Sunday Morning Artist - Why get into art as retired senior?

I have gone through many chapters in my life and have many interests. I think I have always been curious about how things work.  From my early days with an interest in electronics, to later in life my interest in photography.  My interest quickly builds into a passion.  I am never satisfied with being halfway into anything.  I am all in.  

People ask how long I have been creating art. It is something I have thought quite a bit about and a hard date or event that set me on this journey.  I do remember enjoying art in school and an art teacher who tried to discourage me in art, saying I would never become an artist.  Thinking back, what type of teacher would ever say such a thing to a student.  I did have a friend who was amazing at art in High School and I sure admired his work.  And in Jr. High, I took drafting and sure loved that class.  Again, not enough to fire up a lifelong interest in art.  Later in the military, I got interested in photography and thinking back, I believe it was my interest in the darkroom and how that worked.  The person who ran the photo lab was a very interesting character.  His photography was simply amazing and inspiring.  Mostly of beautiful women he photographed in the studio.  I wanted so much to do this type of photography and that started my passion for studio photography that would lead to studios I owned later in life.  I admired the old master's type of studio photography that mimicked great oil paintings.  I started doing a lot of oils over portraits and restoration of old photos that helped feed the family and pay the bills. 

The photography passion lasted for nearly 50 years.  But with my legs failing me and the pandemic hit, I hung up my camera bag.  I was retired at this point and missed not only the creative process of photography but also the social aspect of it.  I started getting into compositing in Photoshop, but soon though YouTube I found an interest in watercolor.  And said to myself, how hard could that be. hehe.  Well, little did I know that watercolor is considered the hardest of all art media to master.  But like the bumble bee that does not know he is not supposed to be able to fly, I forged forward.  Finding a new passion. 

What I came to realize was the way painting made me feel.  All my worries and concerns drifted away in the painting process.  Painting was all about problem-solving and focus.  It is how I maintained my sanity during the isolation of the pandemic.  And when the pandemic was over and people started venturing out from their caves, it became an opportunity to become social again.

I found some local artists who got together once a week to paint outdoors. Painting once again gave me the creative release I so needed, provided psychological therapy, and gave me joy in not only how I felt about my paintings but how others felt about them also.  Yes, it stroked my much needed ego.  And there is nothing wrong with that. Finally through much practice, and hundreds of hours of watching YouTube, I started to see progress in my own work. 

Why get into art as a retired senior?  It gives you purpose, is a great relaxing hobby, and a great social tool. Just pick up a brush and give it a try.  It is not important that it is not good, but more important to how it makes you feel.