A note for paid subscribers. There is an audio companion for this article at the end.
There is no perfect time
and
at some point, time runs out.
As a mid-life creative professional, I completely get the feeling that time is slipping away. There’s more things to do than time to do it. The job you may feed some needs, some creativity, some money, it’s sustainable. But there’s this feeling that your potential is being… wasted.
But here’s the thing: this isn’t actually a new feeling. This has always been true. You’ve always felt a little like this, just with fewer joint and back issues, and more time to figure it out.
Oh, then that same feeling of time running out becomes the thing that stops you. You’d start on a project, but what if it doesn’t take off or fulfill you? You’re not 20, you know what the time ahead feels like, you’ve lived that long.
Now you can see the finish line, a little closer, and you realize that at some point it will be too late to begin.
Let me know, does this sound familiar?
WHY YOU’RE HERE
This just makes sense. If you’re a mid-life creative you’ve followed a non-linear path. Now you’ve done that for 15, 20, maybe 30 years. So you know what that path feels like to look back on and how to make sense of it. So you also know that you could plan a little bit for the next similarly-lengthed path. You also have some energy still and more smarts than you used to.
It’s not a crisis, it’s opportunity and potential staring you in the face, and the “what are you going to do about it” feeling feels like a lot of pressure
WHY IT’S A HARD PROBLEM TO SOLVE
It’s both cliche and truth, you hit this point and you’re thinking about unfulfilled dreams and untapped potential.
Take a real-life example of a seasoned creative professional who has carved out a successful career but feels a profound sense of disconnection from her work. Despite having and having even started on ideas and meaningful projects, she hesitates to venture beyond the confines of her established path, the next promotion, the next job.
Career can loom large over creativity.
The fear of straying from the conventional trajectory of her career looms large, casting a shadow over your creative endeavors.
It’s there in the background, the narrative of missed opportunities, the relentless inner critic whispering about past failures and unrealized ambitions, admonishing us for not starting sooner or achieving grandiose results by now. It's easy to succumb to the weight of these self-imposed expectations, allowing them to stifle our creative impulses.
WHAT TO DO INSTEAD
What if you dared to challenge this narrative? What if, instead of fixating on what you "should have" done, you shifted your focus to what you "can do" in the present moment?
Embracing the present requires a fundamental shift in perspective—one that acknowledges the inherent value of each moment and the boundless potential it holds. When you were 20 you (likely) didn’t say “This next decision is going to determine the course of my entire life.” Yes, it’s why we did some dumb sh*t in our 20s, but we also had some wild successes, big moments, insights, and paths we are glad we took. It’s only in hindsight that we see how all of these decisions, false starts and successes alike, created the outcome of where we are today. But you probably didn’t plan it then, and you’re smarter now.
So, and I say this in the most supportive tone possible, RELAX.
Give yourself permission to explore the uncharted territories of your creativity without judgment or reservation.
Let go of the burden of comparison with others or even your own future dreams, and embracing the moment you’re in, knowing that only in movement do you find yourself on a path.
Actually write down a list, in gratitude, of the abundance of opportunities that surround you.
Make a commitment to one S.M.A.R.T. step you could take this week to simply BE in that creative process. For many of my clients, this is as simple as a conversation with someone where they share and discuss one of their creative ideas.
It's about finding joy and fulfillment in the act of creation itself, rather than fixating solely on the end result. Whether it's painting a masterpiece, writing a novel, or launching a passion project, each endeavor is imbued with its own intrinsic worth, independent of external validation or recognition.
As the saying goes, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"—and each step taken in the direction of our dreams is a triumph in itself.
GO FORTH
So, to the weary creative grappling with feelings of doubt and uncertainty, I offer this gentle reminder: You are not defined by the should haves of yesterday or the could haves of tomorrow. Your worth is not based on what you’ve done or will do.
Just, get here. Now.
What does your open heart and curious mind want to explore?
Paid subscribers, here is some audio with more background on what it means and how to shift your perspective if you’re in this mid-life creative space.
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