I'm not Creative - and Other Lies You're Telling Yourself
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How to Build Confidence in Watercolor (Even If You Think You're “Not Creative”)
If you’re a beginner watercolor artist and you’ve ever said:
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“I’m not creative.”
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“I’m the worst artist.”
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“I just don’t have confidence in my artwork.”
You’re not alone.
I hear it all the time in my watercolor classes. And here’s what I gently tell my students:
Confidence in art doesn’t come from talent.
It comes from retraining your thoughts.
Let’s talk about how.
The Science Behind Creative Confidence
Your brain is wired for repetition.
There’s something called neuroplasticity, which means your brain physically strengthens neural pathways based on repeated thoughts and behaviors.
If you repeatedly think:
“I’m not creative.”
Your brain builds that identity. It essentially believes you. It believes what you feed it because it doesn't know any better.
Psychologists also call this a self-fulfilling prophecy. When you believe you’re bad at something, you tense up, overcorrect, rush, and criticize yourself — which leads to results you don’t love. It's also a way your brain protects you as it's designed to keep you safe, not make you happy.
And then your brain says:
“See? I told you.”
But here’s the empowering part:
You can rewire those pathways.
And you don’t need to be “naturally artistic” to do it.
Creativity Is a Skill — Not a Personality Trait
One of the biggest myths in art is that creativity is something you either have or you don’t. You wouldn't believe the amount of people who say "Well you're born with it."
I am - in the sense that I was born within a family of artists where being creative was a way of life. But it was also a double-edged sword.
In reality:
Creativity is noticing.
Creativity is experimenting.
Creativity is tolerating imperfection long enough to learn.
If you’re learning watercolor techniques — wet-on-wet, layering, shadow work — your skill is growing.
Your mindset has to grow with it.
5 Practical Ways to Build Confidence in Your Artwork
These are the same exercises I encourage my students to use.
1. Add “Yet”
Instead of:
“I’m not good at watercolor.”
Say:
“I’m not good at watercolor… yet.” or "I'm getting there." or "I'm improving." or... "This is getting better."
This activates a growth mindset for artists, a concept made popular by psychologist Carol Dweck. It shifts your identity from fixed to developing.
2. Keep an Evidence Log
After every painting session, write down:
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3 things that worked
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1 improvement from last time
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1 moment you stayed calm instead of spiraling
This counters your brain’s natural negativity bias and trains it to scan for progress.
3. Separate Identity From Outcome
Instead of:
“I’m terrible at art.”
Try:
“This shadow needs more depth.”
“This layer dried lighter than expected.” "I'll do it like this next time."
Specific feedback improves technique.
Identity attacks damage confidence.
4. Practice Neutral Self-Talk
You don’t need to jump to:
“I am an amazing artist.”
Try:
“I’m practicing.”
“I’m learning.”
“This is part of the process.”
Believable thoughts are powerful thoughts. I was teaching a class last night and one of my regulars said to me she was doing an exercise at work with some colleagues and one of them was frustrated with their work. She suggested they just pull their work away from them for a bit - literally physically step away from their work and look at it again from a different angle. And she was excited because the suggestion worked and her colleague's tone changed and appreciated their work differently.
The night before that I overheard one of my other regulars telling a new person, "just trust the process and go with it."
I laughed but I was also thrilled. Part of me is always worried that my constant positive reinforcements can get annoying, but I see it paying off in so many ways.
5. Lower the Stakes
It’s watercolor.
On paper.
Your nervous system can’t be in fight-or-flight and creative at the same time.
When you relax, creativity expands.
Just tell yourself. "It's just paper."
Because it is.
You're not being graded. You can do this again later. Just enjoy the moment. Just... enjoy the process.
Confidence Is Built Through Self-Trust
Confidence isn’t perfection.
It’s staying in the painting when things wobble.
Every time you:
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Adjust instead of quit
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Breathe instead of panic
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Finish instead of crumple
You build self-trust.
And self-trust builds artistic confidence. Adjusting instead of quitting is huge. My long-time students know I don't let them throw away a painting. I make them push through it. It's not to torture them, it's to embrace the opportunity. I tell them - you've already disregarded this painting and written it off, right? Well, then you have nothing to lose. Take your biggest risks, see what you can do, play with it. You might be surprised in the end.
Some of those paintings have been their favorites and truthfully, some of them have been their most hated at the same time. But not one single one didn't come with more lessons by pushing through.
Download the Creative Confidence Rewire Worksheet
If you struggle with creative self-doubt, I created a simple printable worksheet to help you retrain your thoughts and build watercolor confidence step by step.
👉 Download it here: Creative Worksheet
Because the truth is:
If you keep telling your brain you’re not creative, it believes you.
But it will believe something better too.