It is not the beauty of a building you should look at;

...its the construction of the foundation that will stand the test of time.

Just My Opinion TooOLD?

old[ ohld ] /kä(l)m/ adjective

adjective, old·er, old·est or eld·er, eld·est.

by Lon Levin

far advanced in the years of one’s or its life: an old man; an old horse; an old tree. of or relating to the latter part of the life or term of existence of a person or thing:

Am I too old to become an artist? Can I make money being an artist?children’s book area I like these questions because I have asked this question of myself quite a few times over the years.

First of all, it’s never too late. I trained to become an illustrator and couldn’t find enough work to continue down that path. Back then I thought I may not be good enough so I turned to art direction which I thought suited me better.

After 23 years of successfully working in the entertainment industry as an art director, creative director and an art department head, I still had the desire to be an illustrator. So, I prepared myself and my finances after a long stint at Warner Bros to depart when my pension became activated. However not everything goes as planned and my department was disbanded few months before that was set to happen. I was out of job before I wanted to be. I had a very thin portfolio of 7 pieces but I had passion, a little money and a burning desire to succeed.

I soon found out that I was an older artist amongst younger upcoming and established pros. My wife at the time discouraged me and said I was wasting my time and I should find another position in the industry.

I didn't care. I was determined to find out if I had the chops to be a working illustrator. I chose to focus on the children's book area as I had a lot of experience with children's programming.

I traveled to trade shows in New York, Chicago, Washington and Bologna for the Children’s Book Fair. I aggressively made connections and in some cases friends. After a few months I landed projects. The pay was low or non-existent but it gave me a chance to work on projects and spread my artistic wings.

For most of you there are many artists who are much older than you are, and there are also artists who found success at twice your age. That being said there are a few qualities you need to possess in order to start a career in art after a prior career or in midlife. First of all you need to have some degree of talent. That means you need to be brutally honest with yourself. If you don’t feel you can judge yourself then ask art teachers, gallery directors or creative directors. If you don’t know any contact those whose work you admire. I find most pros will talk with you especially via social media.

Next know the area of the market you’re interested in well. If it’s children’s books then read as many books as you can that are contemporary. Study what the subject matter is and the styles that are being used now. Classic older books may be great but they may be seriously outdated in style and substance.

Be patient. It takes a while to establish yourself, find your own style and voice and to be consistently great at what you do. Remember this, the industry doesn’t need you… it doesn’t need any of us. There is no shortage of capable artsts and illustrators. Strive to be skillful and unique and you’ll rise in the ranks of artists.

You’ll never know when success might happen if at all, so you must be passionate. The true test of that is would you keep creating if you never made any money or never got recognized for your work. If that discourages you then find something else to do.

If that energizes you and challenges you then forge ahead regardless of how old you are. The fact is your experiences as an adult have enriched your perspective, your discipline and your knowledge and in the end that is all that matters.

“Age is a case of mind over matter.

If you don’t mind, it don’t matter.” - Satchel Paige

I didn’t care I was determined to find out if I had had the chops to be a working illustator. I chose to focus on the