A New Chance to Switch Gears 🚙

The New York Times Reader’s Center is looking for inspiring people who prove it’s never too late to switch gears, change lifestyles and pursue dreams. They want to hear from people of all ages who are living according to their own timeline — in regards to career, education, athletic pursuits, family, friendships or another calling: People who learned to drive after the age of 40, found love after age 75 or finished a marathon at age 99.

Art is a good field to switch gears into, it doesn’t require the physical optimum, only time and wishes. Regular life is that busy, being a relief at certain age to move into another field, a more relaxing and creative one. It is never to late to use experience or knowledge; to face different issues; or to learn different skills. If there is free time and patience, he or she could become a good artist. For example I made this painting in acrylic, using a 47 X 31.5in canvas:

Leaving alone the easel along with my initial inspiration, I then switched to my licensing knowledge: and holding the legal right of this artwork, transformed it into a product. So a painting originally in canvas, became a design ready in the computer, available to be replicated in products. As you saw in the canvas above, its theme was a sun with cactuses, which then were manufactured in this apron:

You can see that the main theme corresponds to the figures in the canvas. There is the same sun and cactuses. This new way of making products its called POD (Print On Demand), meaning that there is no inventory. Whenever someone orders, the apron is cut and printed at that moment with the digital image, and sent to the buyer who already payed online. Products are good quality, totally new, without handling deterioration, nor transfer damages. It is a different business with thousand of artists around the globe making very interesting products…

Being satisfied with the final outcome, why not use my other paintings to make more aprons. As an artist, I paint every day and have many finished canvases in my studio. We photographed each one, caring about lighting and reflections, digitalized them, and made aprons, of varied sizes:

Designs by JAM (me ), for sale

Aprons, clocks, cell cases, masks, mugs, and many products can be manufactured this way. Redbubble, the australian company, helps designers to promote their work. However one may not be interested in making business after all. OKay forget the money for a second, and focus on what we were talking about: changing gears.

I have switched gears in religion too, shifting again, my purpose of living. It is not the same to go to mass as a weekly routine, than to be an individualistic new-age practitioner (and I passed through both of them in this order). As an inherited catholic, I did duties because I had to: I used to forgive incidents but only with my voice, not in the heart.

I saw advantages in dropping church while I was a Buddhist and later switched to a Taoist; however I never founded satisfaction in these doctrines. I felt no peace and was running all the time, from one goal to the other. Of course, physical surgeries made me reflect on my acting, and a trip I took to Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to Israel. I definitely turned back to The religion of love, to the same Jesus I knew as child, with a deeper understanding and embracing the faith. I have been in peace since then, and never regret of returning. I wish you good luck in switching Years, hahaha I mean GEARS…. Thanks for reading, I see you later 🖐🏻

LINKS

Did You Switch Gears Later in Life? We Want to Hear from You.
June 16, 2021

Switching Gears to Retirement
If retirement looks like a vast wasteland awaiting you, here are some ways to find your bearings.
By Kerry Hannon, Sep 12, 2019

At Midcareer, an Artist Switches Gears
Article on and interview with painter Susan Rothenberg, whose 11 new paintings are on view at Sperone Westwater; photos by Amei Wallach, Oct 26, 1997,

https://JAMPaintings.redbubble.com I get 30% commission

Time to Switch Gears 🚙

Designs by JAM (me ), for sale

Most artists are used to this idea of switching gears. We do it in each artwork. For me it happens when painting and also when writing. I have switched gears in religion too, shifting my whole panorama. It is not the same to be an inherited catholic, a new-age practitioner, or a returned catholic (I passed through them in this order). As an inherited catholic, I did duties because I had to. I saw advantages in dropping it, but I never satisfied myself in new age’s doctrines. I felt no peace and was running all the time, from one place to the other. Of course, physical surgeries made me reflect on my acting, and a trip I took to Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to Israel. I finally turned to a religion of love, the Catholicism I knew already, with a deeper understanding and embracing the faith. I wish you the same in your Trip, different for each person, in which religion and beliefs are upmost important.

LINKS

Did You Switch Gears Later in Life? We Want to Hear from You.
June 16, 2021

https://JAMPaintings.redbubble.com I get 30% commission

Pope Francis’ Encyclical 🖊

Coincidences happen, sometimes. Pope Francis said in his prosperous encyclical Fratelli Tutti: “the sense of belonging to a single human family is fading”. During Pope’s stance in Iraq, what a coincidence, we were also traveling! Ourselves visiting Riviera Mayan’s gorgeous beaches, home of sailors and fishers. He is right: nowadays there is this trending notion of “every man for himself”, and this pandemic make us realize “we are all sailors of the same boat”.

We should care of others a little bit more, and not just care about work, work, and more work (which is painting, for an artist like me).

For example, I am two brushstrokes away of finishing my “Kiwi blessings” painting (see img above), a scene composed with a kiwi. I won’t name it in this way, instead I’ll go for something like “horizontal bars”. Also, I already exhibit my sailfish painting, being a total success:

But as I was saying, from the religious point of view, there are more important things than showing personal canvases. Being happy is one of these things, and is mandatory in our pandemic days. It is just a matter of making room for positive thinking: love, family, fraternity and so on 😍.

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65% commission

A white tradition (stormtrooper’s color) 🎾

Designing a court surface is a complex task. Sport master systems are designed to provide consistent speed of play, texture, and vibrant color to any facility.

Among the exceeding professionals, I like S. Williams. She was #1 for years and I was first drawn to her because of her focus on the game. Avoiding the many distractions, I admire her capacity to stay focused on the game. Seems that she concentrates in the moving ball, leaving everything free as it is. I try to copy her attitude in my blue-green days…

Now she scored once and received 15 points, what a bless! Another 15 for the next play. The third time is different, how strange., only 10 points were gained, so she got 15, 30 and then 40. As you know, a tennis match is won point by point, accumulating games and sets. There is no tie, or in case one is approaching, they will break it.

A rule is in Wimbledon to always wear white. English rich people used to play like this. Middle class owners will wear the same color, pretending to look richer in grass courts. But Wimbledon standards are strict (according to R. Federer, who showed up with long hair in 2001). Shoes must be almost entirely white. Large manufacturers’ logos are not encouraged. Also, any visible undergarments should have this stormtrooper color.

Remember the surfaces, preferred differently by each player: US Open is in laykold (not so similar to concrete), Roland Garros is in clay, Wimbledon is played in grass and there is one more championship to win, the far Australia Open. Not all use the white elegant tradition, but still they are fun to watch. Btw, in tennis 0 equals to love, this is how they say. But in real life, does 0 equals love?