Paint & Pause: Finding Your Creative Voice

Long before I began my graduate studies in Art Therapy and Counseling, after completing my BFA in multidisciplinary art, I worked for a company that offered Paint & Sip workshops. In this popular format, a group gathers together – often in a bar or restaurant – and everyone recreates the same painting step-by-step under the guidance of an instructor, usually with a glass of wine or tea in hand and a relaxed, social atmosphere.

It’s fun, social, and lighthearted – but even then, I began noticing something subtle that happened almost every session.

When everyone paints the same image, comparison enters the room before the first brushstroke. People lift their heads, glance around at what others are doing, and quietly wonder,

“Am I doing this right?” “Am I behind?” “Why doesn’t mine look like theirs?”

This shows up often in group art settings: the wish to belong meets the fear of standing out.

And from there, creativity can begin to shrink. Not because someone lacks ability, but because comparison presses against the very place where creativity wants to grow.

Over time, I learned something important: When comparison softens, creativity finally gets to breathe.

So how do we create in a group without losing ourselves?

This question stayed with me for years. How can a shared art experience still leave space for each person to find their own voice?

I eventually understood that the answer lies in gentleness – in the courage to let go of “how it’s supposed to look” and listen instead to what wants to emerge through the hand in that moment.

When we tune in to our sensations while creating, we allow our inner world to find expression on the canvas. Sometimes this shows up in longer strokes, sometimes in delicate layers, tiny dots, or unexpected combinations of color. Without even noticing, the artwork begins to speak in a language that is uniquely ours.

This is how Paint & Pause was born

During my graduate training in Art Therapy and Counseling, in my clinical internship, I wanted to create a different kind of workshop – one that brings the focus back to the self.

This is how Paint & Pause came to life: a session where we paint the same subject, step-by-step, but the focus is not on producing identical results. The focus is on your voice.

I demonstrate each step, move around the room, offer technical tips (and there are countless ways to apply any technique), but the true freedom lies in the choice:How does your hand want to move today? What fits the mood you’re arriving with?

It’s a space to release expectations, soften comparison, and let emotion guide the movement.

The surprises that emerge when we give ourselves permission

In one of the groups I facilitated, with more than twenty participants, I met people from many backgrounds: some hadn’t painted in years, some had never painted at all, and some had attended Paint & Sip events in the past where they felt a bit pressured to make their painting look like everyone else’s. They were curious to experience a gentler, more personal way of creating.

We focused on enjoying the moment, relaxing, tuning in to ourselves, and creating in a way that felt right for each of us. We all painted the same image and followed the same steps, but the style, the feeling, and the expression were entirely our own. The outcome didn’t need to be identical – the process and the personal voice were what truly mattered.

And then something beautiful happened.

When participants stopped looking around, when they allowed themselves simply to try – their paintings began to take on surprising directions. They looked at their canvases with genuine astonishment:

“I didn’t know I could create something like this.” “I can’t believe this is mine.” “I wasn’t expecting this at all!”

And I was surprised too.

I hadn’t expected the artworks to be so impressive and so distinct from one another. That moment taught me something: when comparison steps out of the room and we return our focus to our own experience, the space opens for creativity, softness, and breath.

Creating together while staying true to yourself

This is the heartbeat of Paint & Pause. We sit together, paint the same subject, and yet every artwork tells a different story.

Being creative in a group can feel vulnerable at times, yet it also holds a beautiful possibility: your voice finding a space to unfold.