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Written by Dara Spiotto
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Monday, 09 July 2007 |
 Imagine getting your driver's license at age 76. My friend Amelia did. My other friend Lisa and I bumped into her one afternoon while shopping (for beads, of course!) and when I told Lisa that Amelia had just gotten her license, her reaction surprised me. She said, “Oh my… so many years of no driving, what a waste!” Well. I paused and thought about that for a second. Where is the waste exactly? I pictured Amelia lounging comfortably in the passenger seat, listlessly watching the trees and flowers roll by. How peaceful! Or maybe catching up on some good reading. Perhaps napping. Is this wasted time? I think not. Just because you’re not behind the wheel doesn’t make your ride any less significant. Imagine big executives or aristocracy. Do they drive themselves? Probably not. I think Amelia has had the advantage by not driving in this horrendous existence of Los Angeles freeways. So good for her. And now, at age 76 she empowered herself to jump in the car and zip down to Trader Joe’s at a whim. She’s got the right idea.
 Ok, so then on our drive home Lisa suggests we stop at Claremont Village so we can visit her friend who just opened up a studio to teach children of all ages different types of art. Lisa says, “Isn’t it great that these children are being nurtured early, so that they can become ARTISTS!” She says the word with an air of awe and respect. So I ask her, “How do you know when you become an ARTIST?” I get the blank stare. Lisa is an college art major, like myself. She said, “ I guess I never thought about that. I just figured that when you’ve learned how to express yourself creatively without apology or self-consciousness, then you’re there.” I let that sink in for a while.
So many times in my life I’ve heard people say, “I’m not creative!” Wrong, wrong, wrong. Everyone is creative. Look at anyone under the age of 6 with crayons, paint, glue, and glitter, and it’s a smorgasbord of creative fury, executed with wild abandon! How is it we go from the artist at age 6 to the non-artist at age 26 or 36 or 46? Well, we get self-conscious and caught up in laundry, working, paying bills and washing the car. Remember the Do-Nothing person I wrote about? They’re stifling their inner artist! Now because this article is posted on a beading web site, I think it's safe to assume that you, the reader, is somewhat interested in beads. So are you an artist? If you say yes… Hooray! I agree. And what’s your medium beyond beading? Do you sew, scrap book, garden, cook, or paint? Do you still fit in the artist category? I’m telling you that you do.
 All an artist needs is inspiration. And where do you get that? Life, dummy. HA! I called you dummy! :-) Really, all you have to do is pay attention as you go through your day and you’ll find tons of inspiration. This is the biggest crippler of what we call success. Lack of inspiration leaves us dried up and empty and immobile. Deadlines tick by, and we’re stagnant. Opportunities, poof! Up in smoke. So what do we do? We simmer in our misery and fret about how much time we’re wasting by not coming up with something new, fresh, and brilliant that no one has thought of. For all those people with their elbows on their desk and their face in their hands, what are you doing? Get up! Go outside! Eat ice cream! Walk a dog! Go someplace new, try something new, meet someone new. You’ll be inspired.
And what if you say, “I’m not an artist.” Just kick yourself in the butt. Have courage to stand up for your hobbies or interests and give yourself credit for what you’re good at. Why are we so hesitant to pat ourselves on the back? Why do we brush off compliments from sincere people who really admire what we do?
Not too long ago I was at my Mother-in-law’s home with family, and I had brought the Sun Doll (now called O Happy Day). My Grandmother was ooohhhhing and aaahhhing over it and I was answering her questions. My Mother-in-law turned to another family member and said, “Oh, to be that talented.” and that family member said, “I am that talented! I’m really good at cutting hair and I’ve built my business myself!” HOORAY! A fellow artist nurturing her craft! And not afraid to talk about it. Would my Mother-in-law call herself an artist? Hmmm… perhaps. Probably not. Her son Joey spent hundreds of thousands of dollars at Art Center in Pasadena to become an artist. He’s very successful, and amazing at what he does. My Mom-in-law does amazing crocheting and can read patterns no problem, all self taught. She makes felted bags that are perfectly constructed with her own sense of style, and when people see them they want them! She does wonderful beadwork and wire work. She gardens up a storm and is a wonderful cook. She once restored an antique fringed lampshade that had a million beads missing. She figured out a way to do it on her own, and the results were beautiful. But would she put herself in the same category as Joey? No. Why not? You don’t need to have an official degree to declare your artistic standing. Just ask a 6 year old. So Mom, I’m just saying it out loud: you’ve got an amazing inner artist that you finally set free, and the world embraces your art. Keep it coming!
No matter how old you are or what you’ve learned so far, you can’t look back and say to anything you haven’t done up until now, “What a waste!” Because there’s still time. It’s NEVER too late to start anything. When someone asks me if I know how to do something in particular and I haven’t, I say, “No, I haven’t learned that yet.” Because who knows where the flow of inspiration will float us to? Our interests can be nurtured into any direction. The ways of the world mold and shape us into reinvented people at every moment. You’re not too old to do anything. You can’t use that as an excuse any more. Be brave enough to try something you like but haven’t tried yet, no matter how old you are. I think it's possible. And so does Amelia! By the way, if you need a ride anywhere, just let her know. |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 18 July 2007 )
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