Creative Seniors
Please scroll down for the most recent interview (excerpt and link)
Topics
Senior artists and innovators
Organizations helping seniors be creative
How creativity is used in senior healthcare
Upcoming Topics
Memoirs
Collaboration with other seniors
Collaboration with UnSeniors
Many more
Excerpt from the most recent interview
Interviews are coming soon
The World Is a Room With a Piano Waiting to Be Played by Roger Rosenblatt
Mr. Rosenblatt is the author of a new book, “More Rules for Aging.”
The older I get, the more I appreciate the wonders around me. I’m not just talking about nature’s extravagances — zebras, cuttlefish, dragon flies, octopuses, though they do still amaze — but rather the wonder attached to the everyday things a younger me might have not paid much notice to, the happy social interactions, coincidences and surprises that counteract all the sorrows and horrors, and say by their existence, we too are life, maybe most of it.
Perhaps the mundane becomes more wondrous as we age partly because we move slower. We are more careful. Each step we take becomes fascinating, an object of exquisite study, not only because the stability of your body rides on it, but also because it takes on a disembodied life of its own.
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An excerpt of a column by Roger Rosenblatt on Aging
Introduction
My hopes for this project are to encourage seniors (of all ages) try something they haven't tried before or continuing working on creative interests they started earlier The discussion will focus on focus on some of the challenges (such as health, not being heard by the younger generations, and reservations about trying something new) and the joys (the chance of trying things you've held off for decades, being more willing to fail to succeed, and having lived a life that gives you a full perspective on life).
Many people didn't become successful until late in life. Henrik Ibsen, who became known as the father of modern drama because of his successful writing plays about everyday people instead of the aristocracy, didn't have much success until his 50s and 60s. Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Robertson Moses) began painting at 78 after arthritis ended her sewing career. Frank McCourt began writing at 66. Claude Monet didn't start his signature style until his 40s. Julia Child wrote her first cookbook at 50. Estelle Getty became known at 62.
More importantly, success doesn't have to mean money and fame. Success just means giving voice and heart to your passions. Success for many artists is in the effort, in taking chances, in trying something different. If I've learned one thing in my creative efforts, it's that things that don't work today may provide inspiration tomorrow.
Creativity, whether it's in the arts, sciences, academics, or any arena, has numerous advantages. It's a way of focusing on what works (especially important when so many things today don't seem to work); it's a way to stay connected with people your age, family, friends, and meet new people with similar interests.
So, please give your creativity a chance. Write. Draw. Sing. Act. Imagine. Show your talents. Do you really have anything to lose?
Looking forward to our conversation. I hope to expand the topics of discussion as the project develops.