For years, maybe even decades, your days had a built-in purpose. Kids needed you. Work needed you. Parents needed you. Your church, your students, your patients, your family…somebody always needed something.

And then life changes.

The kids grow up. Retirement finally comes. Your schedule gets a little quieter. At first, that extra time can feel wonderful. Then one day you catch yourself scrolling on your phone again, wondering, “Okay…now what?”

I hear some version of this from women all the time. After teaching women to paint for more than a decade, I’ve realized something important…

Sometimes you don’t need another way to stay busy. You need something that feels like YOU again.

That’s one of the reasons I believe so strongly in having a creative hobby. 

Not because every minute of retirement needs to be filled. But because you need something that gives you permission to create, learn, connect, and discover what you’re capable of in this season of life.

And here’s why painting door hangers just might be the best creative hobby for women over 50. 

Creativity Gives You Something That Is Yours

Women are really good at taking care of everybody else. We can spend years putting our own interests at the bottom of the list without even realizing we’re doing it.

That’s why sitting down with a paintbrush can feel like such a small thing at first. But it isn’t. For an hour, you aren’t doing something because somebody needs you to. You’re doing it for YOU.

And when you paint door hangers, you eventually get to hold up something you created with your own two hands and say: “I made that!”

That little spark of pride matters. I’ve watched women walk into my painting community saying, “Tamra, I am NOT artistic.” Then they paint, and they keep doing it, despite making mistakes at first. 

And pretty soon, that same woman is proudly sharing a picture of her door hanger. That change in confidence is one of my favorite things to watch!

Creative Hobbies Really Can Help With Stress

Painting feels relaxing to many of us, but there’s also research suggesting that making art may support our well-being.

In one Drexel University study, adults spent 45 minutes making art using materials such as markers, clay, and collage supplies. Researchers found that cortisol, a hormone associated with stress, decreased in 75% of the participants. Interestingly, previous art experience wasn’t associated with a greater reduction.

In other words, you don’t have to be “good at art” to enjoy the experience of making it.

I LOVE that.

The National Institute on Aging also says that participating in meaningful activities and hobbies may support well-being as we age. Research into creative activities including music, dance, theater and visual arts continues to explore their potential benefits for stress, self-esteem, social interaction and quality of life.

I’m not telling you painting is medicine, but I am telling you that there’s something pretty wonderful about turning off the noise for a little while, picking up a paintbrush and focusing on the thing right in front of you.

Sometimes we need that more than we realize!

The Best Hobby After Retirement Is One You’ll Actually Keep Doing

This is where I think we sometimes get it wrong. We decide we need a hobby, so we run out and buy ALL THE THINGS.

Two weeks later, those supplies have moved into what I lovingly call the craft graveyard. Sound familiar?

Usually, I don’t think the problem is that you “aren’t crafty.” The hobby may simply have had too much friction. I know for me, painting door hangers was the first creative hobby that actually stuck. 

Why? Because it gives you:

• A clear place to start. You don’t need weeks of studying before you can make something. A template and pre-cut blank make it easy to start. 
• A finish line you can reach. Completing a project builds confidence. That first win makes you want to try another.
• People to enjoy it with. A creative community can turn something you occasionally do into something you genuinely look forward to.

That last one is especially important.

Creativity Is Better With Friends

You can absolutely paint by yourself. Sometimes a quiet afternoon alone with my paints is EXACTLY what I need. But there is something special about creating alongside other women.

You laugh at the mistakes, you get advice, and you get encouragement. 

The National Institute on Aging notes that staying socially engaged and participating in meaningful activities may support well-being as we get older. Research on community arts programs has also found benefits such as reduced loneliness and increased interest in life among some older participants.

That’s why community has always been such an important part of what we do at Southern Adoornments.

Yes, we paint door hangers. But inside the Painter’s Clubhouse and at our workshops and events, I’ve watched friendships form between women who might never have met otherwise.

That’s bigger than paint.

What If You Really Aren’t Artistic?

I cannot tell you how many women have started with those exact words. Being a beginner isn’t proof that you can’t do something. It just means you haven’t learned how to do it yet.

Painting is a skill, and skills can be learned. What matters most in the beginning isn’t talent. It’s giving yourself enough grace to keep going long enough to surprise yourself.

Give Yourself Permission to Be a Beginner Again

Maybe you’re retired. Maybe your kids have left home. Maybe you’re still working and caring for everybody, but you’ve realized you need something that belongs to you, too.

You don’t have to reinvent your whole life.

Start smaller. Clear one corner of the kitchen table and find something to paint. Remind yourself that you’re allowed to make something simply because it brings you joy. 

And if door hanger painting sounds like it might be that thing, my Paint Your First Door Hanger Workshop was created specifically to make getting started feel doable.

You don’t need a background in art.

You don’t need a craft room full of supplies, or to be conventionally artistic before you start. This workshop is simply meant to be a place where you can learn on your own time, and eventually step back, smile, and say “I made that!”