Why I Waited Until 65 to Call Myself an Artist

I’m still working on my first collection today. It’s not finished, and it doesn’t need to be for me to claim the title I once felt too hesitant to use. Somewhere between opening Illustrator for the first time and watching my own designs start to take shape, I stopped waiting for permission to call myself an artist. I just started being one.

If you’re a woman in your 50s or 60s right now, still hesitant to call your own creative work “art” — I want you to hear this: go for it. This is a journey everyone is welcome to take, no matter when you start. There’s no deadline on creativity, no rule that says you had to begin decades ago to belong. The fabric is beautiful, the possibilities are endless, and the only thing standing between you and calling yourself an artist might just be the same quiet doubt I had to push past. You don’t have to wait until you feel ready. You just have to begin.

It’s never too late to bloom. 🌼