Feeling overwhelmed while painting is such a tricky feeling. I don’t know about you, but many times I felt so overwhelmed while painting that it was no longer fun and felt absolutely like a chore. As I read and learn more about mental health, psychology, and art as well, I can find links and associations between those three, which leads to figuring out a huge chunk of the stuff I suffered from and couldn’t easily spot. 

If you have been there before, this article is for you.

Painting, or any visual artistic endeavor, really is a great mental activity that sharpens the mind through conceptual visualization and implementation. It is also proven to boost memory skills and allow the mind to relax and let go of stress. 

However, as artists think conceptually to make creative decisions while painting, they are using critical thinking skills, and their minds start allowing a huge number of inputs in. A ton of new ideas are sparked, which leads to less clarity and a foggy focus. In order for you to solve this problem, keep reading.

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1- Mindful painting sessions

If you often feel overwhelmed while painting, you may want to try a mindful painting session.

I learned about this from the book Mindful Thoughts for Artists by Georgina Hooper. Painting mindfully means training your mind to be aware of the painting process. Pay attention to the textures you’re feeling, the colors you’re seeing, and the sounds that your brushes are making against the canvas. Notice what the pen, pencil, or brush feels like in your hand. Is it cool or warm, smooth or rough? Does it glide easily or require a bit of pressure to move? Are your brush strokes smooth or bumpy? Are they thick or thin? While answering these questions, reply with curiosity and acceptance. No need to judge it as good or bad.

Another tip that I want you to keep in mind is that these practices shouldn’t stop at the moment of making art. You shall drag mindfulness to other aspects of your life.

2- Get rid of the distractions around

Limiting the distractions around you will help you avoid feeling overwhelmed while painting. What notifications can you turn off while painting? What information don’t you need? There’s no shortage of information in the world. Your job is not to stress about who texted you while you were painting; your job is to enjoy what you’re doing and be fully involved in it.

You may also want to optimize your space to be more art-friendly.

3- Start with a plan in mind

I know it is too much fun to start with no plan and end up with a masterpiece, but feeling overwhelmed while painting often stems from a lack of direction and purpose. Clarify what you want to learn, where you want to go, and do just that. If your painting session is supposed to help you improve your skills, specify which area you’d like to improve first. Is it color mixing? Is it light sources? Decide and proceed with it.

I have previously shared some painting do’s and don’ts for successful painting sessions.

4- Make your life less overwhelming

I realized that most of my feeling overwhelmed while painting comes from me walking into the painting session feeling overwhelmed with life. So here is what I do on a daily basis to make my mind less overwhelmed:

-I don’t make myself busy for the sake of being busy. (If I have tasks to do, I will do them. If I don’t, I’ll go out, take care of myself, cook following a new recipe, etc..).

-I start my days without technology. Just a pen, my journal, and perhaps a cup of coffee. I write down the three most important tasks I want to get done. Then do them. (Remember that: you can’t buy a house in one day, you can’t get abs in one day. But you can spend less daily, and include a 30-minute workout session every day).

-Reflect on previous work and remind myself why I am doing what I am doing in the first place. This helps me narrow down on what I should be doing, and more importantly, what I should stop doing.

Conclusion

I really think it’s necessary for us all to stop drowning in distraction and feeling overwhelmed, especially as artists. Think about how much more you could achieve over the next year if you work with complete clarity, focus, and a disciplined mind. How many completed paintings would you have? How many sold artworks would you have? What would they look like? How much more would you have learned about color, composition, and drawing? 

It’s important to deal with this stuff. Don’t let that overwhelming feeling become the norm. It’s a downward spiral if that happens.