Reason Over Passion
Although I always loved drawing from early childhood, I always felt pressure to do something ‘serious’ that would lead to a career. I was good, very good, at science and math. I liked learning how the world worked.
In 1957 the Soviet Union launched the first satellite, Sputnik 1, into space. This was a historic event, and the West came under tremendous pressure to win the ‘space race’. I was strongly encouraged to pursue science and become a physicist. (I never really knew what this meant, but it sounded glamorous.) I worked hard to get an Engineering Physics degree and a PhD in Solid State Physics. By 1972 this early dream was realized as I became a research scientist.
I put off art as significant activity for years, then decades. My artistic desires were not completely buried. I would visit art galleries, design house renovations, and take art classes. Some inner longing was never fully satisfied.
In 2007 as my career as a scientist I was drawing to a close, I wondered what I might do with my retirement years. I could retire in my early 60’s so I had energy, income and time. Could I indulge in a fantasy and take up art seriously? Slowly an idea emerged. What if I went to art school?
Dream vs Reality
Halifax had one of the best art universities in Canada. I felt excited and nervous that an art vocation could become a reality.
My first step was attending an orientation session at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD). The lecture hall was filled with high school students. My age, my outlook, and my apparel set me apart. I felt so out of place. I was filled with doubt. Was I too old? Could I learn new subjects? Could I become creative or artistic?
My art aspirations might have ended right there, but the possibility of joining the art world overcame my hesitation. I enrolled in first year of art school. My commitment to attend NSCAD had escape routes. I enrolled one semester at a time and gave myself permission to quit anytime.
Changing Paths
Art school became one of the most satisfying experiences of my life. I loved it! Age did not seem a matter once classes began, and everyone shared in a passion to make art.
The four years were filled with challenges and learning. I tried everything from print and film making, to sculpture, ceramics, drawing, and painting. I learned how to weld, use a potter’s wheel, paint with oils, cast bronze, and use computer graphics. Best of all almost every course involved working in a studio to create things. I loved art history too: it provided a connection from the old masters to cubism and abstract expressionism.
In 2011 I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art in Painting. I feel fortunate that I made the right decision to attend NSCAD.
Dreams Can Come True
Its not too late to make our dream a reality. Start by taking small doable steps. Each step forms the new path which leads us to our new destination.
“Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference”
– Robert Frost
