There’s something I hear in almost every painting session I host. Sometimes it’s right at the beginning. Sometimes it comes out halfway through.
But it always sounds something like this:
“I’m not really creative.”
“I’m not an artist.”
“I don’t really know what I’m doing.”
It usually comes as a disclaimer. Like a quiet heads-up, just in case things don’t turn out the way they hoped.
And every time, I get it.
But I also know it’s not true.
You Don’t Need to Be “Creative” to Start
Most people think creativity is something you either have or you don’t.
That’s not how it works.
In my sessions, I don’t guide you step-by-step the entire time. I start with a demo. I show you how acrylic paint works, how to blend, how to use different brushes, and a few simple techniques you can use anywhere.
Then I let you take it from there.
That part can feel uncomfortable at first. There’s no exact roadmap. No guarantee of how it’s going to turn out.
But that’s also where people start to loosen up and find their own way.
What That Disclaimer Really Means
When someone says they’re not creative or not an artist, what they’re usually saying is:
“I don’t want to do this wrong.”
There’s a fear of messing it up. Of making something that doesn’t look good. Of comparing your canvas to the person next to you.
That pressure shows up fast.
But painting doesn’t really work like that.
Nothing Is Ruined
One of the biggest things I try to get across in my sessions is this:
Nothing is ruined.
If something doesn’t look right, you can paint over it. You can adjust it. You can turn it into something else.
It just becomes another layer.
I’ve had plenty of paintings I didn’t like while I was working on them. Some of those ended up being the ones people connected with the most.
So I stopped deciding too early whether something was good or bad.
The Middle Always Feels Off
There’s a point in almost every painting where it feels awkward.
Not finished. Not quite working. Not what you had in mind.
That’s normal.
That’s just part of the process.
If you keep going, things shift. Not always in the way you planned, but in a way that becomes your own.
If This Sounds Like You
If you’ve ever felt the need to say,
“I’m not creative,”
or
“I’m not an artist,”
you’re exactly the kind of person these sessions are for.
You don’t need experience.
You don’t need to know what you’re doing.
You just need to show up and be open to trying.
Final Thought
That disclaimer I hear at the beginning?
Most of the time, by the end of the session, it’s gone.
Not because everything turned out perfect, but because people realize they didn’t need it in the first place.