45 | Why Painting Is the Perfect Self-Care Practice for Highly Sensitive Introverts

In this episode, I dive into why painting can be a powerful form of self-care and emotional expression, especially for highly sensitive introverts.

Drawing from my own journey with watercolors and soft pastels, I share how creating art has helped me find peace during overwhelming moments and process complex emotions when words fail. I explore the unique benefits of painting - from its sensory-friendly nature to its meditative qualities - and explain why it's particularly well-suited for HSPs and introverts.

Whether you're struggling with intense emotions or simply seeking a new way to nurture yourself, I offer practical tips for getting started with painting, choosing supplies, and using art as a tool for emotional wellness. Come discover how putting brush to paper might just become your favorite way to find calm and express yourself.

Resources Mentioned:
My Favorite Art Supplies: https://latoyaedwards.net/shop
Monet Cafe (Soft Pastel Tutorials): https://www.susanjenkinsfineart.com/
Let's Make Art (watercolor tutorials): https://www.letsmakeart.com/

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🎁⁣Free gift: Journal Your Feelings Roadmap: https://latoyaedwards.net/guide

⭐️Join the FB community: https://latoyaedwards.net/community

☕️Work with LaToya:

Schedule an Emotional Check-In session: https://latoyaedwards.net/coaching

Ready to stop running away from your feelings or pushing them down because you don't know what to do with them? Break free from emotional overwhelm with step-by-step support to process your feelings in a way that actually works for you as an introverted HSP. Join the Journal Your Feelings small group program. ⤵️

https://latoyaedwards.net/program

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Do you ever feel like your emotions are too much to handle, like you are about to blow up and explode, because you're feeling all the things all the time and you just don't know how to actually release them in a way that's not going to cause damage to yourself or like people around you? I get it. I've totally been there. I've had those moments where I have either been just so deep in despair that I was like, oh my goodness, I just can't seem to find any hope, I can't seem to look up, I can't find anything to be happy about, or I've been so just frustrated and angry and so worked up that I was like I hate everybody. And so today I want to share with you how finding some kind of creative outlet and creative expression can be really helpful to help you calm down, to find some peace, and a great tool to have as you are learning how to offer yourself some compassion and take care of yourself when you are processing your emotions as a highly sensitive introvert. Care of yourself when you are processing your emotions as a highly sensitive introvert. If you're tired of feeling like you're drowning in your emotions and want to stop walking around feeling numb and overwhelmed, you're in the right place. What's up, I'm LaToya, an emotional resilience coach and fellow highly sensitive introvert who learned how to manage all the feels with journaling, and I love helping women like you identify and work through your emotions. Embrace your God-given sensitivity so you can stop running away from your feelings in a way that feels authentic to you, ready to dig in, grab your weighted blanket, get comfy and let's get it.

Speaker 1: 1:36

I remember being in elementary school maybe nine or 10, and sitting in art class. Yes, we had art back then. Um, and I don't really remember a lot about art class, but I have this very distinct memory of painting a mallard duck. I was really obsessed with mallards for some reason, um, when I was in elementary and middle school, probably because I spent too much time watching Darkwing Duck, but that's a story for another time but I painted this mallard, I copied it, I tried to copy it out of this other book, this picture that I found, and I remember being in another class and having my art teacher call me back to class, and I don't know about you, but I never really liked it when another teacher called me back to class because I always thought that I was in trouble. But I came to class and he wanted to talk to me because he was really impressed with my picture, my painting, and he wanted to enter it in an art contest. And he wanted he had some suggestions and how I could kind of finish, you know, some more details on the painting to really make it stand out. Now I have no recollection of what happened with that contest. Like I said, it's the only memory that I have, but I do remember being really proud of that work and I remember really enjoying painting. Now, I don't have a lot of memories of painting as a kid, other than that specific instance.

Speaker 1: 2:57

I was more into taking pictures with my camera and writing. But even those writing and picture taking, right, are creative outlets. They're creative expressions. Now, if you are introverted, then you probably know, or maybe you don't know, but we tend to be like those creative types. When you find people that are the great artist and they love music or dancing, writing, like all the things, right, they're usually introverted and I find this hilarious because you'll look at like Broadway, right, think of theater and the people that are super passionate about their theater they're on the stage in front of hundreds, thousands of people tend to be the most introverted and I'm just like Lord. That doesn't make any sense, but that's how it goes, right? We also are people who, generally speaking, are really connected to art. Okay, like we are going to, like, sob at pictures, sob over poetry, right? We feel those emotional connections to art and other creative expressions, and so it makes sense, then, that finding some kind of creative expression is going to be a great tool for you to have to manage your emotions and also for self-care, right For me, I have fallen in love with painting, and I typically do watercolor or soft pastels.

