Loretta Headrick

I look back at my "late blooming" almost daily. 

Still surprised at the mystery that laid so long undiscovered 

in these two older hands. 

At the time, I was a nurse on a mental ward and on death row in a California state prison.  I also cared for my dying mother.  I worked all day with prisoners, and my husband and I cared for Mom at night.  My favorite hobby had always been sewing, but there was no time or thought of hobbies while Mom was so ill.  Emerging, from mourning after her passing, I thought to look online at art dolls and collector dolls, a hobby of mine long since abandoned. Along with beautiful dolls I saw DVDs about how to sculpt a doll.  Intrigued, I ordered a DVD and promptly sculpted squatty aliens that were truly alarming-many of them for many weeks-and all equally poor.

I went online to look for sculpting techniques, gleaning all I could.  One search contained reference to the sculpting techniques inside two books by Katherine Dewey, Sculpting a Life-like Figure in Polymer Clay and Sculpting Life-like Animals in Polymer Clay. With everything to gain I ordered the books.  I had struggled for a couple of months with lumps of clay without success.  These books contained precise pictures and sculpting methods and in a very short time I had my first lifelike sculpt.  No one could have been more stunned than me.  

Ahesh "the warrior"

Two hands that had never sculpted successfully held the head of an African warrior who looked up at me with expression and realism. My first human sculpt. I was amazed.!

She is wigged by Susie McMahon of Tasmania.

Since then I have sculpted animals, full figure dolls, face masks, and full head and shoulder plates to affix to cloth dolls. My passion for sculpting is the human face.

Lolly

Equally strong is my passion for color and texture which led to bead embroidery and bead weaving at age 60.   This year a bead woven necklace I made will be published in the Nov/Dec 2013 issue of of Beadwork magazine.                               







Then there is an iconic painting of St. Nick I did in November 2012 at age 62.








At 63, I can't wait to see what's next.

Marie Sardalla-Davis

All the other flowers have peaked, but we're popping out multiple blossoms like a floribunda. This is what I'd tell my 20-something stay-at-home mom self.  "Is this all there is?" my 20-something self had asked, staring at the dirty laundry. Little did I know!

"Am I all washed up?" my 44-year-old self had lamented, driving home after losing my job as a well paid speech writer and editor.

"How did I live this long and not know I could do this?" I ask my 49-year-old self almost daily.

After being unchained from my desk and adjusting our lifestyle so we could live on just my husband's income, I focused on becoming the best ballroom dance teacher and choreographer I could be. It had been my evening job for two years prior.  To save on costumes for annual performances, I design and sew my and my partner's costumes from thrift store finds. I have never taken a sewing class and still don't own a machine. Everything is handsewn. To think I hated my home economics classes!

I really enjoy the challenge of reinventing clothing discards. They've been dismissed as has-beens—we have that in common. I see a has-been as a will-be, waiting for someone to see the beauty it can be. This passion led me to open an etsy shop of upcycled women's clothing. I haven't bought any new clothes for myself in three years, but my dance students often express astonished delight at what I wear. I plan to sew a series of prayer flags and chuppahs, too. 

My Facebook business page and blog are a way for me to brighten someone's moment with whimsy or cause them to notice something meaningful. It's amazing and so gratifying to have the opportunity to encourage someone I have never met in person. This month I began to widen my local circle of encouragement by training to be a yoga teacher specializing in baby boomer health needs.

Blooming late means I have the luxury of focusing on my husband, our Maine Coon cat, and me. Our three daughters are grown and well adjusted, and we have two grandsons to enjoy. 

I think back and chuckle that back when I worked at a desk, I was denied a three percent raise because, as the temporary vice president put it, "All she does is write." She may have been right at the time, but she isn't now.

You can watch a video of one of my dance performances at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEqRM0uWjcI.

I blog at Scrollwork: Quirkyisms from a Tropical Transplant at www.scrollwork.blogspot.com

My upcycled wearable art shop is Swoosh by Scrollwork at http://www.etsy.com/shop/SwooshbyScrollwork

Come get your daily quirky at http://www.facebook.com/ShopatSwoosh

Thank you for this opportunity to tell my story, Teresa!

thanks for listening

I will  spare you all of my long sentimental emotions in this post to simply assure you that I am learning to trust in the Universe.  Letting go is probably one of  my hardest lessons ever  to learn .  Yet within the last few years it has been one of the easiest changes  to implement.  Being consistent with it is still a work in progress.  Confusing, huh?   For most of my adult life I have been a goal setter, making a plan and working the plan.  Writing out my 10 most important things to get done each day and then getting them done. Following all the steps to achieve my desired results.  Not too long ago  I realized that I am only responsible for my actions and once I have done all that I can do I have to release it.  And accept whatever results come my way.  This is what I have been experiencing with this blog.

Sharing stories of other creative Late Bloomers pulls on my heart strings. I simply LOVE sharing your stories.  I LOVE witnessing the friendships developed.   Magical things can happen when we let out creative spirits out to play.  Everyone has a story and it’s in telling your story that  you can encourage and inspire someone else.    Being a creative Late Bloomer is not about being a certain age or doing something totally magnificent.  It’s about finding your creative self, later in life, even in the simple things.  So for those of you who do not think your story matters I am here to tell you that is does.  Your creative story, large or small, does matter. 

As you are aware,  it’s been a little while since I have introduced a new creative Late Bloomer.   This is the part where “I will spare you all of my long sentimental emotions”.   I have avoided addressing it because I have felt  like I was let you guys down.  I know, I know... that sounds crazy!  It even sounds crazy as I write it but it is the way I have been feeling.   

As fate would have it, I happened upon Brene Brown on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday.  What she said impacted me and the way I had been feeling.  Once I openly admitted that to myself, thru journaling, I realize, once again that I had not been practicing  “letting  go and trusting”.  It is false to think that I am letting anyone down when the truth I merely in a lull to find stories to share.  Right?  I believe in the impact of your stories.  I believe  the stories are out there.  I believe they will be directed to me.  Just hang in there with me during this time.  And be ready for some awesome  stories to come your way.

Thanks for listening.