Catherine Lang-Cline

Age 56

Being over 40 is a fantastic place to be for a woman. We tend to get very hung up on youth but the gift we get in exchange for that is wisdom and comfort. We have lived enough of a life to have learned some lessons, had some successes and failures, and have a better grasp on what makes us truly happy. We also begin to settle in the comfort that is ourselves. We accept our flaws and embrace our strengths and focus more on the things that are truly important. 

My life right now would be far beyond the younger me’s expectations. I own a business that has provided me with a great life. It has allowed me to live comfortably and still carve out time to do passion-work: painting. While the journey had many challenges, my extraordinary life includes finding my true love and having the most amazing daughter with him. The most magical thing about this love is that he loves me back and while that alone defines a home, my heart is completely full with the opportunities we are given.

As a creep toward retirement from my business, I am plotting yet another chapter. In the next decade, I aspire to start another, much smaller, business utilizing everything I have learned to help others. At the same time, I would love to grow my painting business. More sales, but it would also involve more travel for inspiration.

When I saw my portraits for the first time, I saw the woman that I aspire to be. The hair and makeup were perfection and the outfits spoke to my bold personality, not the tone-downed personality I can sometimes step back to. Most of all my personality was truly captured which really illustrated why my husband loves me as he does. I saw what he sees. This has allowed me to embrace this version of me going forward. It inspired me to recapture the me that I am, which is bolder and way more beautiful than I saw myself before.