I just met two people who haven’t been painting for a few years. They had this huge need to paint but couldn’t, so it made them feel very frustrated and powerless. The reason they both came to my in-person classes was to find their spark and restart their creativity. To live more truthfully to themselves.

The second time I met each, they both had the same physical reaction to getting in touch with painting again. For a second, they felt some shallow breathing and maybe even an increased heart rate. That scared them. A few seconds after that, they felt calm again and had a breakthrough in their paintings.

I spoke to a friend (she is a therapist) about that and she said that what these people had probably experienced was – anxiety. Anxiety is a natural and common human experience characterized by feelings of uneasiness, worry, fear, or apprehension. It’s a response to stress or a perceived threat and is often accompanied by physical sensations like increased heart rate, muscle tension, and restlessness.

It’s completely normal for someone who hasn’t painted in a while to feel a bit anxious or unsure when they pick up the brush again. There’s a fear of not meeting your own expectations. So the higher the expectations, the bigger the anxiety. This is why it is important to engage in this process of coming back to painting in a safe environment that gives you just the right measure of support and challenge.

Maybe you found yourself in these words… If yes, I’d like to remind you that when you go through this initial stage which is not so enjoyable, engaging in painting will then help alleviate some of these physical symptoms of anxiety by redirecting your focus and providing a creative outlet. A paintbrush transforms both your canvas and your mood!

Many famous artists throughout history have struggled with anxiety. It’s interesting how the creative mind can be both a source of incredible art and a battlefield of internal struggles.