Is There an Age to Become an Artist?

Today I would like to tell you my story. Because I think it answers a question many people ask themselves quietly: is it too late to start?

A wish that had always been there

When I think back, I already loved art classes at school. I have even kept a drawing from that time.

But then I was a teenager, then a young woman more interested in spending time with friends and boyfriends… In short, I didn't take the time to sit down and carry on. And nobody encouraged me to. In my family, culture mattered a lot, but studies came first. Being an artist was not a job, not an option. So I forgot about it.

The famous cat

Around the age of 30, I already had three children, and I felt the urge to start again. I bought myself some paints and paper, and I painted… my famous cat!

The reactions were, let's say… very mixed! I didn't really feel encouraged. So I put everything away, telling myself it wasn't for me.

At 50, a new road

Then, at 50, my life changed course. The children were grown up and had left the nest, I was going through a divorce and had a new path to find… and painting came back, as if it were obvious.

This time, I no longer wanted to wonder whether I was good enough. I just wanted to paint. I gave myself the freedom to try, to make mistakes, to learn, and above all to keep going. I found people who encouraged me, and I really needed that. A few years later, I was having my first exhibitions.

In the meantime, I had also moved to Portugal. I think that somehow freed me from the way the people around me used to look at me.

And today

Today, I have exhibited in several European countries, my work has been appraised by an expert, I have a real artist's studio and more than 300 artworks to my name. When I think back to the little girl who loved drawing at school, the road travelled seems quite incredible to me.

There is no age

So, is there an age to become an artist? For me, no. There is simply the permission you give yourself to try, and the confidence you build, little by little, along the way. Even if you never quite stop doubting yourself!

And you?

Have you ever set a passion aside? Did you find it again? If you too have a wish tucked away in a corner for years, maybe now is the time to bring it out. Tell me all about it on WhatsApp, I'd love to hear from you.

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It is never too late to start. But sometimes, it takes time to give yourself permission.

With warm encouragement,

Lenon B

Contemporary painter, Ericeira, Portugal