This painting arrived in a dream.
Not as a vague idea or passing feeling, but fully formed — a woman surrounded by flowers, soft pink tones, and a tiny raised heart with the word brave written across it.
In the dream, someone asked me the name of the painting.
And I answered: “If only I were a little braver.“
When I woke, I scribbled the details into my journal before the dream disappeared, and days later, I realised the painting wasn’t really about being fearless at all.
It was about taking the next small step.
The next brushstroke.
The next conversation.
The next quiet yes to yourself.
This painting became deeply personal during its creation. There were moments I almost abandoned her completely. The colours felt wrong, the flowers wouldn’t cooperate, and for a while I couldn’t see how she would ever become what I had seen in my dream.
But somewhere in the middle of frustration, paint layers, sketchbooks, synchronicities, and starting again, I realised something important:
Bravery rarely arrives all at once.
Sometimes bravery is simply continuing.
“If Only I Were A Little Braver” is a reminder that you already carry more courage than you think you do.
And it’s a gentle nudge toward the dreams, ideas, conversations, adventures, and creative sparks waiting quietly for you to begin.
Created in the LilliBean studio with layered mixed media, intuitive mark-making, and heart-led storytelling, this piece is designed to bring softness, courage, and soulful whimsy into your home.
Whether hung in your entrance way, a reading nook, bedroom, or sacred corner of your home, my hope is that she reminds you daily to trust yourself — and perhaps be just a little braver, too.
“If Only I Were a Little Braver” is now available as an original painting and as prints in three sizes.
From my whimsy world to yours.
Let’s stay connected
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