What if the most important hour of your day didn’t happen in a meeting, at the gym, or even while checking your email, but in the hour you spend doing something that feels…indulgent? Playing your instrument. Sketching on a pad. Writing in a journal. It feels frivolous, doesn’t it? But science is telling us something revolutionary: these creative moments are essential for your brain, your mood, and your overall health. And yet, we rarely treat them with the same seriousness we give exercise or a nutritious meal. An hour singing with a choral group? Making a collage from scraps of paper? Are we serious? We should be.
When I started my podcast Your Creative Midlife, my goal was to share stories of people discovering joy and new pathways through creative activities. These were folks writing books and plays, learning the violin, creating visual art, and even doing stand-up comedy. They were having so much fun, and I could relate. My own “aha moment” came a couple of summers ago in an art class. Working with paints and brushes, I felt different. My mood lifted, and I found myself completely engaged in the project. Three hours passed in what felt like minutes. I’ve continued seeking out art classes, exploring paint and collage. As a choral singer at my church, I carry the music with me through the week. Those experiences remind me how transformative immersing ourselves in art and creativity can be.
This year, Your Creative Midlife will explore two threads: why you should create (because it’s good for you) and how to create (because starting is never easy). My guests often describe the moment they tried something completely new – writing a play on vacation, putting paint on a canvas, picking up an instrument. There’s friction, discomfort, and the courage required to shake up routine. But that discomfort is precisely what makes it valuable. And when you create for your own pleasure, your own sense of discovery, that is its own reward. There is no better definition of success.
My interest in midlife pivots began when I enrolled at Columbia University for a second undergraduate degree. I was looking for an intellectual challenge as my younger child went on to college. Architecture was my major, and it challenged me in ways I hadn’t expected because of the 3D software I had to learn. Drafting boards and t-squares are so 20th century. What I really loved were the core curriculum courses. The one class that really stuck with me was an anthropology class, where we covered early human society. The earliest works of art, whether small carvings or cave paintings, are considered the demarcation of modern humans from early hominids. Art is basic to our being human, something we must continue to practice and lay claim to.
Podcasting is challenging, too. I spent my very early career as a radio journalist working at Radio Deutsche Welle in Cologne, West Germany, so I am comfortable behind a microphone. Podcasting developed as an audio medium, a sort of radio on demand, with programs appealing to niche audiences rather than general listeners. I love the flexibility and imagination of audio storytelling. Today, video is becoming a dominant form, which can be daunting, but it also allows me to share the artwork and photography created by my guests, adding a visual layer to their stories and making the experience richer. If you’ve ever thought, “I don’t have time,” or “I’m not sure I can do it,” this is your invitation to try anyway. Do the hard thing. Pick up a pencil, a brush, a notebook, or a music score. Immerse yourself. Discover the focus, joy, and growth that come from doing something meaningful, even when it feels difficult. Your brain and your midlife self will thank you.
You can reach Betsy Bush at betsyhbush@gmail.com.
