a sassy group of ladies

Woo-Hoo we made it to the wall!

Last week I sent Donna Downey an altered brush for her Altered Brush Project of the creative Late Bloomers that were in my vase at that time.  Today I saw she had posted it on her site.  She even took a moment to write a note underneath it.  Get this...she called us a "sassy group of ladies".  Now doesn't that make you want to go around struttin' your stuff!!!

this amazing collaboration brush was made by a sassy group of ladies that affectionately call themselves the "Late Bloomers". In the card she says she has dedicated her blog to anyone who thinks, "they are too old to be creative." OMG i love it!

 

Cindy Lantier

I’ve always kind of envied the people who knew from childhood what they wanted to be.

That was never me! I was too interested in all the possibilities offered by the world around me.  In college, I wanted to be everything from a grief counselor to a quantum physicist! But never, did I want to be an artist!

I was blessed to have parents that fostered my creativity in different ways, even if they couldn’t support the notion of me making a living with my creativity. They both had a hard time seeing that a “regular person” could make a living writing or taking pictures. I grew up accepting their pragmatism. No big creative dreams for me! But lest you think that I wished, in the depths of my heart to draw or paint – I gladly shared the kitchen with my mother and played with power tools, with my dad.

I happily followed a variety of paths through college and beyond. I let life take me where it would, and had some grand adventures! Several years ago, however, I began to feel the need to express myself in a new way. It took me awhile, but I finally settled on mixed media. The way I can combine so many of the mediums and techniques that I love still takes my breath away! In addition to being so passionate about mixed-media art, I also love photography and writing.

One of my current passions involves the whole notion of creativity. Who gets to be creative? What does creativity look like? How can a person get to be more creative? What good is creativity to the everyday person? Because of this interest, I’ve decided to pursue coach training, so that I will be a certified Creativity Coach and a certified Life Coach (another example of my late blooming! I’m in my late 40s and I’ve just started training for my dream career!).

http://www.lantier.org

reminder

WHO'S THE NEXT CREATIVE LATE BLOOMER?

Come by Wednesday and see.

 

altered brush project

This is my entry for The Altered Brush Project sponsored by Donna Downey.  (click here to check it out)

It was alot of fun!!

Erin Keane

“Jump, and you will find out how to unfold your wings as you fall.”  Ray Bradbury

This quote became my mantra two years ago.

                 

I had been a middle school art teacher for twelve years. Being a teacher, of course, is very fulfilling in many ways. It is also extremely demanding on your physical, mental, and creative energies. During this time, I was also living with Chronic Active Epstein Barr Virus (or as my friend calls it, Chronic Arctic Einstein Butt). In a nutshell, the mononucleosis virus is chronically active in my body, never going into remission, causing a constant and intense source of fatigue and poor immunity. Year after year, I would become sick at the beginning of fall semester and stay sick until school let out. I attempted to lighten my load at school, but if you’ve ever taught in public education, you know that’s, um, not possible.

Two years ago, I had a bonafide meltdown in front of my parents, in the middle of my favorite restaurant -- complete with heave-sobbing and booger-bubbling and profuse-upper-lip-sweating – and I knew something had to drastically change. I have wonderfully supportive parents and friends who I confided in, and who gave me guidance and courage to step away from my job and focus on healing. I saved every spare penny, enough for one year’s salary, and then… I jumped! Twice! My first jump involved taking a year of personal leave from my teaching position and, one year later (starting this month), my second jump involved moving forward as a full-time artist.

I truly found out how to unfold my wings as I fell… once I made the decision and opened myself up to possibilities, doors and windows opened all over the place. It was almost as if projects and artists and galleries were waiting for me to come out and play. Things practically happened for me, and when I sought out opportunities, I usually got a huge and hearty YES. I take it as a sign that I’m heading in the right direction! My current obsessions are encaustic mixed media, handbound books, and visual journaling.

The butterfly has recently become a powerful symbol for me, signifying this period of personal transformation and growth.

I invite you to see more of my work and hear more of my story
http://www.art-is-try-artistry.blogspot.com and my website http://www.art-is-try-studio.com  

Cheers! Erin Keane

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Connie Wurster

Why I am a late bloomer?

Had I bloomed earlier in my life, my blossom would not be nearly as colorful.



Connie Wurster





In the 80's when my sons were little I was a self taught videographer, I did a couple of weddings as side jobs, but most of my taping was done of my children and their friends, making home movies of their plays and musicals.  I entered the corporate world after that and put down my video camera.

In the 90's I picked up a paint brush and some tempera paints. Creating a few gifts for family and friends , I mainly painted because it brought me joy.

