Adventurous GrownUps – Mica

9598 Mica 4
9598 Mica 4

After living a relatively isolated existence as an artist in remote parts of NZ for more than 30 years following his arrival from Germany, Mica, then aged 55, decided to step completely out of his comfort zone and engage more with the world. As soon as that door cracked open, a series of steps were bound to follow. The initial tentative step was a shift to the city, followed by swapping countries for a year while gaining a formal arts degree that has not only radically changed his life, but appears to be opening up a new future as well.


 
Six years ago hard on the heels of the realisation that he was getting older, Mica decided on a radical change of attitude. After years of not really wanting to know about computers, he decided to become computer literate to access better connections and communication with a wider range of people and galleries.

"These are crucial times. There are a lot of big issues to face environmentally and we do have a responsibility to future generations to try and help to tackle them. The arts can contribute hugely, inspire creative ways of thinking and more flexibility in finding solutions to practical problems and issues in society. These are aspects of contemporary art and culture which are often overlooked. I felt that, to some extent, I had removed myself from doing that, being happy to ‘just' create beautiful objects and images. I had to change. I had to engage more fully with the world. Our generation benefited from the years of abundance, our experiences can contribute to create a sustainable future."


 
"By avoiding computers and online communication, all I was doing was denying myself access to a much wider range of people and so I enrolled in a course at Nelson Institute of Technology that required me to not only become computer-literate, but also to learn graphic design skills," he explains.

That course translated to part of a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree, which led him also to Melbourne on an international student exchange programme. He completed his BFA last year with honours in Wellington and has just been offered a place in Massey University's new two-year Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) programme. Since then, he has won a Research Project Assistant Role Scholarship in conjunction with Massey University and the University College of London with the possibility of further involvement in the future.


 
"I know I can produce interesting work and I just wanted to open up myself further to see how I would develop as an artist and a human being. When I attended my first lectures, the other students were the same age as my grandchildren would be (if I had any!)," Mica laughs.

"Doing a BFA challenged me intellectually and emotionally and I've become more flexible in the approach I now have to life, my work and the future. It's been a huge adventure that has added so much more to my life than how it used to be and opened up a realm of possibilities including being able to share what I have learned with others. I'm excited about the future. You are never too old to learn new things or to change your ways of thinking and the benefits can be immense…"

Find out more about Mica here.