Team P.S. ARTS is hard at work training for next month’s Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon, Charity Relay, and LA Big 5K. Follow #MarathonMonday to learn more about our amazing runners and why they are running for Team P.S. ARTS! This week, meet Tandy Wilson.
Why are you running the LA Marathon? Why did you choose to join Team P.S. ARTS?
I started running about 13 months ago right after I turned 50. I hadn’t really run just to run before, but we had been running as a warm-up in a bootcamp class that I had been taking for about 3 years. A group from my bootcamp class was planning to do a 5K, so I decided to try it — I had a blast! We made a pact to do a 5K each month in 2015. When we participated in the LA Big 5K last March, I got to see all the excitement around the LA Marathon. A friend of mine was running her first LA Marathon the next day, so we decided to go down and cheer her on. I ended up running alongside her for about a mile to cheer her on and I was hooked! I’ve been training since April, and I have completed three half marathons, a couple of 10K’s, and a few more 5K’s. We met our new goal of racing (not just 5K’s) at least once per month. I discovered that I loved racing even more when I was doing it for a cause. If I am going to run and train, I might as well do it to help other people! P.S. ARTS was a perfect fit for me when deciding which charity to run the LA Marathon in support of because I am an artist. I grew up with a pencil, paintbrush, or instrument in my hand. My degree is in architecture, but I have been working as a sheet metal artist for the past 12 years. I work with sheet metal, stains, and patinas to create wall art, hanging ornaments, lanterns, sculptures, fountains, and furniture. You can check out my work at tzmetalworks.com
How have the arts impacted your life personally? Why do you think it’s important to support arts education in our schools?
A creative outlet has always been an important part of my life, whether it was playing music in school, creating models, or painting. Without arts education in school I would not have found these outlets. I had music education starting in elementary school and began playing an instrument in 5th grade. I went on to play in marching band, jazz band, and concert band in high school. I learned not only the fundamentals of music, but also the importance of dedication and teamwork. My visual arts education also started in elementary school and included ribbons for artwork entered into the state fair. With the exception of one painting class, my entire arts education came from my local school until I attended college. Arts education in our schools is critical to the creation of the next generation of artists and to the well being of our society in general. Even if you don’t become an artist, learning to appreciate art, music, and dance — learning to create — is an invaluable outlet.
Support Tandy & Team P.S. ARTS!
