The short answer; life is short, I like art and why not? There is a longer answer that starts off with saying, I stopped worrying about what other people think and the limitations that others tried to put on me. We had just spent a year and a half trying to occupy our time during covid lockdowns, maybe drinking or eating more than we needed, while also recognizing just how short life can be. Plus, I have a curious mind.
In full disclosure I am not completely new to art. I dabbled in photography, entered a couple of juried art shows with the National Arts Program a couple of times as amateur in the category of photography, receiving an honorable mention in one of those. I also had a personal art show in a local coffee shop that has since closed otherwise would drop a plug for them. So I am not completely new to all art, but the drawing and painting is completely new. I had tried, I did not understand the techniques and I applied too much judgement to it, so I did not continue with even trying. In truth, I also did not know the questions to ask or the diversity of art options.
The short answer; life is short, I like art and why not? There is a longer answer that starts off with saying, I stopped worrying about what other people think and the limitations that others tried to put on me. We had just spent a year and a half trying to occupy our time during covid lockdowns, maybe drinking or eating more than we needed, while also recognizing just how short life can be. Plus, I have a curious mind.
In full disclosure I am not completely new to art. I dabbled in photography, entered a couple of juried art shows with the National Arts Program a couple of times as amateur in the category of photography, receiving an honorable mention in one of those. I also had a personal art show in a local coffee shop that has since closed otherwise would drop a plug for them. So I am not completely new to all art, but the drawing and painting is completely new. I had tried, I did not understand the techniques and I applied too much judgement to it, so I did not continue with even trying. In truth, I also did not know the questions to ask or the diversity of art options.
One of the things about how life works if we are lucky, is we get older and also hopefully gain more wisdom along the way. Now to quote the fictional East German Rock n’Roll Goddess Hedwig of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, “to be free one must give up a little part of ones self”, and often the best thing to let go of is self-judgement. I do know that Hedwig is referencing something else all together, but it is a true statement when looking at the limitations we put on ourselves. One of the things art teachers have shared that adults are often looking for when returning to art late in life, is to hear that their art is good or to find their own personal value. It becomes a way heal some of those wounds inflicted from youth, after hearing what might have been heard as “you are not enough”. There are other reasons, but I have heard that most often.
So there is the longer abridged answer of “why art and why now. I wanted to learn something new, I was okay with the vulnerability of making mistakes and it is fun to learn new things. All of this to say, I recognized I am enough and let go of the limitations from self-judgement, while discovering what art I want to bring into the world. Of course that might also mean to produce some prompts from instructors and teachers while continuing to learn more along this creative journey. All those techniques and what I feel like is a lot of barns has helped me to determine what I might not want to produce on a regular basis, but mostly what I want to bring into the world. It is like a choose your own adventure book, I am picking where to go and what to do, while learning about all the options.
If maybe you are trying to figure out if you want to try something new, here is the permission you have been looking for. Give it a go! As I have said before art happens at any age and I am having a blast!
One of the things about how life works if we are lucky, is we get older and also hopefully gain more wisdom along the way. Now to quote the fictional East German Rock n’Roll Goddess Hedwig of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, “to be free one must give up a little part of ones self”, and often the best thing to let go of is self-judgement. I do know that Hedwig is referencing something else all together, but it is a true statement when looking at the limitations we put on ourselves. One of the things art teachers have shared that adults are often looking for when returning to art late in life, is to hear that their art is good or to find their own personal value. It becomes a way heal some of those wounds inflicted from youth, after hearing what might have been heard as “you are not enough”. There are other reasons, but I have heard that most often.
So there is the longer abridged answer of “why art and why now. I wanted to learn something new, I was okay with the vulnerability of making mistakes and it is fun to learn new things. All of this to say, I recognized I am enough and let go of the limitations from self-judgement, while discovering what art I want to bring into the world. Of course that might also mean to produce some prompts from instructors and teachers while continuing to learn more along this creative journey. All those techniques and what I feel like is a lot of barns has helped me to determine what I might not want to produce on a regular basis, but mostly what I want to bring into the world. It is like a choose your own adventure book, I am picking where to go and what to do, while learning about all the options.
If maybe you are trying to figure out if you want to try something new, here is the permission you have been looking for. Give it a go! As I have said before art happens at any age and I am having a blast!
