The Simple Joys of Watercolor

For years, I painted with a brush in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, tucked into my little studio while the rest of the house buzzed with life. Watercolor was how I slowed down. How I noticed things... the ruffled edge of a petal, the light on a teacup, the curve of a leaf just about to fall.

And then, somewhere along the way, I picked up an iPad.

I’ll admit, I was skeptical. Could something digital ever feel as personal? As meditative? Could it hold the same softness, the same surprises?

Turns out... yes. It can.

Procreate hasn’t replaced my love for watercolor. It’s carried it forward. The same instincts I developed with a brush now guide my stylus. The same wonder at how colors bloom together. The same rhythm of sketching, pausing, layering. It still feels like magic, just with an undo button (which, let’s be honest, is a dream come true).

These days, I create handmade greeting cards and art prints with the same heart, whether I’m working on paper or screen. The joy is still in the details: a single bloom, a morning scene, a tiny bird perched just so.

And the intention hasn’t changed. It’s still about pausing to see, to appreciate, to share. A quiet kind of beauty, sent through the mail or hung on a wall.

Here’s to simple joys. To blooming where we are. And to art that grows with us.