Art, belatedly
Last week I posted a question in an art community Facebook group:
“Did you embrace your artisthood later in life? Did you pursue other career paths, before realizing you wanted to be a full-time artist?”
The reaction – an outpouring of 157 stories of marvellous diversity – was a fabulous revelation of what’s been right in front of me.
Who knew there were so many artists coming from sciences and other STEM-related careers? Loads of educators. Accountants. Designers and other professional creatives. Then there were those who’d been discouraged as young adults from pursuing artistic careers. And some had experienced a shock – losing someone close, losing work, a serious illness – who recognised they must do what matters most.
If this small FB group is an indicative of the wider arts community, there are many, many of us out there. Moreover, we want to share our stories, and we are deeply interested in hearing about others’.
I suppose it shouldn’t have surprised me: I found my way in my mid-50’s, and many of the artists I connect with regularly did something other than art in their youth. There’s famous precedence for this, artists starting late. A quick search reminds us that Grandma Moses started in her 70’s. Georgia O’Keefe, Claude Monet, and contemporary artist Lisa Congdon were all late bloomers. I knew this, but I didn’t know this and I definitely hadn’t spotted it as a trend!
And regardless of how we got here, we are here in large numbers.
If you began late, and perhaps you didn’t go to art school, you might not immediately realise just how much good company you are in. Speaking from experience, we may work in a fairly solitary fashion (furtively, even) for quite a while, not recognising ourselves as artists at first. As that realisation begins to grow, we find the confidence to join art communities, and then SURPRISE! There’s loads of us, legions of us, painting, writing, sculpting, potting, acting, singing our belated hearts out!
If you’re an artistic dark horse, or if you wonder whether it’s too late for you*,
stay tuned – I’m telling your story!
* Spoiler alert: IT’S NOT.
