Embarking on a new career in the Visual Arts

In a few days I will be embarking on a new facet of my life. I just turned 50, and I am switching gears from a successful career as a pathologist to the pursuit of a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Visual Arts. I will be attending the Vermont College of Fine Arts. It's a low-residency MFA program, which means I do not have to be away from my family except for two weeks in the winter and two weeks in the summer. The rest of the time I will be working with local Artist-Teachers here in Miami.

I am very excited about this, and a little TERRIFIED! One's path in a career like medicine is very clearly laid out, delineated. In the arts, it is completely open-ended, making it what you want it to be. Making your own path. That is why I did not pursue it in the first place. The sense of security I felt from a more traditional profession precluded me from pursuing my love of art. So, here's my chance. I am diving into the deep end!

I know many of you reading this have been suppressing the urge to pick up your paint brushes, cameras, musical instruments. Please STOP pushing down that urge and do it! Do it as a hobby. I did that for many years. If you would like, you can live vicariously through me and tune in to my blogs. But please do what you love, even part-time. Who knows? You might be blogging about your career change soon! If you already changed a more traditional career for one in the arts, I want to hear from you. I would love to hear your story.

I shipped several paintings to VT this week and created a multi-media video with my husband, Hadi, using programs that are new and exciting to me, including Logic, Camtasia, Magic, and Final Cut Pro. Learning new things, especially in the realm of technology, will be my way of warding off dementia! LOL!

The paintings I selected for my first critique are 1127, a new piece to accompany 1127 of a fire extinguisher sign with the fire extinguisher missing (I poked holes in the painting showing where it would have been ripped off of the wall), Happy Golden Anniversary/She's a Pill, and Women, Shackled. My local Artist-Teacher, the amazing Visual Arts teacher at the NWSA, Mr. Aramis O'Reilly, told me three pieces are better for discussion/critique. Stay tuned, and I will blog about how it goes!

All my best,

Enma