Unfurling: Five tips for starting art school in your 40’s or better
The lovely lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina) unfurling.
I love the lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina), which unfurls from a tiny fiddlehead to a tall and graceful fern five feet tall. I visit this fern often on hikes here in the Pacific Northwest and have come to see it as a kindred spirit. I am unfurling, like this fern, in my late 40’s, and it’s largely due to my decision to go to art school now rather than when I was younger.
I always loved making art. When I was three years old, my mom put watercolor paints and a paintbrush in my hands, and I immediately loved it. Years later, when I headed to college, however, it never occurred to me that I could go to art school. Instead, I followed my love of stories and became an English major. I developed a passion for the environment and social justice, and after graduation I started a career in organizing for these issues.
Nearly 25 years later, I realized that while I loved my work, I also felt like I missed out on art school. The only problem was, I was in my mid-40’s with a full-time career. Where was I going to find the time and money to go to art school? I was overwhelmed.
Since there was no playbook for this type of career change, I had to make it up as I went along. I had help from my friends, family, and a wonderful therapist. I learned a few things along the way, and I would like to share them with you.
Here are my top five tips for starting art school in your mid-40’s or better.
1. Identify your inner critic and work on your self-limiting beliefs.
What limiting beliefs are locking you out of your dreams?
Ok, first things first. What is your inner voice saying about your idea to go to art school? If your inner critic sounds anything like mine it may be saying things like:
“You’re too old to start a new career as an artist.”
“You’ll never be as good as those younger artists in class.”
“You can’t make enough money to support yourself as an artist.”
“You don’t have anything original to say as an artist so avoid embarrassing yourself.”
Ouch!
First, I want to say that these inner dialogs are totally normal. And, they are hurtful. I am not a mental health professional, but I have been through my own process of identifying my inner critic’s voice and it’s been immensely helpful to my art school journey. I am now able to recognize that voice when it pipes up, and now I can say something back like “I appreciate you are trying to help me, but no thanks.”
Self-compassion practice has also been very helpful for me when my inner critic is especially loud. I recommend Dr. Kristen Neff’s website self-compassion.org as a treasure of resources and guided practices.
I also recommend getting inspiration from others who have transitioned into a “second act” or mid-life career change. Books like A Glorious Freedom by Lisa Congdon are a great way to get inspired.
2. Embrace the Beginner’s Mind.
Be open to developing a Beginner’s Mind.
As a recovering perfectionist, doing things I am not good at really challenges me. I somehow acquired a belief that perfection is the goal of every endeavor, and I am continually unlearning this belief. When it comes to trying something new like art school, especially in your 40’s or better when you may be at the top of your game in your career, it feels very weird to start something new.
That’s where the beginner’s mind practice from mindfulness training comes in handy. This is one of the principles of mindfulness outlined by Jon Kabat-Zinn in The Attitudes of Mindfulness. He describes Beginner’s Mind as “a mind that is willing to see everything as if for the first time.” This is essential for any art practice, like when we draw an object we think we know but upon studying it we see it clearly for the first time.
3. Consider an art certificate program that meets your needs.
Let’s be real; art school is expensive. If you have the money and the time to do a BFA or MFA in fine arts at the art school of your choice, that’s great! I did not. I needed to keep working to support myself while I was in school. That led me to an art certificate program at Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) here in Portland. It’s a program geared toward working people. With programs in painting, illustration, graphic design, it seemed like a great fit for my needs and was very affordable compared to a full-time BFA or MFA program.
For the past three years, I have taken one or two classes per term, on evenings or weekends. I started in early 2020 with in-person classes, but all of my classes since then have been virtual. This worked around my job schedule well. I only had to give up one or two evenings a week, and I still had my weekends free.
I decided I didn’t need another BA degree to do what I wanted to do with art, but that’s a personal decision. Ask around and don’t be afraid to go a non-traditional route to get the art education you seek.
4. Augment your learning with online courses outside of your school curriculum.
Augment your learning with online courses from other artists.
While I love the art certificate program at PNCA, one thing it lacked was how to start a business as a creative professional. I sought out resources from other artist solopreneurs, like Lisa Congdon and Molly Suber Thorpe’s books on the topic.
I also augmented my learning with online courses. I learned calligraphy virtually from Becca Courtice of The Happy Ever Crafter (I highly recommend her Show Me Your Drills course and YouTube channel). I learned pointed pen calligraphy virtually from Lindsey Bugbee of The Postman’s Knock who has a wonderful online course that is very affordable.
I also took online courses on watercolor and illustration from Domestika, and on business and accounting with my local community college, Portland Community College’s Small Business Development Center.
Bottom line: search for what you want to learn from other artists! Many artists supplement their income by teaching, virtually or in person. You will help support the artist community and learn about your chosen topic. It’s a win-win.
5. If possible, flex or cut back your hours at your day job.
Let’s face it, in our 40’s and better, we don’t have as much energy as we used to. That’s ok! We do, however, need to be smarter about how we spend and prioritize our time. This is especially important if we have any limitations with our bodies. For example, I have chronic eye pain, so I need to pace myself and put my most important assignments early in my day while my eyes feel the best.
Don’t be shy, ask for what you need.
For me, this looked like cutting back my hours at my full-time job from 40 hours/5 days a week to 32 hours/four days a week. This was still considered full-time with my employer at the time, so I was able to maintain my benefits and health insurance. However, I had to take a 20% pay cut to do it. It was worth it to me to have one day a week I could dedicate to classes and schoolwork, and still have a weekend to myself.
For others, this may look like flexing your hours so that you work 10 hour days 4 days a week, or shifting your hours from morning to evening so that you can work on art in the morning. If you have children or other family members to care for, this may look like asking a trusted friend to help one night a week when you are in class. Figure out what works for you, then ask for what you need. Which brings me to…
6. Bonus tip: Ask for what you need.
“Ask for What You Need” art prints available in my shop!
This was super hard for me since I have always prided myself on being very self-sufficient (see tip #2 re: perfectionism). It turns out we all need help! Asking friends and family for help is a good place to start. Once you feel comfortable with that, ask your supervisor and colleagues for support as you embrace your new art school journey.
I hid the fact that I was in art school from my boss and coworkers for my first year in art school. I was in disbelief that I was actually doing it so I was embarrassed to tell my colleagues. I also didn’t want to overwhelm my team. When I finally told them, they were super excited for me and asked how they could support me.
It took me a while to even know what to ask for, but eventually we all came to agreement about how we could work around my new reduced-hour schedule together. For example, I handed off some of my assignments to my teammates as a way to reduce my workload and also to create an opportunity for them to build experience.
Now when I look at myself in the mirror, I first see my laugh lines, my sparkly gray hairs, and my tired eyes. But if I look again, I also see an artist, unfurling like the lady fern.
It takes courage and vulnerability to consider a new path in life, and I know from personal experience that it isn’t easy.
I hope that my story will encourage you to follow your art school dreams, no matter your age. I can’t wait to hear your stories of unfurling!
