I want to encourage all - especially those gals between 40 and 60, 70, 80 to follow their creative dreams. It is never too late to reinvent ourselves. Remember Beatrice Woods started sculpting to international acclaim at the age of 70!I haven’t always been an artist. In fact until 2004, I drew stick figures. I always wanted to paint, draw, but I was intimidated by the notion that all artists were born with an innate talent. Clearly, my stick figures proved that I did not have the natural-artist chromosome.
At that time, a top executive in the computer industry, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. While the condition is not terminal or degenerative, it is debilitating and painful. I went from being an active, busy person to literally being a semi-invalid. Fibromyalgia forced me to give up my career. That’s when I discovered my entire identity was wrapped up in that corporate persona. I was devastated. I felt like Juliet in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet when she goes to the friar and says, “I am past hope, past cure, past help.”
I was 44 years old, in poor health, with no job and no game plan. I did, however, have the desire to create and a wonderfully supportive husband. With nothing to lose, I picked up a paintbrush. I gave it 100% and very quickly realized I COULD do this. It was so healing and liberating! With painting, came the return of my confidence, zeal for life and self-esteem. It allowed me to reinvent myself. I once again had hopes and dreams for the future.
I want to “pay it forward,” and teach adults how to paint. It’s amazing to watch a student's face light up as they see those first shapes come together --and realize that they CAN become artists — or whatever they want to be. My experience has taught me it’s NEVER too late to reinvent ourselves. While I do occasionally have bad days, the fibromyalgia is manageable. I do believe that if my body had not forced me to be still and listen to my heart, I would not have had the courage to pursue art nor the opportunity to reinvent myself.
I am so grateful for my life today. My art has taken off in many different directions. I now sell my art through galleries. I had the privilege of selling my first mixed media piece to Leslie Mann and Judd Apatow (I've been a fan since Cable Guy!), I've been published in numerous magazines. The greatest honor is that I "get" to teach painting — fine art, mixed-media, art journaling--and pass this amazing gift to others. My latest class offering is watercoloring journaling from your paddle board perspective(!)
So, while I don’t have the DNA of a Michelangelo or Monet, I do have the “passionate about art” chromosome. Apparently that is all one needs to save themselves — and hopefully others — through art.