The new millenium brought me a daughter and a new career as a portrait photographer, a career I could do part time while raising my daughter. I gleened alot of knowledge from the handful of studios I worked for over these last several years.




Now, in the second decade of the 21st century, I have found a way to combine 2 of my passions, photography and painting. "Portrait Impressions " is original photography, digital art, printed on canvas and hand embellished with acrylic paint.

This season I have joined the art faire world and shown my art on a monthly basis in Lake Villa at Julie's Coffee ,and got accepted to a juried art faire in August 2012 at the Adler Art Center in Libertyville.

http://www.impressionsphotographybyconnie.com/

 

THANK YOU FOR LEAVING A COMMENT. IT'S SIMILAR TO CLAPPING WHEN YOU HEAR SOMETHING THAT YOU LIKE.

reminder

Be sure to stop by on Wednesday to meet our newest creative Late Bloomer.

the story behind the blog

Here's the story behind the launching of the site.  I wanted to celebrate other creative "late bloomers".  I, also, believe their are many creative Late Bloomers out their who will benefit from hearing these stories.  It could be YOUR story that helps someone else have the courage to take that first step to realize her/his dream.  According to Wikepedia,  "a late blooming" adult is a person who does not discover their talents and abilities until later than normally expected.”  When I read that, it was describing me!

This project has been percolating since October 2011.  It was the night before I was to leave for  Sedona, AZ that this loud thought came into my head and wouldn't leave.  I couldn't go to sleep so I got up and starting writing in my journal.  I found myself creating this elaborate plan for a blog.  I barely knew what a blog was at that time.  Loads of thoughts just kept pouring out and I just kept writing.  In the wee hours of the morning I even went on line to acquire the domain name.  After quite a while I felt a sense of relief.  I knew within that I was done writing all my thoughts down..  I had received the message loud and clear.  I went to bed.  I slept.

The next morning John and I left for our trip.  When we got to Sedona,  we stopped at a open market.  I was drawn to this area where this man had displayed beautiful pieces of photography. I went to get a closer look and complimented him on his beautiful work and he said, "Thank You, I'm a late bloomer."  I nearly shit my pants!!!! (figuratively speaking)  I can't even tell you everything I was feeling.  I knew, at that moment, I was on the right track.  Then I met a lady named Deb Kusch.  At first our acquaintance was casual conversation but later in the week we started talking about our hopes and dreams.  OMGoodness I learned she was a potential 'late bloomer" who needed a little encouragement.  She, rightfully so, became my first flower to go into my vase.  You can read her story here.  She was put in my path to deliver me a message, thru her story, that I was on the right path.  Several other things happened on that trip that re-enforced what I knew to be true. 

I got home and "life happened".  It took me until January 2012 to write in my blog and all I did was put up an under construction sign with a projected start date.    On March 26, 2012, I wrote my 2nd entry apologizing for not making to the initial start date.   When I returned to the site on May 6, 2012 I discovered there was a message from Connie who was visiting my blog encouraging me to get the site going.  I, also, had acquired 2 Google Friends.  That was all I needed to know that I had to act.  I've been wanting to learn how to listen to my intuition and follow so here my my chance, again.  As they say... the rest is history. 

One more thing before I go......I know there are more creative Late Bloomers that have stories to tell.  Their story may be the one that encourages another person to move toward their dream.  I want to find them and tell their story.

Email me and I will send you details:  smileee001@gmail.com



Julie Crowe

Funny thing is... I'm not sure why I waited so long to pursue my passion, it's been my hobby for years.



I guess my parents raised me to believe that if I wasn't sitting in an office for eight hours a day being "some kind" of secretary, I'd never have a good career.

Fortunately, we control our own destiny!

It began as a teenage when I used to watch my brother take photos and develop them in our basement.  It was so exciting waiting to see a negative turn into a beautiful photo right in front of my eyes.   He was a huge influence in my love of taking photos and capturing beautiful memories. 

As life would have it, I did spend most of my career working in an office, however, I don't think I went or did anything without having a camera by me side.  When my husband was injured on the job, we were able to retire.  We moved to Florida and happen to be present when his youngest daughter got married.  We hired her photographer for the wedding and when we got together to view photos, I showed her the photos I had taken.  She complimented me enough to make me think that after all those years of taking pictures

for my own personal life that I too could become a photographer.  That maybe I can turn what was just a hobby for me into a career.  After all, I LOVE taking pictures...just ask my family!

In October of 2010 I enrolled in a photography class and in July of 2011 I received my diploma.  Since then I have opened a business called "Flutterberry Photography" and am enjoying every minute of it, from

photographing newborns

(which has turned out to be my favorite photo sessions,,they're just so cute)

children, families,  

 and weddings.

