One of the best things about life in our later years is the gift of free time we’re given when we leave our full-time careers behind. Retirement is the perfect time to pick up a creative hobby. As an added bonus, unleashing creativity can help you age well.
Read on to find out why retirement is the best time to cultivate your creativity and for ideas on creative pursuits you may not have considered.
Shifting from consumption to creation
There’s an old saying that life is not a spectator sport. Yet in the information—and often misinformation—age we find ourselves in, many of us spend hours every day passively and mindlessly consuming content.
In his book, Things That Matter, Joshua Becker identifies technology as a distraction that gets in the way of achieving important things in life. He challenges readers to use their online time to create rather than consume.
Becker has a point, but we need to go one step further. It’s time to set aside our devices—or at least disable notifications—and truly engage in something creative.
“But…I’m not a creative person”
Have you ever heard yourself say this out loud? For most of my life, I equated creativity with artistic talent. I constantly downplayed my creative side.
Admittedly, great artists like Picasso or da Vinci have nothing to fear from me. I struggle to even draw stick people and make them look good. But I was selling myself short.
After a cancer diagnosis in my late 40s, I stopped telling myself all the reasons I couldn’t do something. Instead, I started saying, “Why not!” This mindset shift helped me step outside my comfort zone and discover new talents and passions.
I truly believe everyone has a creative side—and that includes you! It starts with believing that you can, and then finding the right outlet for your unique set of talents. Your later years are the best time to explore, and research shows it’s good for you.
Benefits of creativity
Shifting from passively consuming to actively creating can boost your quality of life. Creative pursuits help cultivate a growth mindset and ignite curiosity.
Psychology Today reports creative activities can improve our mood, help regulate our emotions, add meaning to our lives, and improve our social interactions.
When it comes to longevity, recent research shows creative activities may slow the clock on brain aging. People with more creative engagement had younger brains. And the deeper the expertise, the greater the delay in brain aging.
Best of all, though, is that feeling that you did it!
So, what form will your creativity take?
An endless list of possibilities
I recently heard that retirees are “time affluent”. Unlike earlier life stages where time was scarce and you struggled to fit everything in your day, you now have the luxury of time to explore and try new things.
So instead of choosing another show to binge watch this winter, think about what kind of creative activity interests you.
It could be a traditional art form like drawing, painting, singing, dancing, or playing an instrument.
You might enjoy writing—poetry, fiction, non-fiction, or just sharing part of you on a blog.
Or you could try your hand at woodworking, interior decorating, gardening, cooking, baking, photography or videography.
And don’t forget about crafting—cardmaking, knitting, jewellery making, or sewing.
You might even use the skills you honed during your career to engage in creative problem solving for a community organization.
I could go on, but the point is the possibilities are endless.
Enjoyment over achievement
Did something on that list spark your curiosity? What have you got to lose by giving it a try?
You might discover hidden talents and turn out to be the next Picasso, Elton John, or Gordon Ramsay. That would be a pleasant surprise, but it’s not the main objective. After years of focusing on results and performance during your primary career, the beauty of this stage of life is you don’t have to be good at something to spend time doing it. You’ve earned the freedom to please yourself and do what feels good to you. If you enjoy it, who cares if you’re good at it?
So after years of singing in choirs, I stepped out of my comfort zone to sing rock music in a band. And after a lifetime of believing I wasn’t a writer, I started a blog and developed a passion for writing.
And guess what! I loved it.
If you’re looking ahead to your next chapter, contact me to get started on brainstorming ideas to unlock your creative potential.