The Curse of Happy Little Trees

Happy Little Trees

In December I attended a painting party with a dear friend who exudes a natural flair for artistry.

Her enthusiasm for the creative outlet was contagious, even as the internal chaotic self-talk suggested that I was setting myself up for humiliating failure.

The instructor provided the canvas, 3 brushes, and a palette of paints. She started demonstrating techniques right away, but at a pace so fast I couldn’t keep up.

My strokes were awkward, rushed and executed as if I were staining a deck, not the finesses of an artist creating a magical Christmas scene.

My friend on the other hand, moved effortlessly, her brush gliding across the canvas like Bob Ross creating happy little trees. 🌲 🏞️

Other participant's work looked less cartoonish than mine and I felt anxiety rise in me as my inner critic whispered, "you suck at this."

I didn’t expect to create a masterpiece, but I didn’t expect my canvas to look like I vomited a can of paint and tried to clean it up with cheap, non-absorbent paper towels from the Dollar Store.

The frenetic pace of instruction continued:

“Mix X and Y colors to create the flesh color for the hands and nose,” said the instructor.

Flesh color, what!??

I was still dabbing the paper towel over the paint vomit I had turned into asphalt.

With each new brush, instruction, or mixture, what little confidence I had faded fast.

Finally, when the instructor introduced the technique for creating 'snow on trees,' I froze. I dropped my brush, frustrated and ready to quit. “I can’t do this; I can’t keep up” I said quietly to my friend.

She leaned over and said, “Trust the process.”

"Words spoken like a coach," I thought.

I paused to ground myself, took a deep breath, and set a small, manageable goal to make one meaningful stroke at a time.

‘Snow on tree’ be damned, I’m making a vibrant star.

I silenced the annoying voice in my head trying to convince me otherwise.

As I painted, I stopped caring how the rest of it looked and focused on the star. By the end of the class, I had created something uniquely mine—and in the process, was reminded that we build confidence by taking small steps, challenging our thoughts, and practicing self-compassion.

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📌 [The Powerful Perspective] Transformation doesn’t come from keeping up or comparing — it happens when we trust the process.

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