Holiday Painting to De-Stress and Inspire

Like many others this season, I found myself spread thin with all the demands of December leading up to the holidays. Inevitably, overwhelm and stress started to creep in.

In the midst of this, I needed to take pause and reset. I decided to sit down and do what may be considered “unproductive”. I painted for no other purpose than to engage in creativity and getting lost in a flow state.

I set aside the pressure to sell or produce or to teach a lesson. I painted simply to play, experiment and reconnect with the joy of colour and mark-making. These mini practice pieces allowed me to try unfamiliar mediums (acrylic in this case), play with how light affects warm and cool colour mixes, and create loose, messy techniques without worrying about composition or perfection.

“Let it Snow Man” - Acrylic on Matboard

These little experiments restore my enthusiasm, sharpen my skills, and take my mind away from the loud whir of obligations. I slow down, focus on the sensations of mixing paint and the rhythm of brush on paper, and celebrate small wins rather than judging every stroke. The painting above was my first in what turned out to be a mini-series of holiday paintings. They are each ~4x6” acrylic on mat board, with academy paints, painted alongside my students in the two days leading up to Christmas break. Though I am thrilled with the results, results were not the objective.

“Snow and Spice” - 2025

To summarize my reminder to myself: When the purpose of painting is practice instead of product, the process itself becomes restorative and creatively liberating. For me, painting to avoid burnout meant choosing to paint for the sake of painting, especially when my opportunity (time) to create is so precious and limited.

Do I still have a dozen items on my to-do list? Yes. Was the pause in “productivity” worth it? For me, yes! Happy Holidays!

“Gingershred” 2025