Finding Peace Through Creativity: My Watercolor Journey and Favorite Courses
I took my first watercolor course back in July 2021 and it was a total game changer for me. Up until then I just played around with it. My sons and I would do Emily Lex’s watercolor workbooks at Christmas and paint other small projects together here and there.
The thing is, I found myself really enjoying it. It was peaceful and fun and pretty. I wanted to do it more and more and became curious about what I may be able to create if I really learned how to do it properly.
One day I went for a check-in with my therapist after my extensive treatment for PTSD and anxiety in the years prior. You can learn more about that here. I had pockets of anxiety still showing up and it was frustrating me because even with all of my tools, I couldn’t seem to get it to a place where it wasn’t significantly impacting my day. She recommended that I do something just for me in the evenings after the kids go to bed - not TV - that is fun. Something that I could look foward to throughout the day so when the anxiety popped up, I could instead focus on the fun thing waiting for me later in the day.
Because I had been enjoying watercoloring so much with my boys I decided that my fun thing would be signing up for an online watercolor course. So, I signed up for Watercolors Made Simple with Nicki Traikos and would spend 15-20 minutes (sometimes more) each evening after the boys went to bed doing the course. It has been the most enjoyable experience! Even with absolutely NO artistic background I was able to start taking what I was learning in the course and create my own paintings. It was so much fun and I continue to take online courses to expand my knowledge and skills.
I am often asked which courses I recommend and even though there are many wonderful ones out there, these are the ones I have direct experience with and have had a tremendous impact on my watercolor journey. I encourage you to find someone that has a style that you are drawn to so you can develop your foundation with them and build upon that. These are my favorite…
My Favorite Beginner Courses:
Watercolors Made Simple w/ Nicki Traikos
Watercolor 101 w/ Mallery Jane
Simplified Watercolor w/ Emily Lex
My Favorite Landscape Courses: