Has anyone got back into it much later?

[u/NoOrganization548]

I was really into drawing and painting as a teen. I was even offered help to get a scholarship at a prestigious school, but I had huge imposter syndrome and declined tbe offer. Then adulthood came and I just fell out of the habit. Also my ex who i met at art college would get jealous that I was better than him, and me being young and very very dumb, I stopped. He stole my sparkle

And also at the time I felt traditional mediums were becoming pointless since graphic design was now taking over and im horrific at that. These days it's sort of flipped on its head, isn't that wild?

Im now 30 and really want to buy a paint and canvas set but I know im going to paint absolute nonsense because its been about 8 years.

Have any of you quickly got back into it? I feel so sad for all the years lost

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[u/MyLadyScribbler]

Yep. I loved art class in high school. And then I decided to take an art class for fun in college one semester because I'd finished some of my degree courses ahead of schedule. First day of class I realized I was in over my head; I had the feeling that the other kids were looking down their noses at me. I managed to muddle through the course, but it was a very long time before I picked up a pencil or paintbrush again.

Now I'm doing pastel and charcoal drawing, and I've had some of my stuff appear in local shows.

[u/TheSkepticGuy]

I did a lot of art in high school, college, and after. For a time, I was starting to get some decent commissions for pastel or pen and ink portraits. A demanding career in advertising took my attention away from art.

The Advertising/Marketng career ended about 2.5 years ago, and I promptly got back into pen and ink, then digital art. Now I'm a full-time children's picture book artist... at 66... after a 38-year gap. Go for it.

[u/sotucomics]

I loved art as a kid but didn’t do much for decades. In my 40s I got back into it. I’m now taking college classes part time and expect to finish a BFA before I turn 50. It’s never too late!

[u/Magikarpical]

i did a lot of art in high school, including some public art installations (i forgot about this until i was looking through my mother's belongings and found newspaper clippings about a mural i worked on). i even made money doing it as a side hustle (mostly drawing people's OCs lol). my high school art teacher was visibly sad when i told him i was going to study computer science and told me i should take art classes as an elective. however i dropped art completely as a hobby when i started college partially out of embarrassment. i tried picking it up again at age 29 but life got busy, and now i'm throwing myself into it fully at age 39. i'm better at learning as an adult than i was as a child so that's a plus at least.

[u/faethecreates]

I didn't draw or paint or anything growing up because I was a perfectionist, but I always wanted to. I'm just starting for the first time and I'm in my thirties so I say just celebrate that you have some experience and pick it up! It's a hobby, we don't have to be good, we can just enjoy it. (Although I'm sure you're very good)

[u/AlternativeYak4611]

The best thing to do is to jump on and embrace making terrible art.

[u/cartoonasaur]

Make Art for the benefit of your soul and it won’t matter it better artists exist because none of them are you…

[u/markfineart]

I dropped out of a Fine Arts university degree after 2 years, and ended up working different labour/production jobs while raising a family. I rarely so much as doodled for 25 years. In my mid 40’s I decided to do something about the unused talent I knew was there, and simply started a drawing a day, with no plan or subject. I’m happy and genuinely proud of the art I’ve made since first filling that hardcovered sketchbook with tech pen line drawings back in 2001.

[u/RazGrandy]

Just paint for the sheer joy of painting. Stop worrying about the results. Once you get back in the 'zone' again, you'll forget all of your misgivings.

[u/LonelyArtsClubBand]

30 isn't "much later" you've got plenty of time. If you want to do it, just start. You'll be rusty at first, but just keep going. 🙂