Shifting Your Mindset for Watercolor Success

Welcome to a Different Way of Thinking About Watercolor…

Most beginner painters feel the same invisible weight: fear of failure, perfectionism, that familiar sense of being completely overwhelmed, and the worry that they’re missing that magical thing called “natural talent.” That uncertainty can be enough to stop you in your tracks – and before you know it, your paints are still brand-new and your paper is gathering dust.

It’s a bit like standing at the edge of a swimming pool – part of you wants to jump in, but the other part is convinced the water’s freezing!

Here’s the key takeaway from this lesson: you don’t need to be perfect to start, and you don’t need to “know it all” to enjoy watercolor. The only thing stopping you is the story you tell yourself. By noticing your fears, reframing them, and giving yourself permission to experiment, you turn that hesitation into curiosity. In short: showing up, even imperfectly, is the real beginning of success. Your first small steps, mistakes included, are the ones that build confidence, skill, and momentum.

This activity is all about reframing those fears so they don’t hold you back.

When your brain realises the water’s actually fine once you’re in the pool, getting started becomes a whole lot easier 🙂

Some of you might think this all sounds a bit like psychological mumbo-jumbo, but there’s one thing I’m sure of: we each have our own inner voice, talking us through the day. When that voice turns into a critic that stops us from trying, it’s time to change the conversation.

If you catch yourself having a negative thought, pause and remind yourself, “That’s a thought, not a fact.” Then flip it into something more helpful. Instead of, “I can’t do this,” try, “I’m an artistic person, and I’m exploring my creativity.”

Reframing takes practice, but it’s a habit that gets easier the more you do it.

Why “reframing fears” works:

Our brains are wired to keep us safe. The trouble is, they can’t always tell the difference between a genuine threat (like stepping into traffic) and a harmless new challenge (like putting brush to paper). Reframing is simply the process of looking at the same situation from a different angle – one that tells your brain, “Everything’s okay!”

When you change the story you’re telling yourself, you reduce the sense of danger, and that makes it easier to take action. 

Instead of “I’m going to mess this up,” it becomes “I’m just going to see what happens.” 

So… if any of these struggles sound familiar, try this quick little exercise right now to help you look at those thoughts from a different angle. It only takes a few minutes…

You can download the worksheet for this exercise here:

Step 1: Identify Your Thoughts & Fears

Take a moment to reflect on how you feel about learning watercolors. Grab a notebook (or print out the worksheet) and answer these questions honestly:

• What excites me most about learning watercolors?
• What am I worried about? (e.g., “I might waste materials,” “I’m afraid I won’t be good at it”)
• Have I ever told myself, “I’m just not artistic” or “I don’t have the talent for this”?
• What do I think I need to succeed with watercolors?

Write your thoughts freely – there are no wrong answers. The goal is simply to bring these thoughts to the surface.

Step 2: Reframe Your Fears into Growth-Focused Statements

Now, take each fear or limiting belief and turn it into a positive, growth-oriented statement. Here are some examples:

Fear / Limiting Belief	Growth-Focused Reframe
“I might waste paper and paint.”	“Every page I use is part of my learning journey.”
“What if I make mistakes?”	“Mistakes are where the real learning happens!”
“I don’t have natural talent.”	“Art is a skill – every brushstroke helps me improve.”
“I’m afraid of ruining my paintings.”	“Every painting, good or bad, teaches me something valuable.”

Now, rewrite your own fears as positive statements. This is a mindset shift that will help you stay motivated and keep going when things feel frustrating. And if you ever catch yourself having a negative thought, pause and reframe it into something that helps you move forward instead.

The 3 main benefits of reframing 

1. Fear of failure disguised as “I just feel lost”

Psychological research shows that if someone believes they won’t succeed before they even start, they’re less likely to take action. That belief becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy – it’s safer to not try than to risk confirming “I can’t do it.”

Reframing turns curiosity into momentum.
When you shift your thinking from “What if I fail?” to “I wonder what will happen?”, you make time for play and discovery. And once you get curious, it’s hard not to keep going.

2. Perfectionism + unrealistic expectations

Research on perfectionism shows that perfectionists will delay starting until they believe they can do it right. Unfortunately, with a new skill like watercolor, you can’t do it perfectly at first – so that day never comes.

Reframing lowers the pressure.
When you stop aiming for a perfect result right out of the gate, you free yourself to simply explore. This makes starting feel less like a high-stakes test and more like a bit of harmless experimenting.

3. Cognitive overload & too many unknowns

Feeling “lost” points to the paradox of choice – when there are too many possible starting points or steps, the brain freezes up. That creates a tension that feels overwhelming.

Reframing cuts through overwhelm.
If your head’s full of “What ifs?” and “Where do I start?”, reframing helps you focus on one simple, doable step. It’s amazing how much calmer things feel when you shrink the problem into smaller parts.

Well done! You’ve already taken the first step in learning watercolor – getting into the right mindset.

Step 3: Set a Small, Achievable Goal for Yourself

Right now, you haven’t had that first “small win” yet – and early wins are a real confidence boost. Research on motivation shows that even the simplest successes can change how you see yourself: from “I’m not artistic” to “Hey, I’m actually doing this.”

Your first goal should be light, easy, and pressure-free. 

So In the next lesson you’ll do your first simple, no-pressure watercolor activity…

And when you do this, I’d like you to keep in mind the following ideas:

• “I will experiment with color mixing, just for fun.”
• “I will focus on enjoying the process, not the final result.”
• “I will let myself play with water and paint, no expectations.”

Now write down your goal. Keep it somewhere you’ll see it. This is your gentle reminder that progress is about showing up, not being perfect 🙂