Starting Art After 40: How Drawing Helps Your Brain and Health

My husband passed away very suddenly 2 years ago. I was absolutely lost so I decided to get my paints etc out which I hadn’t used for over 20 years and decided to do a painting a day.(I am not an artist just a ‘hobby painter’. It has helped me enormously. My painting things are permanently set up in a nice spot in my kitchen where I can look out into the garden. There is no doubt it is one thing that has given me pleasure through a terrible time, not only that my painting has improved and I now have people asking me for my pictures. 😁🇬🇧

I am 71 and about 9 yrs ago I took up digital drawing and it saved my life.

I love this message. I am a beginning watercolor painter. I am 78 years young. I started after surgery to remove a tumor on my brain stem. After I was able to regain strength in my arms and hands, I decided to teach myself using YouTube tutorials. It has been so much fun. I paint for myself, but have sent cards with some of my small paintings to my family and friends. If I can start at 78, I encourage others to just begin and enjoy the process.

I’m 57. Spent the last 8 years of my life taking care of my Parents. It was an honor and a privilege. Now they have passed and it seems some of my youth has as well. I needed to see this. It’s lonely in the house they left to me. I’m signing up for pottery classes this next week. Always wanted to do that. Thank you.

“Even if you’re not that great at it you still get the benefits.” When you said that, wow, how it resonated! Thank you!

In my late 30s my long-standing chronic illnesses shifted into overdrive - liver failure at 38, minor stroke at 39, liver transplant at 42… I’ve been pretty disabled by my health since 2018, and have severely limited energy, but over those same years I’ve felt more motivated than ever to spend that energy creating. Drawing, watercolor, collage, crochet. 2024 vibes so far are pointing me toward more writing. Thanks for encouraging me to lean into all this.

I will be 80, next month, and I draw and color every day and post my work on various Facebook groups. Sometimes the work is pretty good and other times it is pretty weak, but it is the process of art that matters, not the result.

As a long time artist myself, my best advice to anyone who says they can't draw or paint, is to paint and draw as badly as you can. Paint using the wrong colors, do stick figure cartoons of your day. Do anything. Draw yourself sitting at a table with a cartoon balloon over your head that says whatever you are thinking. The point is to do.... Anything. If it starts to feel like pressure, go back to having fun with it. 🙂 Who cares? You are doing it for you.🙃

I’ve always loved art, but didn’t start getting “serious” about it until after my Mom died. I was 57 at the time; am 60 now. It has been a lifesaver. Literally. Thanks for sharing these thoughts, Danny! All the best to you! ❤

Thank you for this video. I’m 18 years old, probably not within the age group this video is meant for. For as long as I can remember I’ve always felt pressured to be good at things. When I was a little girl I felt so overwhelmed by all the skills I should learn because if I didn’t start learning it very young, I’d never be good at it. Now even though I’m still a young pup I feel like it’s already too late to learn new things. It’s nice to hear that it doesn’t matter how good you are at something. I hope you will all keep learning new things. Have a nice and artistic day!

68 years old ... semi-retired from a 38 plus year as a self employed software developer ... "criticized" as a child for my lack of artistic/creative "talent" .... 6 weeks into watercolor painting with underlying drawing ... HOORAH!!! I am LOVING the learning and the practice. I have been a hobby photographer for many years and recently a videographer/video editor ... LOVE those outlets also. Ultimately, I realized that I did NOT need to buy into the "not creative" judgement I perceived as a child/young adult. I am loving creating photography/videography/watercolor and drawing. Thank you so much for this video of affirmation!!! ***EDITED to add: 'The Power of NOW!' Eckhardt Tolle ❤❤❤

63 and a total newbie here. I asked my husband just this morning; "remember when you were a child say 5 or so, and how you just loved to draw, to paint, to make?" Such a shame most of us were shut down so soon. What great works of creation we could make if we can just go back to 5 years old and not be shut down. I try to make this my habit going into 2024. Thank you for your wonderful channel. I love your calm teaching style! Here's to the 5 year old in all of us. Happy New Year!

Love your thoughts 😊 I became 87 this month

My Mom has late stage Alzheimer’s. She was a crafter and I credit her for my love of creating. Some of things she made are among my most precious possessions. The ones you’d run into a burning house for. Because of her I’ve been an artist since I was old enough to hold crayons and finger paint. Throughout my 46 years of life I have gone through long dry periods without creating. I was in a dry period when I lost my Dad to COVID during lockdown. Between my father’s passing and my mother’s debilitating and terminal illness, I stumbled on watercolor. I used it before in school but never seriously and for whatever reason - I think it’s the challenge of the media - I have totally fallen in love with it. My best mental health self care is spending time playing with paint in the creative flow state. I create worlds where the awful and sad parts of my current reality don’t exist and being in those places lets me breathe and brings me joy, and sometimes even a little bit of pride.

I’m turning 61 tomorrow (NYE), and 2024 will be “Born in ‘62, turning 62”, so it’s as good a time as any to open up all those coloured pencils I’ve been squirrelling away all these years and start using them! May 2024 be everyone’s best year yet! ❤🎉

I started drawing and painting regularly after I turned 40 after I was hit by a car and seriously injured. Art has had an amazing healing effect on my body and mind. I live with chronic pain resulting from the accident, but when I’m painting and absorbed in what I’m doing, the pain diminishes considerably. Art is actually way better than pain medication 😂 I agree, it’s never too late to start and I feel sad for people who say they’re too old or they have no talent, because it’s so limiting. Right now, creating art in different forms brings me the most joy in life, and makes me look forward to each day.

I have been drawing daily after I just happened to throw in a sketchbook for myself while Christmas shopping for my daughters a couple of months ago. I'm turning 48. I'm not half as bad as I thought I'd be after not drawing anything for decades! Most amazing recovery so far has been the way self-portraits have taught me to appreciate my aging face! I've been drawing them almost daily, and I notice that they work almost exact opposite than "selfies". While drawing, I really pay attention to all those small wrinkles and lines and textures of my skin, I try to capture the little sagging in my jawline and find the right shade for darkness under my eyes. I know that they all are what makes my face MY face. Which is exactly opposite of what I usually do during, let's say Zoom calls, when I try to optimize the light and makeup and camera angle to hide all these same "embarrassing" imperfections! And I have noticed that after all these self-portraits, I have much more compassion and appreciation for my very own, special, aging "super model" (your term!) face.

Danny, thank you, now I know how I got thru my husband’s final months of Alzheimers. For some reason I began sketching and sketching during that time. It helped me cope with the stress and grief of what I was going thru. This wasn’t intentional, I just found it helped me. I love that there is science behind it. Thank you so much for your videos.

I started drawing at 37 years old while going through a severe depression. It has been my healing path ever since. 7 years later, I keep drawing every day and it's my great source of joy and proud. Making art is real medicine. I couldn't even draw an apple when I started but I focused on the pleasure of learning a new competence and having pure fun. Thanks for your video and for sharing parts of your beautiful sketchbooks 😍

I used to draw when I was a kid. I was decent at it. stop around my 20s. I'm relearning how to draw at 41. and I'm loving every second of it.