I’ve stumbled and faltered a lot in my creative practice this fall, and I often find myself overwhelmed, distracted, sad, tired, heavy. But I do know that if I can move past the resistance and the shoulds of showing up to my sketchbook or paper or canvas, there is grounding balm to be found and offered.

The season of play was bright and enveloping, but I feel it shifting into a season of quiet, of holding close, collecting and ruminating. To enter into creative practice, I seek small doors, dirt pathways that open onto otherwise hidden places. Even in sunny seasons of creative exploration, finding flow also brings a centering, a meditative joy. My sacred sketchbook and mindful mark making practices are two such ways in for me, and my friend Katie White’s meditative painting workshops are another.

I had the gift of sitting with Katie recently, when she met with me via Zoom from her home state of Florida amidst preparing for Hurricane Milton. We find ourselves so often in uncertainty, and in these times our connections as fellow artists, as humans, means all the more. The peace and knowing we can find within practice continues to sustain us—well before we can transform and share what comes from that time. So I’m very grateful we were able to show up together and now I get to share our conversation with you!

Below, you can read some snippets of our conversation, and as a Slow Flow Studio member, you can pull out your own journal or paints and watch along with us. May this conversation be a reflective moment in your day. ♡

Katie White is a professional artist and teacher from Tampa, Florida.  She received her BFA in Graphic Communications from Washington University in St. Louis, where she focused on Editorial Illustration. After having 2 children, she taught elementary art before becoming a professional artist. Her work has been shown in various galleries across the southeast and stores such as Serena &Lily, Pottery Barn, Ballard Designs, and William & Sonoma Home. In addition to her studio practice, she teaches and leads adult watercolor workshops and women’s retreats. Her work allows her to connect with people, teaching them how to use the watercolor medium as a mindfulness tool. She loves showing others how to find success in their creative practices. 

Katie’s art is heavily inspired by nature. She integrates meditation into her daily paintings, marking each piece with tranquility. She is drawn to the horizon line. This serves as a visual reminder to stay grounded in the world we live in today.

​Katie enjoys traveling with her husband and two young adult boys. When she is taking a break from the studio, you can find her reading or taking long walks with her dogs.

Explore Katie’s Painting with Flow workshops and other offerings here.

Studio Chat with Katie White

My questions are in bold and Katie’s answers are beneath them (direct quotes in blocks).

Tell us a little bit about you in this moment—where are you writing from, what part of your day is it, what do you notice around you?

I journal every morning, and my prompt today was what does your ideal look like? The sun is shining in my window, waking up on my own. I do the same thing every morning: I wake up on my own, I make some coffee, and I journal.

If I could paint the perfect picture it would be exactly how I’m living right now. I think one of the things I discovered is we get to choose that…but if that’s what you’re seeking you have to intentionally make it happen. That is a very sacred part of my day, is how I start it.

Reset can happen anytime, even during the day. If your day starts off jarring, if you can carve out five minutes—pause, breathe, paint—that is an immediate calibration.

What does creative practice look like for you in this season? Do you have any rituals or rhythms you're leaning into lately? Are there any that you've released?

Katie’s focusing on what’s working, even if it’s a small painting she shares with her community.

I think as a creative person running their own business, you have to be consistent. You have to show up. But right now I’m in this world of slow. I’m just trusting I’m where I’m supposed to be.

But it’s easy to resist that slowness even when we crave it. Katie shares the importance of reflection. For Katie, journalling and small paintings offer this regular reflection without pressure.

There is a season for everything and I feel like I’m in this season of slow. I’m sure there will be this surge of energy, and when it happens I’ll hit the ground running again. In my own creative practice I’ve experienced burnout and overwhelm, and it’s just not where I want to be right now…I want to love every second of the gift I’ve been given to create, and whatever that looks like.