Is it too late to get started?

You might be asking yourself this. I know I ask myself this question when it comes to other professions. It might seem ridiculous, but I sometimes wonder if it's too late for me to become a pretty good race-car driver. Nothing pro, obviously, but good enough to swing around a car freely without any worry. Even when picking up new sports, I'd ask, "Am I a little too old to even try and get good at this sport anymore?"

The plain answer is, no. It's actually never too late to get started. Is it too late to become the world's best breakdancer if you only started dancing in your early 30's? Probably. But can you still reach a very high level and compete with pros? Yes. But there's a catch.

When you start a profession such as art early on, you are blessed with time. Time to make mistakes. Time for trial and error. Time away from a part-time job. Time to take it easy and figure what it is you want to do with art.

Once you're in your early or late 20's, and even more-so in your 30's, you aren't gifted with an abundance of time. Now you have to pull your arrow back and shoot at a much smaller target, because if you draw aimlessly with no clue what it is you want to base your career around, well... there will be no art career. I started with oil paints and watercolours when I was 6 up till I was 9. Then I got into line-work with pencil and ink and had no real goal in mind until I was 18. I had the time to build up experience without aim, but building up my knowledge and skills nonetheless. So when I did ultimately decide to become a comic artist, it came to me very naturally and without force.

I would advise newcomers to hone in on a specific field of art without overestimating one own's abilities. Going into comics might not be a feasible option for everyone. There's just so much one needs to learn. Backgrounds, anatomy, dynamic poses, storytelling and so much more. If you never had experience with all these facets of comic creating, then success won't come as easily. Does that make it impossible for a late starter to become a competent and successful as a comic artist? Of course not. But if you have a part time job or a career that doesn't fulfill your desires and you'd like to become a successful artist as soon as possible, then you might find that success through prints of your favourite characters. You can practice character design and get yourself a position at a studio. But this should be a goal for you from the very beginning. The more time you spend aiming for a specific career, the faster you will reach that goal.

So, if what I've been saying applies to your situation, then you should make a plan of action. What do you want to do in the future? What does one need to be good at to succeed in that career? Write it down and pursue it. It doesn't matter how old you are or how late you think you are, because starting and sticking to a plan, no matter what age, will provide results.

Have a good one, bottibois.