Feeling completely overwhelmed when it comes to painting.

We hear all the time about how relaxing painting can be, and it totally can be… but, there are also times when painting is the last thing I personally want to do to relax.

I’ve felt this even more since becoming a full-time artist. Painting isn’t always just something you can do for fun. There are paintings you need to finish, videos (in my case) you need to make, ideas you want to explore (I have WAY TOO MANY), and probably about fifty other things you’ve convinced yourself you should be doing.

Sometimes I have so many things I want and need to paint that I end up painting nothing at all.

And this happens to me more often than I’d like to admit. It’s one of the reasons I haven’t been as consistent with video uploads or other content. I’m working on changing this, but it’s hard.

I, like so many people, have a hard time focusing when I feel overwhelmed, when too many things are competing for my attention.

When this happens, I’ve found a somewhat strange little activity or exercise that helps.

I clean and reactivate my watercolor paints.

Yes, I know… odd. But it works! :-)

Over the years, I’ve collected quite a few watercolors, from handmade to main brands, and because I live in a very dry and high elevation type of climate, some of my colors tend to crack and dry out. It makes this strange activity worth it.

I have a water dropper where I add a couple of drops to each paint pan. This in itself is relaxing for me. By the time I’ve finished adding the drops, the first one I added water to is ready to be mixed. One of the beautiful things about handmade watercolors specifically, is that they can dramatically loosen up and reactivate.

I go through each color, moving my brush around, cleaning up the edges of the pans and watching the pigment become gooey again.

I’ll usually put on a rain or thunderstorm ambiance video and some jazz music in the background. I grew up listening to jazz, so there’s something very comforting and nostalgic about it for me.

As I work my way through the paints, I can feel myself start to relax. There’s no pressure to create and it’s strangely satisfying to watch the thick and watery paint move through my brush.

Reactivating my paints requires almost nothing from me, and I think that’s why it helps.

And even though the point of this little article/journal entry (what would it even be? lol) is to talk about one of my favorite ways to calm my mind down when feeling overwhelmed, I’m a teacher at heart, so of course I want to leave you, dear reader (anyone else watch Bridgerton?!), with why you may also want to incorporate this into your own watercolor practice.

It’s important because it helps keep your paints in good condition, especially if they are dried paints in a pan. Watercolor can certainly be reactivated once it dries, but when watercolor becomes forgotten about for a long period of time, it can become much more difficult to bring back to life, or a good workable consistency.

So, now that you know about my odd little watercolor ritual when I’m overwhelmed, I’m curious about you.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed by what to paint, where to start, or everything you feel like you should be doing?

Whatever it is, I’d love to hear about it.

Leave me a comment below and tell me what helps you slow down when your creative brain is just… too much.

Until next time,

Jackie

Moodscape Musings is the name of my blog on my website, https://www.jackiepeacock.com/blog, where I typically share more educational watercolor content. But I’ve been wanting a space where I can go a little deeper and talk about the things that don’t always fit into a traditional blog post.

Here on Substack, I want to dive more into my thoughts on watercolor, art, and what it’s really like to be an artist; the highs, the lows, the things I’m learning along the way, and everything in between. And, of course, there will be plenty of talk about art supplies because I love them so much.

In case you’re new to me, hi! I’m Jackie Peacock, a watercolor artist, teacher, and YouTuber. I share what I know about painting moody and atmospheric watercolor landscapes, along with other things I love to paint and explore as an artist.

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A few things I’m passionate about…

A big part of what I love about watercolor is creating atmosphere. I’m drawn to moody landscapes, misty forests, mountains, dramatic skies, and anything relating to stormy, dark, and cozy.

I’m obsessed with details and textures, but always prefer to keep things simple, like my colors. I love a minimal color palette with only a handful of colors. It’s a wonderful way for me to lose myself in the painting.

Here’s a photo of mist and trees I painted a couple of years ago. I chose a monochromatic feel for this painting and played with lots of water and thicker layers of paint.

And even though I keep things as simple as I can, I do love lots of art supplies. Anything handmade has me jumping for joy. Not only do I get to support small businesses, but handmade art supplies like watercolor and paper are so special.

There’s so much more I could say, but I think this is a good place to start. I’m looking forward to sharing more of what inspires me, what I’m learning, and what’s happening in my little corner of the art world with you.

Before I go, I’d love to hear from you. What are you passionate about when it comes to creating? Is there a subject you never get tired of, or colors you always reach for?

If you’d like to follow along, I’d love for you to subscribe here on Substack or you can visit my website and join our Painting Moodscapes newsletter to stay up to date on offerings, freebies, tips, and more.