Retire VA 22 - 28

" I think
having life
experience
is helpful
as an artist. "
REBECCA MCKEEVER
whimsical watercolor sketches I've done
of animals. " She has " played around with
multimedia projects for years as a hobby,
but " it was all for fun and with little
training. "
She says, " The month after I retired, I
took a landscape painting course online
... and from that point I was hooked. "
She took more classes and they " opened
up the opportunity to compete for
acceptance into the themed exhibits. "
She began selling briskly. The benefits
have been many and varied.
" Being able to play with color makes
me feel alive, " she says. " Having a whole
new world of expression feels magical. ...
For me it's a vocation. I try to spend from
three to five hours each day painting.
" I'm grateful that this is happening for
me in retirement, minus the pressures of
having to fully support myself with art. "
All her art-based activities have " made
28 / Retire-VA.com / RETIRE-VA 2023
me busier than I want to be. But I'm
grateful every day that I can be creative in
a way that seems to bring joy to others. "
Rebecca McKeever's art degree from
Roanoke College was coupled with a
minor in education. She found the job
prospects more promising with the
education degree and that " it is hard
to make a living in the arts. " So, she
combined the two. " Teaching Elementary
Art allowed me to be creative while
earning a steady income, take summers
off with my children, and save for
retirement (which I began collecting
when I retired at 51 years old.)
" I think having life experience is
helpful as an artist. I had a family and
was too busy to make pottery. I didn't
have the equipment, either. " When she
finally found some spare time, " I took
pottery lessons then and had to re-learn
to work on the potter's wheel. "
She is serious about her art, but
" I consider myself to be more of a
craftsman than an artist. I am making a
handmade product. Pottery is a very fast
art form. I love the functional aspect of
what I make, that you hold these pieces
and use them in your home and daily
lives. "
" Art, and creativity in general, require
time and space to think freely, " she
emphasizes. " When you are overworked
or stressed, it's hard to do your best
work. ... In retirement, I can really focus
on what I want. I feel like I know what's
important to me.
" Being creative is in my soul I will
always do and create new things. Many
people put that part away during their
careers. Retirement is a great time to
pursue whatever you want including the
arts. " I
DAN SMITH
http://www.Retire-VA.com
Retire VA 22

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