Curiosity is Good for this Cat

I have just returned from my third painting holiday. This was, as ever, hugely enjoyable and a welcome and refreshing break from my usual routine. These holidays have also introduced me to a new skill and a new source of wonderment. Having spent seventy years thinking of myself as devoid of any artistic skills whatsoever, it is a surprise and delight to discover that I can draw and paint, and I suspect that my age was my biggest asset when I picked up a paintbrush for the first time. 

Why? Because I had nothing to lose and nothing to prove. If I failed miserably it wouldn’t matter a jot and if I succeeded then it would open a whole new world of joyful possibilities.

My latest trip was to Andalusia in southern Spain. As usual it was held in a large villa in a beautiful setting, with excellent food and drink and with first rate tuition provided by a teacher who was fun, enthusiastic, encouraging and the life and soul of the party all day and every evening after supper. The group mainly comprised older women with one lone male who coped admirably with such a large female predominance, thanks to a dry wit and impeccable comic timing. 

I also worked out that I was the oldest female in the group by a few years, which is not unusual for me these days. I suspect that I was maybe 8 -10 years older than the average age of the group, but am confident that this wasn’t glaringly obvious. Which will hopefully lend some credence to the drum that I continually bang in these blogs, often supported by scientific research, that staying youthful is a combination of feeling fit and well, staying open minded and having a spirit of adventure. 

In an episode of his ‘Stay Young’ series, Dr Michel Moseley included ‘Staying Sharp’ as one of five vital components of youthfulness. Scientists at Cambridge University are currently conducting studies into so-called ‘super-agers’ whose brain function is much younger than their chronological age. Findings probably won’t surprise you too much! Super-agers have retained more neural connections than average, despite the inevitable loss of brain cells caused by normal ageing. How? By retaining curiosity about anything and everything and by constantly challenging themselves by learning new things. 

So, in the light of my new-found passion for painting, I thought I’d share some thoughts about how to learn something new when you are in later life and doing so from choice rather than necessity (i.e. to pass some infernal exam!)

Where to Start 

Maybe the best place to start is an unscratched itch. Something you’ve always wanted to try but have never found the time or had the headspace to explore. This might involve study of a subject that has always fascinated you like philosophy or history or archeology. Perhaps it's a language you’d like to learn from scratch or one which you once spoke but which has rusted from lack of use. Maybe you’d like to learn a new skill such as pottery or woodworking or macrame or Italian cookery. Perhaps you’d like an activity which is group based such as Nordic walking or Pilates or dancing or cold water swimming or ballet. Alternatively you might decide you want to pursue something musical like singing or learning to play the piano or the guitar. With painting I just wanted to see if my very strong visual sense (already expressed in makeup and a love of interior design) could translate into creating recognisable marks and colour on paper.

What’s Your Purpose?

The wonderful thing about new learning when you are older is that there doesn’t have to be any overall purpose apart from bolstering your mental acuity. Having pursued learning throughout my life for some instrumental purpose, as children and college students are encouraged to do, it is liberating to learn stuff for the sole reason that it's fascinating and life enhancing. It might also get you out of the house, give structure to your day or week, enrich your social circle and give you pleasure and fun. Depending on your chosen pursuit, your new learning might also be difficult, challenging and downright hard work (especially at the start), so your determination and resilience might also get tested.

How to start

If I knew absolutely nothing whatsoever about my chosen subject I’d go to YouTube first and watch some video content. I just did this for ‘Learn to Speak Italian’ and immediately found a 30 day programme with a daily lesson lasting around an hour. Within minutes I’d learnt that Italian is pronounced phonetically before I reminded myself that I’m supposed to be writing this blog! I’m definitely going back to YouTube when I have finished this, because it really caught my interest. Then there’s all the usual sources, including the local library, googling online courses, asking around for recommendations from friends etc. I would predict that once you decide what you want to learn, you will discover an amazing and surprising plethora of possibilities and opportunities.

I started my artistic endeavours in early 2022 by buying a book called ‘Drawing for the Absolute and Utter Beginner’ by Claire Watson Garcia. I also bought a sketch pad and a tin of 6 pencils and, very importantly, an eraser. Obviously outlay for these essentials was very modest, but it was enough to get me started. One of my earliest efforts was to draw some feathers (found in my garden) and I was so stunned by what I had managed to achieve that it transformed my whole attitude, because as soon as you start to get some confidence and belief, the only way is up. From drawing, I moved onto watercolour painting using both books and YouTube tutorials (I particularly like Paul Clark as a teacher) and then, quite by chance, Anna met Lorne Blyth, Founder of Flavours Holidays, which opened up a whole new world of pursuing my hobby with a group of like-minded people for a week in the Tuscan sunshine in summer 2022. 

Between that first holiday and my second one in Sicily in June this year I have used YouTube tutorials and various ‘How to paint’ books in order to practise and have fun. I have had some epic fails and a few satisfying successes. I am very clear that my overall objective is pleasure in the process of painting and drawing. I have no aspirations whatsoever to become An Artist. This relieves all pressure from my learning and frees me to experiment and enjoy myself. And, according to the teacher I had this year in both Sicily and Andalusia, I am making progress, which is heartening.

It’s Never Too Late

As you know, apart from getting married and having babies which I did in my 20s, I have done most things in my life at the ‘wrong age’. I went to college as a mature student at 34 and got my first proper job at the age of 38. I started Look Fabulous Forever at 65 and started doing physical exercise working with a personal trainer when I was 69. And now I have discovered a passion for drawing and painting in my mid-seventies. We are so conditioned to believe that there is a right and wrong time in life to do things, but that doesn’t have to be true if you decide otherwise.

The clocks went back last weekend which must be the perfect time to think about some new ways to fill the ever shortening days and ever lengthening dark evenings. If you decide to embark on some new learning it might mean new opportunities to get out of your comfort zone, to meet new people whilst stimulating your brain to create those vital new neural pathways. 

Curiosity may be very bad for cats but for us older humans it is the stuff of life and longevity!

Do share your experience of new learning in later life - this will be inspiring to all of us!

Link to the video interview I did with Lorne Blyth of Flavours Holidays: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_k8En29Oyw&t=281s

Tricia x

Watch Our Latest Video...

Upcoming Events:

Friday 10th November