For as far back as I can remember I always enjoyed drawing and colouring; I loved to sit at my little desk at home and pretend I was a teacher, or an artist or some such profession. In primary school one of my favourite lessons was painting, I loved messing about with all the colours! I was never really encouraged to “create” it was just another lesson on the curriculum.

At secondary school the Art Lesson was much more structured and, can I say, serious. It was here that those with any kind of talent were sifted out from the bunch and encouraged on to greater things……which didn’t include me, in fact I was told I couldn’t draw. At the time it didn’t really bother me that much, I still carried on with my scribbles at home. I still enjoyed colouring and also drawing Disney characters from books.

As an adult I let it all go, I guess I just didn’t really have time or even the thought of drawing and painting. When my children arrived I did all the things you do with kids with paints and crayons and scissors and glue. I really loved that!

In my older years I started to ignite the creativity within me again; I started photography first, I particularly enjoy outdoor nature photography. My husband bought me some really good camera equipment and off I went! I am still very amateur but I enjoy it immensely and that’s all I’m bothered about. I’m not out to “rock the world”!

I have a few friends who are very good at art, drawing painting and such. One of them started a Facebook page called Luton Christian Arts Community; that first month she set a challenge of drawing something different every day, the subject matter was always given. I thought why not!? My pencils and paints were taken out of hiding and I started to dabble again. I was enjoying it so much I can tell you! I know I’m not great, but the more I tried the more improvement I saw.

You see it doesn’t matter what age you are, I’m sixty now, you can rekindle or even start completely afresh on something. You’re never too old to learn new things and it’s never too late. It’s taken me about forty years to get going again, don’t wait like I did.

As I write this I have to admit that I haven’t done any work in the past few months because life has just taken over. But today I was talking to my friends about it again and I feel ready to pick up the pencils and get going. Perhaps the longer daylight hours are nudging me!