Right now is the perfect time to begin something beautiful. Every July, artists and creative souls from around the world pick up their brushes and celebrate World Watercolor Month, a month-long invitation to explore, express, and reconnect. It’s more than just painting. It’s about honoring your creative voice, one gentle stroke at a time.
This global celebration encourages us to pause and play. To make space to listen to your intuition. To swirl colors on the page and feel something shift inside. Watercolor has a way of meeting us where we are, offering softness, fluidity, and a sense of calm we may not even know we’ve been missing.
Whether you’re just dipping your brush for the first time or have been painting for years, watercolor is a beautiful companion. It invites imperfection, welcomes spontaneity, and encourages us to release control. And when we pair watercolor with mindfulness, something powerful happens: we begin to create not just art, but inner spaciousness. We learn to breathe, to trust, to be.
In this post, we’ll explore the inspiring history of World Watercolor Month, reflect on how watercolor builds creative confidence and emotional resilience, and offer simple ideas to begin (or deepen) your own mindful art practice. Along the way, we’ll look at how painting in community, whether online or in person, can support your growth and nourish your spirit.
Let this be your invitation to begin. Not with pressure. Not with perfection. But with curiosity, compassion, and a splash of color. You don’t need to be “an artist.” You only need a little willingness to show up for yourself. One brushstroke at a time.
What Is World Watercolor Month?
Did you know that World Watercolor Month launched in 2016? Created by artist Charlie O’Shields of Doodlewash®, it became official after early global art challenges caught people's hearts. Now every July, the world celebrates watercolor to promote arts education and creativity for all.
This month inspires you to paint daily, or just once a week. It’s about mindful art practice, learning new techniques, and joining a global watercolor community. All skill levels can join, no judgment, big brushes, or fancy paints required. Just you, a brush, and water.
A Brief History of Watercolor and Watercolor Month
Watercolor has been used by artists for thousands of years, on cave walls, Egyptian scrolls, and medieval manuscripts. When Charlie noticed in 2016 that watercolor had no holiday or month, so he created one, with global support, to celebrate the art and raise awareness for arts education.
Charlie invited artists everywhere to paint 31 pieces in 31 days or join at their own pace. World Watercolor Month now includes thousands of artists sharing their work, using #WorldWatercolorMonth, and raising art education awareness and donations.
Why Now Is the Perfect Time to Begin Your MINDFUL ART Journey
July offers a relaxed space in the year to start something new AND combining watercolor with simple mindful art activities offers so much!:
It invites you to create daily, weekly, or whenever inspiration comes.
It gives you permission to play with color, texture, and flow.
Mindfulness can support mental health and stress relief.
It connects you to a creative community for support and encouragement.
World Watercolor Month is your invitation, to begin your mindful art journey, nurture yourself, and enjoy the process.
How Mindful Art Supports Self-Care and Expression
Embracing watercolor during World Watercolor Month isn’t just fun, it’s also a powerful way to take care of yourself. Mindful art is more than making something pretty. It’s a gentle practice of returning to yourself, slowing down, and tuning in. Watercolor, with its soft washes and flowing forms, becomes a companion in this process.
Mindful art journaling is like a quiet conversation with your inner world. A necessary conversation, at that. When the outside feels noisy or overwhelming, painting with intention helps settle the nervous system.
With each brushstroke, you’re invited to breathe a little deeper and listen more closely, to your thoughts, your emotions, and what your heart might be trying to say.
Playful practice helps you remember that joy doesn’t come from getting it “right.” In a culture that often prizes productivity and perfection, watercolor reminds us of something softer: the beauty of being present. The freedom of trying without needing to impress. The delight in color for color’s sake. Through this kind of play, we open ourselves to wonder again.
Creative self-care is deeply nourishing. Making art just for you, without pressure, feeds your body and soul. It’s a way to express love and tenderness toward yourself, even on hard days. You don’t have to be “inspired” to show up, just willing to explore. With time, even a few minutes of painting can become a meaningful ritual of renewal and rest.
Expressive art speaks when words feel hard to find. Sometimes, feelings get tangled. Or they sit in your chest like a weight. Watercolor helps you move those emotions in a gentle, nonverbal way. Through color, line, and shape, you give form to what’s inside. This act of expression is healing. It reminds you that your inner landscape deserves to be seen and honored.
And in doing all this, mindfully, kindly, you create space. Space to feel. Space to be. Space to show up more fully and presently in your life. This month, give yourself that gift. Start with one stroke. Then another. Let your creative self know you’re listening.
How to begin your mindful art watercolor practice
Here are easy ways to start or refresh your watercolor practice:
Gather Basic Supplies
A simple watercolor set
One or two brushes
A mixed-media or watercolor paper pad
Choose Your Practice Styles
Spend 5–10 minutes a day playing with colors
Try a weekly theme (like skies, flowers, or emotion)
Use mindful art journaling prompts
Explore Techniques Mindfully
Wet-on-wet for soft blends
Dry brushing for texture
Splattering or salt for interesting effects
Join the AquaDoodles Online Class HERE
Including easy meditative watercolor activities to help you relax.
Release perfection
Offer boldly, yet hold lightly.
Done is better than perfect.
Art is an invitation, not a task.
best Books to Guide Your mindful art Journey with watercolors
Need creative inspiration? These books have greatly shaped my practice:
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
SoulCollage® Evolving by Seena Frost
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Each book offers gentle guidance on creativity, mindfulness, and courage.
Begin Your Mindful Art Journey Today
There’s no better time than now to honor your creative spirit. Let this World Watercolor Month be the moment you say yes to yourself. Pick up your brush. Let color lead the way.
You don’t have to do it alone. At Mindful Creative Muse, we’re here to walk alongside you. Whether you’re just beginning your journey or you’re a long-time watercolorist, discover mindful art and join the:
AquaDoodles Course HERE with calming watercolor activities to relax.
Whether you paint every day or only when the moment feels right, watercolor can be your companion in slowing down and coming home to yourself. The process is the gift. The practice is the path.
Start your mindful art journey today. Let it be simple, soulful, and yours.