Firstly, I would begin by explaining what is an Art? So, art is a highly diverse range of human activities engaged in creating visual, auditory, or performed artifacts— artworks—that express the author’s imaginative or technical skill, and are intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power.
Learning art is a form of meditation in itself and has no boundaries with respect to age and gender. Art exploration is not only fun and engaging but also educational. Learning to draw and paint or any other art form isn’t a skill learned overnight but that doesn’t mean that it is ever too late to start.
There is no one age that is best to learning art, it will be personal to each of us. Most of us will learn when we have the time and commitment to do so. “Age is a state of mind,” says 89-year-old Captain Krishnan Nair, who set up the first Leela Hotel, The Leela Kempinski in Mumbai, at the age of 65. “I still feel that I am a beginner and have yet to learn a lot,” says Captain Nair.
According to the experts, what may take the average person 15 years to master an art may take late beginners only five years once their genes sync up. Even though they started late, progress can be rapid and make up for the lost time. During this lockdown, one got an opportunity to excel in their hobbies and passion towards anything be it cooking, baking, dancing, singing, or any other art form.
Every day through social media handles one could witness how much caliber an individual has as they showcase their hidden talents.
Taking up real-life examples of people who do prove that there is no age to learning art:
- Mark Twain wrote Huckleberry Finn at age 49. Mostly, Twain wrote short humor and travel pieces until he published Tom Sawyer at age 41.
- Corporate guru and author Gurcharan Das took up writing as his principal occupation in his 50’s. “One must consider the whole life as a work of art,” says Mr. Das.
- Dr. Bhagwati Oza was awarded the National Award for Older Persons for Sports and Adventure at the ripe age of 79. Where most of us want to settle down in a rocking chair by 79.
- Mahesh Palta, Noida’s ‘water yogi’ who believes that yoga is all you need to stay fit and learned it at the age of 60.
- After taking up running at 89, Fauja Singh runs marathons that would leave people half, no, a quarter of his age gasping for breath.
- Piqued by mountaineering at 35 and mother of two, Premlata Agarwal has scaled the seven summits in seven continents, becoming the first Indian woman to do so.
- Deepa Malik won a silver medal in the Paralympics in her 40s. She has undergone 31 surgeries that healed after 183 stitches between her waist and legs.
- G.R. Gopinath took to aviation and set up his own company at an age when many just want to sit back and ponder about life.
This list may go on and on and on. These legends are truly an inspiration for all of us teaching us the value of art and one’s desire to learn and excel.
During this lockdown, one got an opportunity to excel in their hobbies and passion towards anything be it cooking, baking, dancing, singing, or any other art form. Every day through social media handles one could witness how much caliber an individual has as they showcase their hidden talents. So, it’s never too late to learn the art. So put on your thinking hats and begin.
About the Author: This article is written by Shristi Biswas.
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