Am I Too Young or Too Old To Start Something Creative?

People often wonder if they are too old or too young to start a new hobby. I know I’ve been told on many occasions I was either too young or too old to do something. Neither situation was true.

When are we ever the right age for something?

Right now. It’s the best time to start.

I’ve heard the Chinese proverb “the best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The next best time to plant a tree is today.”  The same is true with any creative pursuit.

I was about 4 years old when my Grandmother was trying to teach my older sister basic sewing skills. My sister wasn’t interested, but as the ever curious little girl who wanted to do what her big sister was doing, I wanted to learn. At first my grandmother said I was too young, but upon seeing my interest she adapted how she was teaching to accommodate my smaller hands. I was given paper, yarn, and a darning needle, and started learning how to sew.

I never looked back.

I practiced simple embroidery and basic sewing stitches on and off for years. I could sew on buttons if I needed to. Then when I was around 8 or 9 I wanted to get a backpack for the next day at school, but we didn’t have time to go buy one. I told my Dad I’d go make one, to which he replied something like there was no way I could do it. A couple hours later I had a hand-sewn backpack that I made on my own. He was amazed, and often uses that as an example of how I can do anything I put my mind to.

Then when I was taking some Continuing Education courses in my early 20s I was often the youngest person in the class. By the time I went to college full-time, I was one of the older people in class. By the time I started University I was usually one of if not the oldest person in the class. In the blink of an eye I went from the youngest to the oldest. Age really is all about your mindset when it comes to learning.

Yes, if you’re younger or older the style of learning is different, but everyone can still learn. It may take a little longer to get the basic concepts, or to move your hands in the way they’re supposed to move, but everyone is capable of learning at any age. In fact, it’s good for us.

Learning something new helps to stretch our neural pathways, to keep our mind working the way it should. If we’re only ever doing the same thing day in and day out, our mind will become lethargic and uninterested in what we’re doing. When we start popping in new things to do or learn, it suddenly wakes up and becomes interested again like “oooh! What is this we have here! A new treat to feast on!!” Our brain was built for learning, and has an amazing capacity to do so. Let’s not sell ourselves short - we can do this!

I love seeing examples of people who started to do things as they were older and the success that they had from it, to use that as a milestone that we’re not too old to start something. And if we pick up a creative pursuit as a young child, with proper encouragement and guidance, who knows where that could lead us? Imagine living as a thriving artist from a young age, fulfilling our dreams and not having to spend decades surrounded by grey cubicles and people treating you as less than you are.

Like planting a tree, the best time to start a creative hobby was twenty years ago. The next best time to start is today.

What are you going to try? What really inspires you? What are you passionate about? Have you always wanted to learn how to play guitar? Or to weld? How about glass blowing? Or stained glass? Or even drawing architecture in perspective?

Go ahead!! Get started today, and see where it leads you! :)

If you’re interested in dipping your toes into the creative well, check out my 5 Day Creativity journal, which includes some writing and a drawing exercise. Let me know what you think of it — feedback (preferably kindly worded feedback) is always welcome!