Is it Too Late for a Creative Life?

You maiy be at a point of life where you are receiving a call to create.  You might be emptying the nest of children, divorce, or on the edge of retirement and you are interested in pursuing a creative life.  As you observe the landscape of friends and family, you may notice that younger generations are meeting up and creating.  Or you may feel uncomfortable about attending creative classes in painting, music, etc. and being the oldest person in the room.  Or the fact that you may just feel that it's too late in life to pursue something like a creative practice. 

If you are over 40,  know that you are not alone for feeling this way.  In a world that appears to be a celebration and support of the endeavors of those younger can create a feeling that launching a new part of life may not be valued or supported.  

As a mature adult, you have a wide range of life experience and inspiration to pour into creative practice or hobby..  You also have the choice to decdie whether your engagement will be a money making venture or purely as a way of self-expression.  Time is no longer a big factor since you have more of it to purse your creative dreams.  And, as a working adult in other professions, you may have more money to spend on art materials, etc. 

Still not convinced?  Consider these famous people who found their creative groove later in life:

• Martha Stwart found real success at the age of 41 with the publicationof her first book, Entertaining, and launch of Martha Stewart Living, seven years later.
• Vera Wang decided at 40 that she wanted to be a fashion designer.  She commissoned her own wedding dress that same year for $10,000 and opened her first bridal boutique the following year.
• Samuel Jackson, the famous actor was 46 (and in recovery from drug addiction) before he starred alongside John Travolta in Pulp Fiction.
• Julia Child published her first cookbook at 39 and made her television debut in The French Chef at 51.
• Bill Traylor, the legendary visual artist, was homeless at 85 when he began drawing and displaying his works on the streets of Montgomery, Alabama before being discovered and his work is now featured in many major museums across the country. 
• Laura Ingalls Wilder did not publish her first "Little House on the Prairie" book until she was 65. 
• Toni Morrison did not publish her first book until she was 39.

There are many others I could be listed.  But the main take away is that you are never too old to launch a second career in the arts or to just start engaging in a new creative life that you either abandoned earlier in life or never had the chance to launch.  

Sometimes we need a little help moving forward with our creative dreams, where ever we are in life.  Why not consider working with someone who can support you in moving forward to make those dreams a reality.  Feel free to contact me for a discovery session to talk about how your next steps and how I can support you.