Welcome to my website!
My book, Aging Artfully, is not just about the twelve women aged 85-105 who inspired this work. It’s also about promoting positive healthy aging for the general public, and for advocating involvement with the creative arts in retirement years. It’s never too late to start something new…it could prolong your life!
The women demonstrate optimism. Whether you call it healthy aging, creative aging, aging gracefully, successful aging or just plain aging well, the women artists in the book, Aging Artfully: 12 Profiles of Visual and Performing Women Artists 85-105, which (usually) includes a CD by Frances Kandl entitled, 7 songs of Women’s Lives, and Greg Young’s accompanying DVD, Still Kicking, are exemplary role models for all of us.
51% of women live alone, according to the New York Times in 2007. With increased longevity, Boomers now have many years to create their retirement years and age gracefully. I focus on women, and women artists aging artfully with a purpose in life.
I created Project Arts and Longevity out of my love for stories, and for passing on the legacies of women artists, and to find some answers to how to age gracefully. So far, three PAL projects are out in the world:
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Aging Artfully: Profiles of Visual and Performing Women Artists 85-105 by Amy Gorman, the film,
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Still Kicking by Greg Young, http://(www.goldenbearcasting.com
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7 songs of Women's Lives, a CD by Frances Kandl. Currently, we are continuing to meet and interview healthy elders who exemplify an active artistic "third age."
The good news is that brain scientists are saying that although we cannot really defy aging, we do continue to develop our brain cells forever. That means we continue learning in retirement, and as we prepare for retirement. We especially like to learn new things, challenging and creative ones. This is indeed good news for healthy aging with optimism! Find something that wakes you up each morning with anticipation, and discover your inspiration that leads to healthy aging, aging gracefully or aging artfully.
Aging Artfully: 12 Profiles of Visual and Performing Women Artists 85-105 wins a Bronze Medal from the 2007 Independent Publishing Book Awards (IPPYS), in the category of Women's Issues. This is indeed an honor. A total of 2,690 entries came from all 50 US states, 8 Canadian provinces, and 17 additional countries. The book has additionally won several honorable mentions.
In the process of interviewing many artistic women over 85, I met Greg Young, http://(www.goldenbearcasting.com. Young, a Boomer just in retirement from UC Berkeley, had recently finished a documentary of the eccentric Mary Beth Washington, a storyteller on the Aging Artfully cover. He was ready for his next film and what emerged is Still Kicking, which follows 6 of the 12 women in the book, all over 90. “I’ll never look at an old woman the same way again,” said one male viewer. “You never know what’s behind that face.” The film to date has screened in 14 International Film Festivals.
A while ago I gave a presentation to Boomers and others in retirement, and during the discussion one woman near the front piped up. "I'm 95," she said, "and I'm a painter but I can no longer paint with my right hand. That's not going to stop me. I started painting with my left hand."
It's that kind of spirit I found in all the women I interviewed. Inspiration, Optimism, Creativity. Resilience. When there's an obstacle, these role models find a way around it. The women artists demonstrate for Boomers and the rest of us, that there are ways to promote healthy aging through a positive attitude. May they give you inspiration to age gracefully, age positively and age artfully.
I am giving presentations and showing the film at workshops and events all over the country. Please contact me if you are interested.
Contact Info:
Phone: 510-527-4973
FAX : 801-527-4973
amy gorman@agingartfully.com
| Graceful Aging |
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5 Steps to Aging Artfully 1. You allow yourself to imagine possibilities
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