Looking for Something New in Retirement? Start with a Paintbrush

Retirement brings a change of pace. For the first time in years, you may have more freedom to decide how you spend your day, but finding activities that are genuinely enjoyable and easy to begin is not always as simple as it sounds.

Perhaps you have always wanted to paint but never had the time. Maybe you enjoyed art when you were younger and would like to return to it. Or perhaps you are simply looking for something different and rewarding to do with your newfound freedom.

Painting can be a relaxing and rewarding way to spend that time. You do not need a studio, expensive equipment or previous experience. You simply need a comfortable place to sit, some guidance and the desire to give it a try.

Painting without the pressure of a blank page

One of the hardest parts of starting to paint is knowing where to begin.

Buying paints and brushes can be easy enough, but then you are faced with a blank sheet of paper and dozens of decisions:

• What should I paint?
• How do I begin?
• What colours do I use?
• What if I make a mistake?

These concerns are completely normal, particularly if it has been many years since you last did anything creative.

A guided template can make the first step much easier. Instead of having to draw an image from scratch, you begin with a clear design and then choose the colours, brushstrokes and details that make the painting your own.

There is no pressure to produce a perfect copy. The template is simply a place to begin.

“If you hear a voice within you say, ‘You cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.”

• Vincent van Gogh

Make creativity easy to return to

A creative activity is much more likely to become part of your routine when it is easy to set up.

You do not need a dedicated art room. A dining table, kitchen bench, study desk or outdoor table can work perfectly well. Good light, a comfortable chair and enough space to move your arm freely are the most important things.

A reusable mat helps define and protect your painting space, while keeping your paints, brushes and paper together in one box or basket makes it easy to begin whenever you feel like painting. It saves you from repeating the process of gathering supplies and setting everything up each time.

If everything is within reach, you can spend your time creating.

Enjoy learning at your own pace

One of the pleasures of painting at home is that there is no class to keep up with.

You can spend an hour completing a picture or work on it over several days. You can pause, have a cup of tea, return to an earlier step or take the painting in a completely different direction.

Video guidance can be particularly helpful when you are beginning. You can watch each step, pause while you try it yourself and replay anything you would like to see again.

There is no one looking over your shoulder and no deadline to meet. You decide how quickly or slowly you want to work.

Choose subjects that mean something to you

It is often easier to begin painting when the subject already feels familiar.

Flowers, gardens, native plants, coastal scenes and the changing seasons can all evoke memories of people, places and experiences from different stages of life.

You might find yourself remembering:

• a garden you once planted
• family holidays by the sea
• flowers that grew outside your childhood home
• a favourite Australian landscape
• the way different seasons marked important family occasions

Painting can create space for these memories to surface naturally. You may enjoy reflecting on them privately, writing them down or sharing the stories with someone painting beside you.

Paint independently or make it social

Painting can be a wonderfully peaceful activity to enjoy on your own.

Setting aside a regular morning or afternoon to paint can add something different to the week. It gives you time away from household tasks, television and the usual routine, while still leaving you with something tangible at the end.

It can also become a social activity.

You might invite a friend over and each create your own version of the same picture. You could paint with your partner, grandchildren or other family members when they visit.

If your family lives interstate or overseas, you could even work on the same painting during a video call. It gives you something to do together and allows conversation to unfold without the pressure of filling every silence.

The finished paintings do not have to look alike. Seeing how differently two people interpret the same subject is part of the enjoyment.

What if you are “not artistic”?

Many people reach adulthood believing they are not creative.

Perhaps someone criticised your drawing at school. Maybe you compared yourself with an accomplished artist or a talented sibling and decided you could never produce anything worthwhile. Or perhaps you simply have not picked up a paintbrush in decades.

Painting is for anyone, at any stage of life. Retirement can be the perfect time to let the internal critic go.

It can be about enjoying colour, trying something unfamiliar and discovering what happens when you give yourself permission to experiment.

A wider brushstroke, an unexpected colour or a mark that lands somewhere you did not intend does not ruin the picture. It becomes part of it.

There is no single correct result. Your painting only needs to be yours.

Something to enjoy and something to keep

Many activities help fill an afternoon but leave nothing behind.

Painting gives you both the experience and a finished piece of work. When your picture is dry, you can frame it, display it at home, send it to someone or give it as a personal gift.

Keeping your first paintings also allows you to see how your confidence and individual style develop over time. As Deb says, “I always keep my firsts.”

What begins as one guided afternoon may grow into a regular creative interest. You might discover colours you love, subjects you want to explore or the confidence to begin creating pictures of your own.

A thoughtful gift for someone beginning retirement

A guided painting kit can also make a thoughtful retirement, birthday, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or Christmas gift.

Many retirees already have most of the things they need. Another ornament or household item may simply add to the clutter. A creative gift offers something different: an enjoyable experience, a possible new interest and a finished painting to keep.

It can be especially meaningful when the giver joins in. Instead of simply handing over a present, you can set aside an afternoon to open the box, choose a project and paint together.

For family members who live interstate or overseas, sending a kit can also create an activity to share during a video call. It provides a reason to slow down, spend time together and create a new memory, even when you cannot be in the same room.

An easy way to begin

Artful Connections Guided Painting Kits were created to make this first step easier for older adults and retirees.

Each kit brings the essential parts of the experience together in one place:

• three original guided painting projects
• acrylic paints in a curated range of colours
• a complete brush set
• quality A4 painting paper
• a reusable studio mess mat
• a water pot and brush basin
• conversation cards connected to the theme
• step-by-step video guidance from Deb Shapiro

Deb is an artist and qualified art therapist whose experience working creatively with older adults has informed the projects, materials and guidance. The kits are creative wellbeing products rather than art therapy, and no art experience is required to enjoy them.

You can currently choose from four themes:

• Garden Memories, for people who love gardens and flowers
• Coastal Calm, inspired by Australia’s coastline
• Native Flora, celebrating familiar Australian plants
• Seasons & Memories, exploring the colours and memories associated with different times of the year

Each theme provides a starting point while leaving you free to choose your own colours and create in your own way.

If you are choosing a kit as a gift and are unsure which theme would suit the recipient, the Find Their Box questionnaire asks four simple questions and suggests a place to begin.

Your next chapter can be a creative one

You may have spent much of your life working, raising a family, caring for others and meeting everyone else’s deadlines.

Retirement creates space to try something simply because it interests you.

You do not need to think of yourself as an artist. You do not need to know how the finished painting will look. You only need to choose a comfortable place, pick up a brush and make the first mark.

Whether you choose a kit for yourself or receive one from someone who knows you well, that first afternoon could be the beginning of a wonderfully creative new chapter.

After all, the best things in life are handmade.

Explore the Artful Connections Guided Painting Kits