To paraphrase a 45 year-old Orson Welles explaining how he made a film as brilliant as Citizen Kane at such an early stage of his career: there’s nothing that gives you more confidence than ignorance.
The sentiment behind Welles’s statement has somehow worked its way into our collective unconscious. As a result, many people find themselves lamenting their decision not to pursue creative endeavours in their youth. They think they’re past their prime. They’ve wasted their lives. They’ve got nothing left to offer.
It’s not true.
History proves that our date of birth doesn’t come with an expiry date for our creativity.
At age 61, Momofuku Ando invented instant noodles.
At age 80, Jessica Tandy won an Academy Award for her role in Driving Miss Daisy.
At 96, Harry Bernstein completed his first book.
Over 40% of Robert Frost’s poems were written after he turned 50.
And, in fact, a study found that popular modern artists didn’t create the work that would go on to be considered their masterpiece until around the age of 48.
These people come from different backgrounds, different countries, different decades. But what do they all have in common? Persistence.
Creativity is the product of hard work and experience.
Anyone creative can tell you that the hardest part of the process is beginning. Our brains – specifically, the amygdala, which governs our survival impulse – are designed to prioritise our motivations. That means if you don’t value your creative time, if you don’t respect it as much as the other elements of your day, you’re going to find it difficult to start, let alone create your own masterpiece.
This is the primary reason why we think younger people are more creative: because they dedicate more time to it without stressing over what else they could be doing. That doesn’t mean they’re more creative. It means they’re more courageous.
So the next time you regret not doing something creative with your life, pick up your instrument of choice – a pen, a paintbrush, a guitar, whatever – and just do it.