When I started painting I never dreamed it would save my life but it surely has:
1. I was 62 when I started painting in 2012, fresh from finishing 30 years of homeschooling our six children. At the time I had made up my mind that I was not going to get into technology. I was fine with having a flip phone and not being online.
It was abstract painting and wanting to share my work with people that got me to getting a smart phone, a laptop, learning about social media, renting a studio, getting a business card, which, as it happens, totally saved me from essentially letting the whole world pass me by!
2. Becoming an abstract artist got me thinking, asking questions, learning how to find my way as a creative, and connecting with other people, thus saving me from stagnation and boredom.
3. Painting/creating is a dynamic lifestyle that adds purpose and meaning to my life and is responsible for my continued development, keeping me constantly inspired by new ideas, saving me from the the kind of depression that torments many seniors.
4. My personal experiences as an abstract artist have saved me from thinking that getting to my 70s was the end of my best years! The truth is that, at least for me, getting older is actually the beginning of an amazing clarity, understanding, and vision!
5. Most importantly, now 75, being a fully engaged abstract artist has saved me from physically/mentally declining by keeping me healthy and active. Having found what I love doing, my goal is to keep creating as long as I can! O the joy!
