Journey
Hello, and welcome.
If you’ve found your way here, thank you. It means more than you probably realise.
Over the last 52 weeks — at 52 years old — I made a decision that quietly changed everything (well not so quietly but that’s for another day).
I committed to changing career.
Not casually. Not “seeing how it goes.”
But fully — intentionally — week by week — toward becoming a full-time art educator and facilitator.
And I did it.
What I haven’t done over that same period is document it properly.
I haven’t consistently shared the thinking, the doubts, the small wins, the finished pieces, the sketches, the process, or the lessons learned.
That changes today.
I wanted a space that feels more like a studio journal than a social media feed.
Somewhere I can:
Share finished work and works-in-progress
Reflect honestly on the process of midlife reinvention
Explore what it means to teach art — not just make it
Document the realities of building a creative practice
Connect everything I’m building online
This newsletter links together:
CreativePath52
DamienSemonin.art
Cornish Cycling Sketcher
All parts of the same creative ecosystem.
This is where it comes together.
Today I begin a 100-day commitment (the annual global 100 day project initiative starts today).
Each day I will:
Create
Share
Reflect
Sometimes that will be a finished piece.
Sometimes a sketch.
Sometimes a lesson learned from teaching.
Sometimes something unfinished but honest.
The goal isn’t perfection.
It’s visibility.
Consistency.
Momentum.
And perhaps — community.
Changing direction at 52 has been humbling.
It’s required:
Courage
Discipline
Letting go of old identities
Stepping into new ones before feeling fully ready
Becoming a full-time art educator isn’t just a job shift. It’s a shift in how I see myself.
And I suspect I’m not the only one navigating reinvention.
If you’re:
Considering a creative leap
Returning to art
Building something later in life
Taking early retirement
Transitioning out of the forces to civvy street
Or simply curious about the process
You’re in the right place.
Over the coming weeks, I’ll share:
Studio work
Teaching insights
Reflections on creativity and aging
The practical side of building an art-based career
The wins and the wobbles
No inflated promises.
Just real process.
If this resonates, subscribe.
If you’re already here — thank you.
Day 1 starts now.
— Damian
