As part of my work’s mission (healing and enrichment via art play), I spend a fair amount of time in senior communities and care centers. I love getting the chance to give back to folks who have given so much, and who can also be forgotten. I think a lot about aging brains, and I hear the phrase “I’m too old to learn new things” a lot when I first arrive. I’d like to take whoever said “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” outside and give them a firm…grip on a paintbrush! Because the idea that we should stop finding new joy or learning new things at any age is, in my observation, completely false.
When I walk into a senior community, as I wait for participants to arrive, I get a lot of questions. Who am I? What do I really do for a living? What are we making? These go on for a couple of minutes before, inevitably, the talk turns to reasons for, and jokes about, impending artistic failure. “I can’t do that at my age,” or “I can’t start painting now,” or, the ever popular with all adults, “I can’t draw a stick figure.” I hear that last one so much, and my response is always something like, “me neither.”
I give that some space to sink in, and then explain that I would never bring in a project I wasn’t completely confident would be achievable and fun because I want to come back one day! I also explain that the only reason we think our art is bad is because we compare it to other people’s art, and comparison is the thief of joy.
We start the projects, and the concern and jokes turn to questions of “am I doing this right?” My response to that is always “well, do you like it?” If the participant says they like it, I tell them I do, too, and encourage them to carry on. If they say they don’t like it, I ask what is bothering them about it, and offer help to fix the symptom they are describing.
I’m not trying to make people into other versions of me or fine artists, after all. I’m trying to help people see a version of themselves who can find joy, creative spark, and peace in trying something new, at age. My job is not to make anyone into #worldsbestartist. There are far better artists than me who can teach skills and techniques better than I ever could. My job is simply to encourage people to do what I did for myself at 42 years old with no artistic skill or training.
Pick up that creative thing that always sounded interesting, play without fear of judgment or overthinking, and know that we are never too old to just have some fun.
Sara Middleton is a freelance columnist and resident artist/owner of Studio Sol Gallery & Creative Space in Eagle Grove, Iowa. Email her at sara.studiosol@gmail.com or find Studio Sol on Facebook or Instagram.