Speaker 1: 4:10

I occasionally will do acrylic, like if I go to a painting class somewhere, usually those are acrylic, but my favorites are watercolor and soft pastels, and so I wanted to share specifically about painting and how painting is so beneficial to your emotional wellness, right? So what are some like benefits of painting? Number one is that, as a self-care practice, it's fairly inexpensive. Yes, you can spend a small fortune on art supplies, but you don't have to. A piece of paper and some paints. You can get started for 20 bucks, right? You need paper, you need paints, you need some brushes and you're all good and you're all set to go. And when I got started back into painting. I watched free YouTube tutorials and I would follow the tutorials best I could right to paint, and so it's really there's a low barrier to entry when it comes to things like that, even for soft pastels, right, you can get started fairly inexpensively. So that's one of the benefits. Is that it's really quick and easy to get started and, please don't worry, I will share the benefits. Is that it's really quick and easy to get started and, please don't worry, I will share all of my resources in the show notes. If you're looking for YouTube channels, I will share with you some of my favorites in the show notes.

Speaker 1: 5:26

The other thing that is beneficial about painting for HSPs and introverts is that it's sensory friendly. So, remember, we are people who get overwhelmed really easily, right, easily overwhelmed by sounds, by noise, by smells, by our environment. And painting is a soft medium and so it's visually soothing, right, so, like, it's soothing to look at. That's part of the reason why, like, when you go look at art, you kind of just oh right, because it's very soothing to look at and, right, it doesn't have, like, you're not going to have a lot of texture issues when it comes to the painting, right, you're not touching the watercolors. Even with pastels that you're picking up with your hands and getting dirty, they're still soft, they're not hard, they're not rough, so it's not going to give you any additional stimulation that might overwhelm you, right? And the last benefit that I want to talk about is that it really encourages this peaceful, almost meditative, grounding experience. Right, like being in the zone, because I found, when you're painting, like my brain turns off. Right, because I am focused on the brush in my hand, the paint on the paper. Maybe I'm watching a tutorial, right, but my mind is not overthinking, my emotions are not going in overtime, because I'm focused on creating this piece of art, and that is really what brings a lot of that calm right that we need when we're trying to take care of ourselves as highly sensitive introverts. Now, I also talked about how painting can help you manage your emotions, so I think I've shared before that.

Speaker 1: 7:03

A couple of years ago, I went through a program with a spiritual director, carrie Berkus. It's called Journal Gently. I'll link to that too, but I went through this program with her as I was trying to find my voice and just be able to just write on the page and journal again, because I had lost all my words, I had lost my voice and I hadn't been writing for a really long time. And I really struggled in the beginning of this program to actually put pen to paper and write words. And I remember she encouraged me one time to like draw instead like try art, and I was like, oh yeah, I like to paint, like, why not? And I tell you, it was so like peaceful, it was so calming and it was so encouraging to me because I could not write out how I was feeling, what I was thinking, but I was able to paint and that gave me a way to express all the stuff that was going on inside.

Speaker 1: 7:55

Okay, so the first thing is that painting is going to give you a space to express your feelings without words. Sometimes we don't have the words for what we're feeling, right, we just don't know what to call it. Maybe it's a new feeling that we're not familiar with and so we haven't quite figured out what it is, and maybe we're just so overwhelmed by all the feels that we can't pinpoint it. But painting is going to let you channel your emotions through, like every aspect. So the colors that you choose, the strokes that you use, the textures Okay and like. I know this sounds kind of whatever, but I promise you it's a thing I noticed in my really dark moments, when I'm like feeling really deep in despair, I painted a lot of like snowy not snowy stormy skies, right, even if I was doing a sunset, I would go more for dark blues and grays and things, and so I was able to reflect those emotions, even when I wasn't like intentionally trying to reflect that on my page.

Speaker 1: 8:49

I have even found that what I choose to paint is really reflective of my mood. I really really love landscapes, especially if I can do a sky I don't know what it is, but I just love doing sky and sunsets are my favorite. But even like, the things that I chose to paint were very indicative of what I was feeling. Sometimes it will reflect my mood directly, but a lot of times I would paint things that brought me peace. So I would paint a beach scene or some water or a field of flowers. You know something that is like, oh, I wish I was there right now, because if I was there I would be at peace, I could just sit, I could breathe and I could just be. So that is like the big thing about painting.