*"Never Let A Memory Flutterby"*

I'd like to give you a little insight into how I decided on my business name.  

My Flutterberry logo was designed in memory of my father who passed away 13 years ago.  The reminders of my father are incorporated in the logo of the butterfly beginning with the body of a strawberry.  The strawberry represents a strawberry milkshake, a smell I had sleeping on the same couch he died on and the last thing he had to drink on that couch.  Whenever I feel nervous, I have the smell of strawberries in the air to know that he is there with me.  The butterfly itself represents the butterfly that was present for two days before the funeral and reappeared at his grave site.  Butterflies now appear whenever I need to be reminded that my father is there with me day and night. 

“Thank you Dad for being the inspiration behind me following my dreams!”  ♥ xoxoxo

http://www.flutterberryphotography.com/

 

reminder

Cheryl Dorsey

I consider myself to be a late bloomer due to the fact

that I became side tracked by life for many, many years.

First I would like to say thank you to Teresa for inviting me to be a part of this wonderful series.

I graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in 1985 and dabbled in several creative ventures throughout the years. The last 15 were spent owning and operating a small frame shop/gallery. I closed my shop in December 2010. I wanted to try my hand at art again, but didn’t know exactly how or where to begin.

So it wasn’t until late last summer that the seed I buried deep inside began to take root. It was after I took Kelly Rae Roberts Flying Lessons e-course. A course dedicated to the growth and success of a creative business. Kelly’s experience and direction provided the tools (fertilizer), and encouragement (light) I needed to truly begin to grow.  After taking her course I learned how important it was to develop a strong foundation (root system). So I started a web/blog site, began entering local shows, and opened an Etsy account and Facebook Biz page. And with that and all the help, friendship and words of encouragement I received from my fellow Flying Lessons classmates I began to sprout…I started taking other art classes, began signing up for creative challenges and publicly posting my work.

At the present, I feel like a bud, still in search of my authentic creative voice. Hopefully, with a little more time, care and patience I will graciously begin to bloom.
 

To answer the question, what is my passion?

I would have to say art, in any form, shape, medium or pattern.

I believe creativity is God’s gift to our soul.

http://www.cheryldossey.com/

reminder

food for thought

Traci Wilkes

I’m a late bloomer in several areas of my life.

I got married for the first time at age 37 and a month before the wedding I was downsized at work. I decided that in the mornings I would check the jobs available, send tailored resumes, and cover letters and in the afternoon I would make the projects I had ear marked in my past issues of Somerset Studio and Cloth Paper Scissors.

One day after turning 38 , I found I was out of the glue I wanted to use to make texture on a box I was crafting. Not wanting to spend money, I laid the paint on newspaper and started experimenting with other glues that might enable me to make a texture. Then it happened. I spilled a bottle of re inker I had on the table from rubber stamping and it went all over my newspaper covered with paint and glue. (My coordination skills have yet to bloom). I took my brush and moved the ink around, added some spritzes of water and then walked away, disgusted with myself. When I came back later and everything was dry, I was surprised to find that in the dried ink, glue, and paint-a face was staring back at me. Creepy right?

Enchanted Forest

I decided to see if I could recreate the effect and sure enough I could, and did, over and over on at least 50 sheets of newspaper over the next few months (newspaper is a really cheap substrate for practicing). Creating intuitively became a type of therapy. Eventually I became braver and tried it on canvas board (again not wanting to waste money). Next, I went for it and tried it on stretched canvas. I realized that creating without a plan and without a goal, allowed my authentic self to emerge. Memories and emotions were out loud on canvas without me having to say a word.  An artist I barely knew said to me, "Traci, I’ve never seen anything like this, keep going". Another person said it reminded them of seeing things in clouds.

Pareidolia (parr-i-DOH-lee-ə):   is the human ability to see faces and shapes in random things like clouds and tree bark. This ability is a left over from early man who needed this as a survival skill.

This perfectly describes what my abstract art features.

         

What Tears May Fall

Wild Horses

At 39, I decided to join the local art guild and showed my art in public for the first time (which was nerve racking). During the year that followed I sold 10 paintings and I continue to blossom.  Some people like my art and some people don’t and that is okay. The very first buyer said, "its very metaphysical, isn’t it?" Of course I agreed with her, she was my first buyer and metaphysical sounds a lot better than creepy. Maybe they like my art because they like to look for the faces. Just the fact that they like it is enough for me. Its like the skunk said of Bambi, "He can call me flower if he wants to."

