Never Too Late to be an Artist
While it’s true that there are plenty of things that don’t get better with age, wine and creativity are two things that do. So, if you’ve put off being an artist because you think you’ve missed the boat and are too old to be creative, here’s some good news. It’s never too late to be an artist!
As kids, we all start off as creative beings, making rocket ships out of milk cartons and turning refrigerator boxes into forts. We have imaginary friends, and don capes to become an alter ego super hero.
Creative Dreams on Back Burner
We have dreams of what we want to be when we grow up. But then life gets in the way. Mortgage payments, student loans, and a real job. Those creative dreams get put on the back burner, sometimes indefinitely. And that’s a shame, because it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s never too late to be an artist.
Scientists used to say that we couldn’t grow new brain cells, but now they’re finding out that that’s not true. The brain can grow new brain cells, and in fact, they’ve found that the older brain is actually more resilient and adaptable.
Though we do lose brain cells as we age, the good news is that we actually gain more connections between those cells. By being creative, the brain can strengthen those connections, and reshape, restructure and adapt. Hence, improving cognitive function.
There are plenty of people who have proven that it’s never too late to be creative. A great example is Grandma Moses. Anna Mary Robertson chose the path of getting married and raising children. Art took a backseat for many years. In fact, she didn’t even pick up a paintbrush until she was 78 years old.
She spent her days doing needlepoint until her arthritis made it too difficult. Then one day she was putting up some wallpaper and she ran out of paper. She put up some plain, white paper and painted it herself. The painting now hangs in the Bennington Museum in Vermont. She continued to paint and do exhibitions until almost the day she died at the age of 101.
3 Successful Artists
Here are 3 people who proved it’s never too late to be an artist:
What was your career before you became an artist? Can you share your backstory with us?
Before I became a sculptor I drove an 18-wheeler. When my wife and I wanted a privacy screen to hide our garbage cans – an area that would become my first studio! I found some an old metal conveyor belt, put a wave in it, and hung it from a frame. I had more of the material and made my first fountain. Soon people were trading with me for fountains. Then a friend handed me five $100 bills and asked me to make him a sound sculpture. I was floored! You mean I can make money doing this?
After several years of working part time while still driving the truck, I got my biggest commission to date and went full time as an artist January 1, 2006. Today I have sculptures all over the country and have won several awards.
What prompted you to pursue an artistic career later in life? At what age did you start?
I was 46 when I went full time. I was so glad I had those years of part time work because I had a handle on what it would be like to be an artist full time.
Have you always had an artistic streak? Was it hidden or has it been a hobby?
I’d never thought about being an artist before! In fact, I failed art and geometry in school. Yet something came alive in me as I began sculpting.
What is your advice for others who think it’s too late to become a successful artist?
What was your career before you became an artist? Can you share your backstory with us?
My career before writing is the same as my career now, which is business development, which is a fancier way of saying sales. I landed my first sales job in 3rd grade and have been in the field for the past fifty years. Artists do not always realize that they can be the most talented person on the planet, but if they can not personally sell themselves and their craft, they will not be successful. You must be ready to network and promote yourself. You must overcome any tendency to be an introvert.
What prompted you to pursue an artistic career later in life? At what age did you start?
I began writing around 45 years old and only with the idea of entertaining my friends. After sharing my short stories and hearing enough times “you should write a book” I did. By the age of 54 I had 4 published books, both fiction and non-fiction.
Have you always had an artistic streak? Was it hidden or has it been a hobby?
I had wanted to be an actor since I was a child and was took acting courses and attended auditions starting at a very young age. By the time I entered college, I had the self-awareness to realize, finally, that as an actor, I was awful. But I had stage presence, so I switched gears and began performing standup comedy.
I had more success with the standup than I did acting and actually toured with some pretty famous comics. After about nine years, I saw that I had no future in stand up and I sought things that a career in comedy could never provide, like an income. So, I quit and went back to graduate school to receive my MBA. But the artistic bug never leaves so I chose to become a triple threat, I figured I failed at acting and I failed at comedy, why not fail at becoming an author.
I began writing in 2013 at around 45 years old. When my first book, Exit Zero, was published in 2016 and was at least relatively successful in relation to the massive number of books that release each year, I decided to stick with it.
What is your advice for others who think it’s too late to become a successful artist?
When it comes to artistic pursuits, it is impossible to say anyone is too old. I have a friend who went back to medical school at age 50 and became an emergency medicine specialist. So really, there should be no age limit to any career. To become successful in any endeavor, it requires persistence, endurance, a positive attitude and hard work.
Also focus on what makes you unique and while it is important to plan, it is also just as important to realize when that plan is not working and change course. My most recent book, Business is Dead, Resurrecting Entrepreneurship is all about unique entrepreneurs who launched their first venture based on their Fandom of pop culture.
Neil Cohen
Website: https://businessisdead.com
Twitter/Instagram: @ExitZeroZombie
What was your career before you became an artist? Can you share your backstory with us?
I was an administrative assistant for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers right out of undergrad and then I worked as an admissions assistant at the Stern School of Business. Then later worked as an assistant director of an AIDP (Attendance Improvement Drop-out Prevention) program at Jamaica High School in Queens. I didn’t audition for my MFA at the Actors Studio Drama School until I was 33. Most of my classmates were in their early 20’s just out of undergrad theater programs.
What prompted you to pursue an artistic career later in life? At what age did you start?
My brother encouraged me to become an actor. He was in the cult classic film The Warriors. I was 33 when I made the decision to be an actor full time.
Have you always had an artistic streak? Was it hidden or has it been a hobby?
I was always singing in church. Had my first solo at the age of 7. I toured Europe with gospel groups when I was a teen and later in my twenties to England, Scotland, Wales, Germany, France and Israel.
What is your advice for others who think it’s too late to become a successful artist?
Elizabeth June
FaceBook, Instagram & Twitter: elizabethjuneny