You’re Still Bejeweled: PYL In-Flight: Feb 23, 2026

Welcome Back My Playful Passengers:

This essay first appeared in my weekly Piloting Your Life In-Flight. If you enjoy exploring what it means to intentionally design and live a life of your own creation, I invite you to **Subscribe Here **and have each new edition delivered to your inbox several days before it’s published on Medium.

I used to love to draw and paint in high school but had been afraid to try it again just in case I wasn’t ‘good’ anymore. I talked with my art-talented friend Jacqueline, and she suggested a daily art challenge she’d done before. I signed up for the Substack, paid the $10, got a sketchbook, dug out my watercolor pencils, and eagerly awaited the first assignment.

In each email, the instructor included background information on the artist(s) that inspired the daily exercise. I was delighted to discover I was familiar with a lot of the artists, something I couldn’t have said two years ago. Artists like Louise Bourgeois, Cy Twombly, Egon Schiele, Amy Sherard, William de Kooning, and David Hockney.

I looked forward to my art time every day because it was low commitment and free of expectation. We were instructed to set a timer for 10 minutes and it surprised me how quickly that went some days. Mid-month, I went to my local art store and purchased a watercolor set and new brushes. Jacqueline gave me some art supplies her kids were discarding and I expanded my toolkit to play with.

At the end of the month, I wasn’t done. Jacqueline found another challenge for us, but after a couple of days I found three online classes that looked less technical and more fun. I wanted to play with color.

While I don’t love some of what I’ve created in these courses, I love creating small pieces of art in my sketchbook. It’s low risk, so low that if I hate it, I can paint over it and start over. I’ve made multiple trips to University Art and Blick for more supplies as I experiment with new media and tools. I played with gouache for a while and then realized it wasn’t behaving and I am now working with acrylics which is what I used to create the two-page floral piece above.

I’m learning to mix colors (seriously harder than one would think). I’m getting the feel for different brushes. I’m playing with layering and designs.

I’m just about done with the three online courses and I’m looking for another one to continue to play with the acrylics. So far, I’ve spent less than $100 on courses and we won’t talk about how much I’ve spent on art supplies at this point.

Prior to January 1, my art obsession had been limited to viewing other people’s art. I recently assembled a list of the places I’ve viewed and experienced art since 2013 and my list just surpassed 300 places. I’m not done yet. Why did I put it together? I want to write a series of blog posts on art, specifically why I find something interesting or exciting. My friend Sandy who claims to not like art, says that when I talk about art, it comes alive and actually makes her interested in it. She’s the one who suggested the series and I thought it would be a lot of fun, but I wanted to understand where I’ve seen art, thus the list.

I’m committed to writing the first blog post this week now that the list is mostly done.

Why am I sharing any of this with you and how does it relate to midlife? These are very good questions.

I set aside art after high school because I didn’t think it was practical. I wanted a career. I wanted impact. I wanted income.

For decades, my life was filled with ambition, graduate school, 7-day workweeks, building a consulting business, raising kids, civic involvement, and constant motion.

There wasn’t space for anything that didn’t “count.”

Now, with our kids mostly grown and my consulting work paused, I have something I haven’t had in decades: space.

Space to rediscover what fills my soul. For me, that’s art.

I love being a beginner (most of the time) as I pick up a pencil to sketch or brush to paint just to see what I can do.

I love that my life is full of creative things: visiting museums, cathedrals, and castles; writing; creating videos and social content.

I feel like my life has become a kaleidoscope of color, constantly shifting as I take on new challenges without the expectation of perfection or mastery.

I’ve given myself permission to be a beginner.

To be delighted by discovery.

To play.

And I love it!

Do I wish I’d started sooner? Of course.

But when?

And would it feel this joyful now if it had never been missing from my life?

What would you like to take on with a beginner’s mindset in your 40s or 50s (essentially midlife)? Or what have you already begun? And how do you keep it playful?

Drop me a line and let me know. I’d love to hear about midlife (re)discovery.

With much love and gratitude,

Terri

This essay first appeared in my weekly Piloting Your Life In-Flight.

**Subscribe Here** to receive each edition several days before it’s published on Medium, along with my Song of the Week, Journal Prompt, and additional subscriber-only content.

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