Speaker 1: 9:29

So another thing that's really helpful managing your emotions. That you get when you're painting is just emotional regulation. So painting is very repetitive right, you're going to put your brush in the paint. You're going to put the brush on the page. Right, you're doing strokes back and forth. So it's very repetitive, it's very rhythmic and it's almost like rocking a baby to sleep right, that motion of rocking really soothes and calms them. And the same thing happens when you're painting, right, it's going to lower your stress, reduce your anxiety and you feel really calm. I always feel really, really calm when I get to paint. Like when I'm done, I'm like, oh, my goodness, it feels like a big giant exhale. When I'm done, like, oh, I needed that, like I needed to let that go, I needed to release that. The other thing that's really helpful about painting is it's going to provide you some perspective and it's really going to help you process your emotions.

Speaker 1: 10:25

Like I said before, I noticed, like even without being intentional about it, that my paintings really were representing my emotions, like it was my emotions on the page, the colors that I chose, the things that I chose to paint. It was reflecting what was going on inside of my heart and inside my head, just in picture form. Okay, so, choosing colors, choosing shapes, um, choosing your subject, right, it's going to, like, reveal some things to you that you might not be able to put into words just yet, um, and it's going to give you new things to explore about how you're feeling and what you're feeling. It's going to help, right, and so I like to pair my art with my writing now, and so sometimes I will journal first and then paint something that reflects what I wrote, and sometimes, when I can't get the words out, I'll start with the painting and then I will begin to journal what, like what emotions and feelings and thoughts am I having now that I'm looking at the painting that I did?

Speaker 1: 11:22

All right, so let's talk about some specific benefits of both watercolor and soft pastels. So I guess I should say so watercolor Think about when you were in elementary school and you like these little trays of, like I don't know nine or 12 colors, with a little yellow or orange paintbrush in there. Like, those are watercolors, soft pastels they look like crayons or like pieces of chalk, but they're actually paint, there's kind of powdered paint. So, if you didn't know the difference, but again, like when you're thinking about watercolor, right, when you're painting, it's very fluid, right, the motions are very continuous and slow and fluid and it kind of mimics your emotions, right, the process that you're going through, that things are going to ebb and things are going to flow and sometimes you're going to feel things really deep, sometimes not so much, and so I have found that with watercolor, it's a great way of learning to accept things and let go, because I'm going to tell you, I am so self conscious about my pictures, like people, all the time.

Speaker 1: 12:26

Can I see something that you painted? I'm like, no, that's like that would be akin to me, like letting you see me naked, like it's really vulnerable because, like I make mistakes, it doesn't look like the teacher, it doesn't look like how I want it to look in my head. And going through this process has helped me just accept imperfection and accept that I am in progress. So I will paint and I'm like, okay, that didn't come out great, but this is my painting, this is how it came out. I'm going to let it go and I'm not going to keep trying to fix it and keep trying to work on it. Right, I can try, I can paint the same thing again and it will probably look different. So it's really helpful in just giving myself the practice right Of grace, of compassion and learning to accept things and let things go.

Speaker 1: 13:11

The other thing that I love about watercolor well, I think my favorite thing is that it's really forgiving, because you can literally like put some water on there and erase watercolor. It's beautiful, but there are soft transitions between colors. So I love. This is probably why I love painting skies, especially sunset. Sunsets are my favorite colors. Those blues, those purples, those pinks. They blend so beautifully. Yeah, sometimes you might get mud if you don't know what you're doing, because I do that a lot, but just the natural softness of it for me, it gives me a sense of peace. When I'm outside, out at the beach and I'm watching the sunset, those colors in the sky, it gives me a sense of peace, a sense of calm. And the same thing happens for me when I'm painting. So soft pastels. So I have I prefer watercolor. I do that the most, but I also pick up my soft pastels from time to time.

Speaker 1: 13:57

And this is more hands-on, it's more tactical, like I have to actually do the blending of the colors right. It's not just a natural, smooth transition, like with watercolors. But this, being hands-on and being tactical, it's kind of like a grounding experience. You know you're going to go out and put your feet on the ground and actually be present, right, with what you're doing. I have to be really present with soft pastels and so I love that just being focused and present and mindful of what my body is doing, of what's going on. That is great. And also, you have different strokes. So you have like long strokes, you have bold strokes, like if you want the color to be really, really dark, but practicing with, like how intense I'm going to be, different kind of expressions, different kind of marks, and all those things are all really great. And you're like Latoya, that is painting. What does that have to do with emotions? Well, like, sometimes we have intense emotions, we have bold emotions, right, we have softer emotions, and just the act of playing with that, with art, it's showing you like okay, it's okay to try these different things and you can take those lessons and those skills and use them for your emotions. So, before we wrap up, I want to give you some kind of tips when you're getting started. Okay. So, number one choose your tools, okay.

