By Ivan Barnett
“I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life and I’ve never let it keep me from a single thing that I wanted to do.” — Georgia O’Keeffe
Why do so many creatives — from Georgia O’Keeffe, to Agnes Martin, to contemporary artists — find their way to New Mexico? The answer lies not only in the mountains, mesas, and endless sky, but also in something more challenging to name: something akin to a resonant silence that invites reflection and reinvention.
For me, the Land of Enchantment is not just a tag line; it is a promise kept. It is a state of mind that seeps into your bones, a daily reminder that life is not measured in noise and speed but in breath and presence. Artists don’t simply arrive here; they are called here.
When I moved to Santa Fe more than three decades ago, I felt it once again. This was a place uncovered, discovered, and rediscovered. It was not about chasing trends. It was about peeling away distractions until only truth remained.
A Place of Return
New Mexico has always been a refuge for those searching for something more. It has been a homecoming, a place to rediscover the dormant child in each of us.
The desert teaches you to slow down. The silence can be intimidating at first, but then it becomes a balm. I’ve seen this happen in my own life and in the lives of those I mentor. Men and women in their 60s, 70s, and 80s arrive here with questions and then choose to stay. They remember what it feels like to create for no reason other than to play, to express, to connect.
For many of us in later life, creativity becomes more than a pastime. It becomes its own personal fountain of youth. It lifts the fog of isolation, adds color to dull days, and awakens the senses we feared were fading.
The Courage to Reawaken the Child
What happens when we allow ourselves to reawaken that playful, uninhibited, joyous child, the one who paints with unabashed spontaneity and sureness? That child still lives in us. We need only let imagination take the lead.
For women, especially in their later years, art is also a remedy. It encourages spontaneity and provides a path back to vitality and voice. In New Mexico, a place long known for its creative spirit, women have claimed this right with extraordinary force. San Idelfonso Pueblo potter Maria Martinez elevated pottery to a global treasure. Renowned patron of the arts Mabel Dodge Luhan transformed her Taos home into a salon of ideas. Judy Chicago planted her roots in this soil to expand her bold vision of feminist art.
Agnes Martin, in her silence, gave us paintings that are prayers. As for O’Keeffe, she painted until her eyesight dimmed, proving that the creative spirit does not retire.
The Healing Power of Making
At 78 years young, I know that art is not something we “grow out of.” Quite the opposite. Art is something we must grow into. We don’t stop making art because we age. We age healthier when we keep using our hands.
Every brushstroke, every sketch, every gesture with clay or collage becomes an act of resistance against the notion that aging is decline. Instead, it is a reclaiming — a return to curiosity. I’ve seen older adults come alive when they take on a new medium or revisit an old one. Isolation recedes. Confidence grows almost as though we have had a new lease on life.
I’ve lived long enough to understand that creativity is not optional; it is essential. Creativity nourishes us just as food and water do. When we make something, whether a sculpture, a song, or a scribble, we are reminding ourselves: I am still here. I still matter.
Serious Play, Serious Commerce
In New Mexico, art has never been just about beauty. It has been about survival, vitality, and voice. Creativity here is serious play — and serious commerce.
Think of Native artist and political activist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, whose passing left us with a powerful legacy of Indigenous voice and vision. Think of business executive Ivy Ross, reshaping the way we think about design and neuroscience. Both remind us that art is not separate from life; it is life.
Art sustains communities, feeds economies, and shapes cultural identity. Most of all, it sustains us. The act of making fills us with a renewed sense of purpose.
Many Find Their Way Here
Every year, hundreds of aspiring artists — many of them over 50 — still find their way to New Mexico. They come for the light, the air, and the expansive space. They come because something inside whispers that it’s not too late. It’s never too late.
Some arrive with plans. Others come empty-handed, willing to see what happens. Yet nearly all discover the same truth: This place has a way of stripping away fear and self-doubt until all that remains is the urge to create.
That is why this is my “forever place,” still making, still mentoring, still walking the desert paths where so many artists before me have walked. Always listening to the silence. Always letting it teach me what comes next.
Ivan Barnett is the founder and creative director of Serious Play, a creative coaching consultancy devoted to helping emerging and mid-career artists flourish through mentoring, storytelling, and much needed financial advice. Serious-play.co can be reached at [email protected].
