Humanities Information

Art, Women, and Creativity


Women have been given the greatest gift of creativity there is-the capacity of creating and having a child. Even if a woman has never had children, just the biological possibility, is life defining.

The theory has often been that artists create their best work when they are young and after that "peak" in their career, their art becomes stale and predictable. The assumption is that an artist's work is the most important early in their lives. I would beg to differ, especially when it comes to women.

I have a theory that women come into their own as artists later in life, after the possibility of having children has passed and while the potential of having children is beginning to diminish.

Because of the biological ability to have children, women understand intuitively that creativity is a life long process, not a destination. The tremendous urge to create is still there after the capacity to have children is gone.

The passion and drive to create is combined with the wisdom learned from life's inevitable lessons. Women frequently find that their "artistic voices" become more confident and self-assured later in life. That is why women often come into their own artistically in their 40's, 50's, 60's and on up; Georgia O'Keeffe, Louise Nevelson and Grandma Moses are three examples.

This is not to say that younger women do not create great art, they most certainly do. For younger women creatively your best years are still ahead-very good news and definitely something to look forward to.

Women who have created during their earlier years have an advantage for two reasons:

1. A woman who has been creating continuously doesn't have to play catch-up in regards to the technicalities of making art. She has already spent years learning her craft.

2. "Artistic creativity" is like a muscle. If you haven't used it, the muscle atrophies, and it takes longer to get " in creative shape".

If you are a young woman and struggling with how to balance work, family, friends and the multitude of things that make up life, don't give up your ability to create art. You will be way ahead of the game when you get older and it is my very firm conviction that the best years for creating art are still ahead!

Mary Baker © 2005

Mary Baker is a contemporary realist painter, whose studio is in Newburyport, Massachusetts. This New England city, north of Boston, has been the inspiration for the artist's realistic oil paintings. Mary Baker is a professional artist and has shown in New York art galleries. Mary's art work has passion, depth and beauty, capturing moments in time that many people pass by.

Mary hopes that if you have a vocation in the arts that you will share your artistic gifts and artistic voice and be delighted that your art brings much needed beauty, depth, wisdom and integrity to the world.

You can visit Mary's website, Mary Baker Art and see her beautiful paintings at http://www.marybakerart.com, as well as read her many comments on art, artists and creativity.


MORE RESOURCES:

11/23/2024
Perceived school climate, collective teacher efficacy, self-compassion, and subjective well-being in Chinese university teachers: a mediation analysis

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Published online: 23 November 2024; doi:10.1057/s41599-024-04074-2

Perceived school climate, collective teacher efficacy, self-compassion, and subjective well-being in Chinese university teachers: a mediation analysis

more info


11/23/2024
The benefits of Indigenous-led social science: a mindset for Arctic sustainability

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Published online: 23 November 2024; doi:10.1057/s41599-024-04127-6

The benefits of Indigenous-led social science: a mindset for Arctic sustainability

more info


11/23/2024
How does organizational stigma damage employees’ innovative performance? An emotional labor perspective

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Published online: 23 November 2024; doi:10.1057/s41599-024-04134-7

How does organizational stigma damage employees’ innovative performance? An emotional labor perspective

more info


11/22/2024
Correction: Subdivisions of Faifi Arabic: a perceptual dialectology approach

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Published online: 22 November 2024; doi:10.1057/s41599-024-04140-9

Correction: Subdivisions of Faifi Arabic: a perceptual dialectology approach

more info


11/22/2024
From colonial legacy to contemporary reality: attitudes towards English and Hindi hegemony in India

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Published online: 22 November 2024; doi:10.1057/s41599-024-03878-6

From colonial legacy to contemporary reality: attitudes towards English and Hindi hegemony in India

more info


11/22/2024
Evaluating the value for money in procurement for EU-funded projects: the perspectives of Slovak regional and local authorities

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Published online: 22 November 2024; doi:10.1057/s41599-024-04129-4

Evaluating the value for money in procurement for EU-funded projects: the perspectives of Slovak regional and local authorities

more info


11/22/2024
Decoding physics identity: a Spanish-language adaptation on an instrument and its correlation with STEM achievement

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Published online: 22 November 2024; doi:10.1057/s41599-024-04112-z

Decoding physics identity: a Spanish-language adaptation on an instrument and its correlation with STEM achievement

more info


11/22/2024
Affordances and constraints of a blended learning course: experience of pre-service teachers in an African context

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Published online: 22 November 2024; doi:10.1057/s41599-024-04136-5

Affordances and constraints of a blended learning course: experience of pre-service teachers in an African context

more info



home | site map | contact us