Speaker 1: 15:14

So, like I said, it's easy to break the bank when it comes to art supplies. Trust me, I know my kids. I could probably open up an art studio with all the art supplies that I have around my house. But you don't have to start with the most expensive things, right. Find that I have around my house. But you don't have to start with the most expensive things, right. Find beginner friendly suggestions. So get student grade watercolors, right.

Speaker 1: 15:35

Don't go for the professional kind Like I still use, like a student, quality watercolors and I can still follow tutorials. I can still paint right. Everything comes out just fine. You don't have to get the most expensive paper, because I will tell you if. If you were like me and you probably are, because introverts and HSP struggle with perfection when I have the $12 per page watercolor paper, I don't ever use it because I'm afraid to mess it up. And so I have spent all that money on the high quality paper and it's still sitting there because I'm too afraid to just get in there and get messy and play with it. So you know, find beginner supplies. If you weren't sure where they are, I will have some linked in the show notes.

Speaker 1: 16:13

But just like, ask somebody like you know what's a good way to begin Set the mood. So I talked about this with journaling Like when you want to create, you set the mood for yourself. I find it really, really difficult to sit down and paint If, like, it's busy, if it's loud, if there's a lot of distractions you know, a lot of bright lights. The same thing for me with journaling like I've got to have quiet. It's got to be kind of serene and peaceful in order for me to get in the right headspace and heart space to actually begin to paint. So create yourself a quiet spot, right. Find a comfortable space to paint, find a place where you don't have distractions so that you can kind of set yourself up for success.

Speaker 1: 16:53

So go for expression, not perfection, and here's what I mean. Painting should be fun, like, whatever create I'm talking a little about painting today because that's what I do, but any kind of creative, anything that you're doing, it should be fun. Okay. If you're dancing, it should be fun. If you're writing plays, it should be fun. If you're writing music, it should be fun. Okay. If you're sewing, it should be fun.

Speaker 1: 17:14

So go for expression. Let go of the idea that you're making the next masterpiece, okay. Just focus on using your tools, exploring color, exploring your strokes, practicing different skills and techniques right, and just paint what you feel and just enjoy the experience of putting paint on the page without the pressure to be perfect, all right. And so if you are like, oh, that all sounds good, but I don't know where to start, so again, I'm going to encourage you to find some tutorials, find some beginner tutorials that you can follow and that you can enjoy. Let's Make Art is like one of my favorite resources for painting, but I'll have some more linked in the show notes for you.

Speaker 1: 17:53

When you want to get started, I'm going to give you a couple of ideas. Okay, so here are some prompts that you can give yourself when it comes to your painting and expressing your emotions. You can ask yourself like what emotions am I feeling right now? You could ask yourself like what emotions am I feeling right now? Okay, and then, based on that, what colors would reflect that? So I talked a couple like last week about like that five minute journaling technique where you're kind of just blah all over the page to look for thoughts and emotions and feelings, right, maybe you take that list and you say, okay, I'm feeling embarrassed. Okay, well, what color is embarrassed, right? And I know, probably for a lot of us we're thinking pink because of Inside Out too Like, start to think of what colors reflect that and then, you know, paint something like that.

Speaker 1: 18:34

You know, I told you like a lot of times when I'm painting my landscapes, it is like where I want to be right, because I'm feeling a lot of turmoil or I'm feeling really sad or I'm feeling really alone, and I will paint where I want to be. So maybe you can do that, create an image of what calm, what peace, what safe looks like to you, right, and you can paint that image over and over and over again. That's the great thing about painting is that, like, you're never done right, because you can paint the same thing over and over again and it's not ever going to come out exactly the same, and so you can continue to express yourself and examine how you feel and what your thoughts are through this medium. So I want to really encourage you to try painting as part of your self-care routine. Take 15 minutes to paint your emotions and see what shows up for you, and if you try this, I would love for you to hop over to our community over on Facebook and come share some pictures of your work, of what you're working on. I think it would be great for us to all share and encourage each other in that way.

Speaker 1: 19:30

All right, so remember, your sensitivity is a gift and, like, creative expressions are like really gentle, really loving things you can have in your toolbox, your self care toolbox, to express and manage your emotion so you don't have to feel stuck, you don't have to feel overwhelmed, you can just sit down and you can let it all out on the page. Did you learn something new or have an aha moment from today's episode? I would love to hear from you. The best way to do that is to leave a five-star rating and review in Apple Podcasts. This also helps other women like us find the show. Thank you so much for joining me today.