Project Paint offers creativity, connection and confidence in McCook

Anna LaBay
11 hours ago
3 min read

McCOOK Neb. — For Kim Johnson, Project Paint has never been about creating perfect art. Instead, it’s about giving people a place to try something new, be creative and leave with something they feel proud of.

Johnson has been leading paint classes in McCook for years, though the project originally started in a much smaller way when her daughter, Lindi, was in high school.

“It was just a way to help pay for dance uniforms and pom poms,” Johnson said. “I started small, maybe eight people at a time.”

Over time, the classes grew into something more. What began as a side project turned into a consistent creative outlet for the community and for Johnson herself.

“There’s been times when I’ve thought, ‘This is probably the last one I’m ever going to do,’” she said. “And then pretty quick I’m doing another one.”

Johnson has never treated Project Paint as a major business venture. Instead, it’s something she continues because people keep showing up and because it fills a local void.

“I’m really doing it more for fun than anything,” she said. “And something to do for people in the area, because I don’t think there’s enough to do.”

Her classes are designed to be approachable, even for people who don’t consider themselves artistic. Behind the scenes, that accessibility takes work. For popular sessions like pet portraits, Johnson sketches designs ahead of time so participants can focus on painting rather than the stress of drawing.

“The first thing I tell people is what you walk out with is not going to look like the picture,” Johnson said. “You need to get that in your head right away. Everyone’s different, you’re not going to paint exactly like someone else.”

That expectation helps take the pressure off and allows people to focus on the experience instead of perfection. Over the years, Johnson has watched participants grow more confident in their abilities, even those who start out unsure.

“It’s always a learning experience for me to watch people progress,” she said. “There’s one group of women that have come consistently for five or six years. There’s a lot of community that happens.”

Johnson’s own background in art goes back to her school years. She received a full-tuition art scholarship to McCook Community College, but ultimately chose a different path, earning a master’s degree in biology.

Today, her schedule reflects that versatility. She teaches second grade, works at a local restaurant and teaches online physical science courses for Colby Community College. Still, she makes space for creativity.

“I don’t think we should ever lose our sense of self,” she said.

Beyond the art, Johnson has noticed something else during her classes something increasingly rare.

“For two hours, nobody’s on their phone,” she said. “They’re just in the moment.”

In a world of constant digital distraction, that kind of presence has become its own form of value. Many participants, she said, only make time for creativity because the class gives them a reason to step away and show up.

“If you can’t tap into your creative self, you’re missing out on a huge part of self-help and wellness,” Johnson said.

Each class may start with the same design, but the results are always different.

“We all bring our own flair,” she said. “What people choose, what they like, it turns into something completely their own.”

For Johnson, that’s the goal: not a room full of identical paintings, but a room full of people who leave feeling proud of what they created.

In a community where options can feel limited, Project Paint has quietly become something more, a space where creativity, connection and confidence all show up at the same table.