I want you to imagine you are on your deathbed, and friends and family have gathered around to say their goodbyes. What would be the one thing you most regret not doing or accomplishing? You see, I think as a society we are so busy doing the mundane things in life that we sometimes forget the dreams we had as a little kid.
I found myself asking this question as I was reaching my 40th birthday almost 5 years ago. And the one thing that stood out was that I didn't give art a chance. So I found myself signing up for a year long mastery art program as our family was being stationed in Belgium back in 2019. When my 40th birthday came I had big plans of going to Disneyland Paris to celebrate but a few days before going 3 of my family members got sick so just me and my two girls went. Once we returned that very next week, Disney Paris was shut down because of Covid. Then of course the world shut down and there I was taking an online art class and able to escape the worries of the world with some paint.
I did a reel on instagram yesterday saying that it's never too late to start. But in reality, you only have a limited time on this earth so be sure to pursue your passions while you still have breath in your lungs. I believed so many lies before I pursued my art as a career and enrolled in the Academy of Art Institue in San Francisco. I was going to be a fish out of water- here I was a midwestern farm girl, in my forties with 4 kids and been married over 22 years, who had already started my art career but I wanted to finish my art degree that I started 26 years ago.
I am So thankful on how my life has turned out so far. I have no major regrets except 1. I wish I could go back and tell my younger self that it wasn't selfish to do art on the side as I raised our 4 kids and traveled the world with my active duty husband. I would also tell my younger self to take a class or two and buy some art supplies because it's relaxing and it is not a waste of time or money.
This selfie was taken yesterday in my hotel that I go to every week in order to attend a class in San Francisco.
Here are some more statistics of people who started later on in life... so don't let your age stop you!
Samuel L. Jackson: Jackson didn't start acting professionally until he was in his 40s. He had a number of small roles before his breakthrough role in the 1994 film Pulp Fiction.
Vera Wang: Wang was a competitive figure skater for most of her life. She didn't start designing wedding dresses until she was 40 years old. She is now one of the most sought-after wedding dress designers in the world.
Ray Kroc: Kroc didn't start working for McDonald's until he was 52 years old. He eventually bought the company and turned it into the global fast food empire it is today.
J.K. Rowling: Rowling was a single mother living on welfare when she started writing Harry Potter. She was 32 years old when the first book was published.
Martha Stewart: Stewart was a stockbroker and model before she started her own catering company in her 40s. She is now a successful entrepreneur, author, and television personality
