Over the years I have had many, many people contact me and ask me if it's too late to start drawing or painting? Is it too late to start creating art and follow their passion?
The funny thing is I have had teenagers who were half the age of me, tell me that they feel like it's too late for them to start. They're 14 and 15 years old and they already feel like it's too late to start now if you're a lot older in your 60s or 50s or even 40s and you're reading, this you're probably laughing right now because that is just so ridiculous for a young person to think.
I feel just the same about somebody in their 70’s. They probably feel like they can't get to where they want because they they're going to start too late. They'll never be able to learn it or they'll never be able to be good at it.
Don’t Live with Regrets
But I really think that you will regret it if you don't just start and do what you want to do no matter what age you are. No matter what step in the journey you are in your life, you're going to regret it if you don't start to do what you want to do right now, regardless of what you think or what you feel or what kind of beliefs you have.
If you think it's too late or you're not going to be able to get where you want or you'll never learn it, you'll never be good at it - it doesn't matter. There's a lot of people late in their life they had something they were passionate about when they were young but instead of following that they ended up having a family and getting a career they became a doctor and they realized when they got older that they should have painted earlier in life and now they feel it's too late for them to start. They are retired now and feel it's just too late.
I think this is a very dangerous idea because you're gonna regret if you don't start, no matter what age you are. We want to try to avoid regret at all costs in our lives.
A Change In Mindset
I have this idea that it's never too late to start something. The reason is because as long as you enjoy what you're doing and you're willing to learn, I think that's all you need. You just need the passion, the enjoyment of it, and the willingness to learn.
You have to change the way you think about creating. You have to have fun. Enjoy the process. It's not about the end goal. It's not about how good you're going to get or about having a career with it. Put all that aside.
Why do you want to learn to draw? Why do you want to create?
There's something inside of you that's that's coming out of you. You have this burning passion inside of you that wants to create something. So fulfill that feeling. Create. Start creating. It's never too late
Change the way you approach this and what you're going to learn is that you're able to try something even though you thought it was too late to try.
Happiness Isn’t Limited by Age
I've had people that have had success that have been 72 and 83 years old and they started drawing from some of my tutorials and they're so happy they started. They never thought they could learn at such an old age. They're finding peace and joy at such an older age. I think this could happen at any stage in your life.
You don’t have to be 70 or 80 and you don't have to be 14 or 15. You can be 30 years old or 55 years old and start learning animation or start learning something new. There's no time limit on any of these skills or passions. As long as you have a passion for it and the willingness to learn it and put energy into it.
It comes down to this question:
Do you want to be happy?
Ask yourself this. Remember that: You don't want to regret not trying.
A very important quote I've heard before is:
“The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
I think that perfectly sums up drawing and thinking it's too late to start. You could have started a few years ago and now it's too late but the best the second best time to start is right now, so go for it. Don't let anything stop you or hold your back.
The only thing holding you back is your own thoughts.
