Guest post by Jill Timmons, DMA

These days, Creativity is trending as the new fashionable buzzword and answer to the many challenges that we face in midlife. Be creative and you will find happiness! It has even become a kind of “rebranding” tool for product marketing: our school, our company, our products are grounded in a commitment to Creativity. It leaves one wondering what they are talking about.

Creativity, however, is the unique imprint of our humanity. And from this personal expression of our very essence, we can discover most powerfully at midlife a way to recast and renew our potent purpose and meaning in life.

By midlife, most of us have had our share of disappointments, losses, or abysmal calamities, engendering a kind of liminal space—betwixt and between. Moreover, in meeting the challenge of this turbulent time, we may discover that metrics from an earlier period no longer serve us. We can be thrust into an ardent search for new meaning and purpose. It is through the discovery and application of our innate creative nature that we can recast our life journey.

As musicians know, one’s mode of creative expression is a deeply subjective choice, and one that can morph over time. There are, however, principles and processes that are embedded in most any given art form. For example, I launch a creative act with first experiencing desire, noticing what I am drawn to, and where my curiosity lies. Something within me creates a spark of attention. There is energy, illumination, and clarity as to what attracts me. I want to explore, develop, form, craft, or generate something new. I feel a certain intensity or passion in following this engagement. Consequently, I discover a rightness to what I am doing. I cannot not do it. As a musician, for example, I encounter moments of grace and ecstasy that may be in tandem with frustration, doubt, or discouragement. Preparing for a performance requires long hours of study and rehearsal. Then in that temporal moment of live performance, I must be fully present to my rigorous preparation. In wrestling with this creative process, I discover, nevertheless, that there can be flow to what I am doing. Even though the way can often be uncertain, I bear a deep awareness of inevitability as the course of events unfolds. These are the markers of an authentic integral creative act.

You might ask, how does this matter? It matters because Creativity requires an intrinsic perseverance, faith in the eventual outcome however it manifests, and tensile strength to sculpt and sustain an artistic vision and plan over an indeterminant period. Aren’t these the essential qualities for artfully navigating midlife and into the elder years, creating a potent all-in life?

Everyone has a creative impulse. On the other hand, in our noisy distracted world it can sometimes be difficult to simply hear our own thoughts. If you are seeking a new creative vision, one that can reveal renewed meaning and purpose to your life, my recommendation is to first start by carving out a personal retreat for at least a few days. In my experience, this requires digital celibacy. Spend time in nature, notice your surroundings, and if you feel inclined, walk to nowhere. What do you notice? Write freely about this, perhaps in a journal. What would you do if you didn’t have to earn a living? In the quiet of your retreat and in answering this question, you will undoubtedly find a new creative path, something that has piqued your excitement and curiosity. From there, you can build the edifice of a strategic action plan.

As an additional thought, a few words about purpose. We often hear about the importance of purpose in life. Certainly, purpose can give focus to how we choose to live. But purpose without deeply held meaning can become stale, dry to the touch. Unchecked it can be the genesis and breeding ground for “burnout.”

For example, let’s imagine for a moment the following scenario. For many years, as a pianist I taught and performed as a university professor and resident artist. That savoury work became my professional purpose. Nevertheless, I discovered that the meaning of that purpose shifted roughly every seven years. Invariably, I longed for some fresh creative path, one where I could be newly challenged and inspired. Inevitably, the consequence of this search was an infusion of new meaning. While I have remained in the music profession, the meaning of how and why I serve continues to evolve.

Lastly, harnessing your own brand of Creativity may also extend your life. Recently, researchers from the University College of London analysed survey data from a long-term study in the United Kingdom which included some 3,500 adults who ranged from very engaged in the arts to those who chose minimal involvement. Professor Daisy Fancourt reported the research team’s findings: “We found in this study that ‘arts engagement’ was related to 4% slower ageing rates, meaning people were about a year younger, biologically, if they were regularly engaged in the arts. This is actually the same reduction in biological ageing that we saw for physical activity,” she says. These findings are published in the journal Innovation in Ageing.

At midlife and into our elder years it is through harnessing the power of our own Creativity that we discover a way forward in answering the search for new meaning, purpose, and greater authenticity. In doing so, we can also enrich the lives of those around us. Consequently, that purposeful life then becomes our legacy—a gift to the collective.

Jill Timmon’s latest book Variations on Life after 50: A Field Guide to Harnessing the Power of Creativity, Purpose, and Legacy in Midlife is available now. Find out more

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Jill Timmons is a leading international arts consultant

www.artsmentor.com