketch everything, correct it, control the outcome. But those were the pieces I connected with the least. Now, I let myself be surprised. I accept the awkward shapes and messy edges.
When I let go, I create pieces that feel truly alive.
This mirrors what I’ve learned in life, too. When we obsess over control, we miss the beauty unfolding in front of us.
Imperfection invites presence.
Presence invites meaning.
Awkward, weird, beautiful — just as it should be.
If you're holding yourself to perfection — in art or in life — I hope my work gives you permission to let go. To explore. To embrace the beauty of the imperfect.
That’s why I paint the way I do.
And that’s what watercolor taught me.