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Finding Calm in Tiny Creative Moments
- Tracy Foster
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
It’s two weeks until Christmas, and life feels louder than ever. The to-do lists keep growing, and every new priority pulls my focus in a different direction. That buzzing, slightly-frazzled energy may feel familiar—especially if you’re a creative woman with a brain that’s always on.
The holidays amplify demands on time. More decisions, more expectations, more noise. It’s easy to slip into hyperfocus in an attempt to maintain some sense of order.
A Tiny Tutorial, A Big Shift
During all the rush, I searched YouTube for inspiration for quick, handmade pieces to add to the inventory for our upcoming pop-up event.
I clicked on a simple watercolor Christmas card tutorial—nothing fancy, just something small I could complete fast.
But within minutes of painting—brush in hand, water swirling across the paper—something inside me shifted. I didn’t expect God to meet me there, but He did.
In quiet brushstrokes and puddles of color, He gently quieted my mental clutter. The noise faded into the background, and for a little while, there was only color, movement, and breath.
That hour of creating felt like His invitation to rest in simplicity and stillness long enough to trust Him again with the act of creating.
It ceased being about perfecting technique, because He wasn’t asking for perfect efforts. He simply desired faithful ones, because “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.” Philippians 1:6
The Joy of Finishing Something Small
Starting and finishing a project in one sitting felt refreshing—something beautiful began and ended in the time it took for my cup of coffee to cool.
As a creative entrepreneur, I’m usually juggling:
Client work and deadlines
New ideas and multifaceted projects
Long-term goals that never feel “done”
This tiny watercolor project highlighted how small, well-timed, finished tasks can be just as meaningful as big accomplishments.
Sometimes, the simple peace of “done” is exactly the thing our overworking, overthinking brains need to step into productive flow.
The Beauty Of Simplicity
The simplicity of this tutorial enabled “done” without frustration. It required:
A few brushstrokes for leaves
A touch of red for berries
A little water for softness
No overthinking. No veering off into more ideas. Just breathing, painting, and letting the water do what water does.
Each stroke felt like a quiet prayer—an invitation to be still and know (Psalm 46:10). It was a meditation of creativity that made painting less about performance and more about presence. Grace-filled. Unforced. Gentle.
The more I released the need to control the outcome, the more beauty flowed with ease.
Art doesn’t always require a full weekend, a big studio, or a perfect plan.
Sometimes it’s born from a few quiet minutes with brushes, color, and intention.
Limited Palette, Unlimited Calm
A surprising calm was born of the requirement to use a limited color palette.
Putting gentle constraints on my creativity actually made room for more peace. For someone wired to explore every option (hello, rabbit holes), this was new.
Fewer decisions made it easy to fully engage.
No agonizing over shades. No second-guessing every choice. Just intuitive movement and simple repetition.
That small act of constraint kept my mind anchored in the moment. Matthew 6:34 invites us not to worry about tomorrow, but to stay present to what’s right in front of us.
Constraints created freedom, not limitation. It turns out boundaries—both artistic and spiritual—are a catalyst for genuine peace and creative flow.
Following Wonder Without Overwhelm
Another unexpected gift of the tutorial was the wonder that came from order.
If your mind runs fast or leans a little ADHD, you know how easy it is for creative excitement to turn into overwhelm. Too many options, not enough focus.
A simple, step-by-step tutorial gave my busy brain:
A starting point
A clear next step
A finish line
There was safety in that simplicity—but also room for curiosity and play. That balance between structure and wonder created by staying within one step before racing into the next quieted the noise of my often spiraling ideas.
From the perspective of an artist, it was a lot of “....walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7) A chance to accept that God rarely shows us the entire masterpiece in a journey of creating, but rather simply the next brushstroke, the next act of obedience.
Try It Yourself: A Simple Watercolor Moment
If your mind feels loud and you’re craving calm, try giving yourself one small, focused creative moment.
Just one hour. A handful of colors. No pressure to be “good.” Only an invitation to be present.
Here’s a simple way to start:
Choose a simple holiday subject, like a wreath, tree, or ornament.
Limit your palette to three colors—green, red, and gold work beautifully.
Use a small card or a 4x6-inch piece of watercolor paper.
Find a beginner-friendly watercolor tutorial online and follow along—no perfection required.
When you finish, make a cup of tea and let yourself feel the quiet satisfaction of something complete.
Even if your card doesn’t look exactly like the example, you’ve still created something from start to finish. You’ve given your brain a gentle landing place and your heart a space to breathe.
Creating With God, Not Just For Him
Painting those little Christmas cards helped me rediscover what it means to create with God—not just for Him.
It became an intimate, almost wordless dialogue between the Maker and the made.
By the time the cards dried, I realized I hadn’t just made art—I’d made room for surrender. Each brushstroke became an act of release, a quiet prayer saying, “I trust You with what’s in front of me. I don’t have to see the whole picture.”
Tiny creative moments like these can:
Slow the spinning world
Hush the mental noise
Gently re-center us on what matters
Peace isn’t found in doing more. It’s found in abiding more deeply.
Sometimes the smallest gestures make the biggest difference.
So if life feels noisy or overwhelming right now, start small. Let your creative spark become your sacred space. Paint a card. Write a note. Doodle a prayer.
God isn’t waiting for you to have a perfect plan or more time. He’s already there, in the moments you choose to make room for Him.
