There is an urban myth that creativity is the domain of the young. I am always happy to find information that dispels this, which I have in today’s blog post.
These mermaid mannequins were created by Sherry Litchfield, owner of Blessings Boutique in Pacific Grove, Ca.
She creates all types of art using sea shells and calls her art “Sherry’s Shellabrations”- because she does it for the “shell of it.”
We heard about Sherry because she contacted us to about buying distressed mannequins from our mannequin boneyard to create more mermaids.
Creating these mermaids not only requires design detail but energy because they are very labor intensive to produce.
Just goes to show that an 80 year old lady can have the stamina and dexterity to complete such a project.
Many seniors are already making a mark for themselves in creative fields. Following in the footsteps of Grandma Moses (who did not take up painting until in her 70’s), former patent attorney John Root Hopkins turned to art in his 70’s and had a showing of his work in the American Visionary Art Museum at age 73.
Here is an excerpt from an article in Psychology Today about creativity and the aging in brain which provides more evidence that our creativity can flourish as we age:
Intelligence studies indicate that older individuals have access to an increasing store of knowledge gained over a lifetime of learning and experience.
Combining bits of knowledge into novel and original ideas is what the creative brain is all about. Thus, having access to increased internal warehouse of knowledge provides fertile ground for creative activity in the aging brain.
So if you or someone you know is a senior – encourage them to explore their creativity. And if their creative project involves a mannequin or dress form, send them to us.
There are numerous examples throughout history of the creative power of the aging brain: Benjamin Franklin invented the bifocal lens at the age of 78, Thomas Hardy published a book of lyric poetry at age 85, Frank Lloyd Wright completed the design of the Guggenheim Museum in New York at and 92, and Giuseppe Verdi wrote Falstaff, perhaps his most acclaimed opera, at the age of 85.
