Rediscovering Joy in Art
Updated: Sep 23
When Painting Became Mechanical
What is it that gives us joy in making art? What keeps us coming back to create?
As a boy, I loved to draw. I was excited whenever I could capture a likeness or make something look realistic, and I also loved drawing from my imagination. At that age, I didn’t think much about why I was drawn to a particular subject. I simply enjoyed making art.
As I grew older and became more serious about painting, something gradually changed. I learned to make increasingly realistic watercolors, but at times I felt as though I was simply copying a photograph.
A painting could still receive praise, and people might say, “That looks like a photograph!” But eventually I realized that technical accomplishment alone wasn’t giving me the same joy I had once felt.
Painting began to feel mechanical. I was producing work, but I wasn’t always connected to what I was trying to say. My creativity began to feel stagnant, and I knew something was missing.
Rediscovering Meaning
Over time, good teaching and mentorship helped me begin asking different questions—not only How do I paint this? but Why do I want to paint it?
That shift changed the way I approached art.
I began thinking more about emotion, story, memory, and what a subject meant to me personally. Instead of simply trying to reproduce what I saw, I wanted to understand what had drawn me to the subject in the first place and find ways to communicate that through the painting.
Why Does This Subject Matter to Me?
This is still a question I return to:
Why do I want to paint this?
Sometimes the answer is light, color, beauty, or atmosphere. Other times it may be connected to a memory, a person, a place, or something more difficult to put into words.
Once I understand that connection, decisions about color, value, edges, composition, and emphasis become more meaningful. Those tools are no longer simply techniques—they become ways of communicating something to the viewer.
Finding Joy Again
Rediscovering that connection helped bring joy back into painting for me.
I still care deeply about drawing, technique, and craftsmanship. But I’ve learned that technical skill is most satisfying when it serves something deeper.
For me, some of the most rewarding paintings begin when I stop asking only, “How can I paint this well?” and also ask, “What is it about this that moves me?”
That question continues to make painting feel like discovery rather than repetition.
If you’d like to explore watercolor in a way that combines technique with expression, meaning, and personal growth, I’d love to have you join me at Illuminating Watercolor.