 

I love to see viewer’s faces when they realize they see a face or familiar shape in the painting. To see these things, you can’t just take a cursory glance, you actually have to be present in the moment, actively looking at the painting. When I’m lucky enough to see that reaction, I feel a connection, even if they don’t buy the art. I was able to get them to stop, just for a moment and be. Being present in the moment is not easy in our society and I feel joy that I can bring that pause in to their life. Just think, what if I had never lost my job?

Art doesn’t care how old you are! Regardless if you are 26 or 62, if you have the desire, then start making art.

 

https://www.facebook.com/TraciWilkesArtfulWorld

reminder

Jenny Petricek

   

Why/When did I become a late-bloomer?

My journey as a “late-bloomer” is best compared to the blossoming of this unexpected, tenacious flower; my creativity first made itself known to me in desperate circumstance.

Two and a half years ago, at age 31, I suddenly found myself out of work, a casualty of the economic recession, as well as a “human services” profession that was, ironically, beginning to forget that its employees were also humans—with feelings, financial obligations, and families to feed. Angry and scared, I sank into depression. Thanks to unemployment insurance and a series of part-time jobs, I was able to cobble together a living; however, I still felt the effects of damaged pride, lost independence, and uncertainty.

Around the same time, I visited a local bookstore and discovered some magazines devoted to something called mixed-media. I’d been a scrapbooker for years; however, the kinds of art displayed in these publications were new and complex and intriguing. The artists combined photos with their own drawings and brought together rich, bottomless layers of paint, pastels, fabric, old book pages, found objects, and vintage ephemera in their work. I knew instantly that I had to try this for myself—and so I did! Looking back, I’m honestly quite shocked that I was able to do that, considering that at the time my self-confidence was at an all-time low. However, I think that gentle “push” into mixed-media was just the thing I needed to rebuild my faith in myself and my talents. Doing the work of creating—collaging papers to a canvas, brushing paint over pages in a journal, getting my hands dirty and building layer upon layer of color—was the best kind of therapy, and offered an outlet for all of my emotions in this unsettling time of transition. It was certainly what got me through the tough moments and provided me with the wisdom to see that the loss of my job was actually a gift, that my original career was not an ideal fit for me, that I need to do creative work in order to feel fulfilled.

My biggest passion at this time is my art—not just the act of creating, but the learning and discovery process that comes from seeing the work of others, reading about their individual journeys and processes, and taking classes. I also love to write about my art on my blog. My other passions include reading, genealogy, tennis, and running. Right now I’m quite enthusiastic about my studies in graphic design, which I begin in the fall; I look forward to seeing where this new interest will take me and what it can teach me about myself and the kind of career I should have.

I encourage those interested in learning more about me and my artistic journey to visit my blog at http://startingoverstudio.blogspot.com/.

Reminder

Be sure to stop by Wednesday morning to read the rest of the story.

Deb Tisch

So, why am I a late bloomer?

Because I allowed life to kind of get in the way.

"I grew up Illinois, in a family of artists, though they never called themselves that. It was not until in the last few years that I began to understand this, to see what a blessing and inspiration my upbringing has been. "Creating" was always encouraged, but perhaps the biggest influence for me came from my Grandfather, a photographer, who taught me the basics and allowed me to work with him in the dark room.  I also grew up watching my Dad paint signs as a hobby and to make extra money.  This was before computer programs could design and print out what you wanted on the side of that truck or car or in your store window.  My Mom taught piano from the time I was ten. Music was always being played in our home, too, in one way or another by each of us.

So, why am I a late bloomer? Because I allowed life to kind of get in the way. 

You know, raising a family, etc., etc,, just working and buying groceries and daily living. When you do that, it's hard to think there might be an artist wanting to express herself deep inside.

Then a few years ago, two dear friends of mine here in Ohio invited me to an art event hosted by a group of Spiritual Directors. We each could choose from a list which art classes we wanted to attend, and then create something with our own hands at each session.  I saw colors, jewelry, paint, paper making, bead work, and so much more, and I was awakened to that artist within.  In the last couple of years the three of us have had our own little art classes (but not enough of them) in my home, making more collage and doing some painting.  I go through spells of creating mixed media pieces, and currently am ready to start another Spell (if you know what I mean).

My passion is all about sharing my story. The art form I use the most to do this is photography, but I also really enjoy writing and poetry. I believe that creating art is a spiritual practice, no matter which art form we use.

For me, looking at life through my lens, seeing the beauty that surrounds us everywhere, and sharing that with others, is the best way I can share what I'm learning."

http://www.deborahtisch.com/

Reminder.....