The COVID-19 pandemic changed the course of my life. The stress of my job, combined with becoming seriously ill, led to me having a heart attack.
It made me realise that if I continued in the same career, it would eventually kill me. With encouragement from a friend of my daughter, who was studying Crafts and Materials at Plymouth Arts University, I made the difficult decision to leave my job and begin a completely new adventure: becoming an art student at the age of 59.
The decision to begin a degree at AUP was both liberating and terrifying. Until that point, I had spent my life doing what was expected of me: caring for my mother, raising a family, supporting my husband, and later embracing the joys of being a grandmother. I had always put the needs of others before my own and, in doing so, never really stopped to ask what I wanted from life.
Looking back, I sometimes feel that somewhere along the way, the adventurous, carefree part of me quietly disappeared, replaced by the comfortable but predictable routine of middle age. My only real escape from the monotony of everyday life was the time my husband and I spent together at the pirate festivals held across the UK each summer. Those weekends allowed us to leave our everyday responsibilities behind and step into a world of creativity and adventure, a reminder that underneath I was still the same. All I needed to do was put myself at the front of the queue.
As someone who loves dressing as a pirate and making my own costumes, choosing the BA (Hons) Costume course felt like the natural path. Fortunately, Arts University Plymouth offers an Extended BA programme, designed for students without the traditional qualifications needed for an arts degree. This four-year course allowed me to begin a journey I never imagined I would take.
I am now in my second year at AUP, and I thought it was time to start documenting my voyage through the highs and lows of being a mature (very mature) art student. I’ve been told that this is the point where I need to start sharing my work with a wider audience if I want to improve my chances of finding work after graduating.
That said, I am far from the typical art student. I am considerably older than most of my classmates, and I have no illusions about becoming the next great costume designer for film or theatre. My goal is much simpler than that. I want to enjoy the course, learn as much as I can, challenge myself creatively, and see where the journey takes me. For me, the learning and the enjoyment are what matter most.
Enrolling on this course was a leap of faith, one I took to save my life. All I can hope now is that, when this journey comes to an end, I land on my feet.
Cheryl Nelson Costumes 