"If you’re brave enough to continue creating into your 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond, the least I can do is be there on opening night, volunteer, or tell as many people as I can about what you’re up to."
Amen! Words to live by.
This was incredibly relatable. As the floor starts (continues?) to fall out of the digital world/social media, my hope is we'll see a large-scale return to a lot of the promotion that made our teens/20s what they were. That's mostly analog, but really just means showing up for one another in whatever form works best.
Thanks, Kevin. I spent a lot of late nights in Hollywood flyering for shows during the ‘90s. I can probably get those muscles back into shape if necessary.
I couldn't agree more! I wrote a very similar piece a few years ago titled "You're Not Useless," which also addresses living with disability issues, It's up on my Substack and my Letter to the Vatican blog.
I really appreciated the friends who showed up to support me in my creative efforts. I think your subscribers feel the same way about your work. I would never have learned that Chris Mars was such a talented artist, for example. Please continue!
Absolutely! I was trying to come up with something that you articulated here better- when you are reluctant to hit publish js when you should! It means your heart is invested in it.
Right there with you. As musicians (of any age) we get to do 2 things that have proven to be really beneficial over the long term: practice and play. Practice as in “a discipline” and play as in “joyful activity.” Regardless of what rewards come our way as a result, for me these things have been intrinsically valuable in creating a meaningful life.
Yep. Briefly working as a "professional musician" kind of messed with my perspective a bit. Don't get me wrong, it was a lot of fun and I had some mindblowing experiences, but I've also really enjoyed exploring what's on the other side of that.
Steve, really appreciate this piece and sharing aspects of your personal creative journey.
I'm finding many in my circle, who tend to be nearing or past retirement age, turning to creative pursuits in a big way. So it could be a stage of life thing for many, but boy are they making up for lost time, which is so great to see in terms of their life satisfaction and passion and also their contribution of really cool stuff.
Also, just to reassure you, your subscribers may not be in free fall. Some other authors have written about the platform removing subscribers from stacks without the readers' permission. Why this is happening they are trying to determine. New subscribers are not showing up at all in my own stats. I've also found myself subscribed to stacks without asking, so perhaps there are growing pains with the platform at the moment.
Thanks, Ellen. I've definitely stepped on the gas with a pointed return to art in mid-life, and I have seen a few others doing the same...but I'm reluctant to call it a trend in my circles just yet (although many of my closest friends never really stopped). Happy to hear that's the case for you, tho.
As for Substack, I generally avoid griping about stats and subscribers because what's the point? But it made sense to me in this context, so I added a quick sentence about it. I have watched so many platforms rise and fall that I'm mostly just trying to enjoy Substack for what I still like about it while it lasts.
This was excellent and really resonated with me. I’m thrilled that my young adult children have thriving creative circles for their music and art. But I miss the days when I was active in playing music and going to shows all the time with my peers. My interactions with like minded creatives are mostly through online connections these days. I’m thankful I can connect with people from all over the world and find my tribe. I appreciate you and your newsletter.
This hit home for me. Well said, and thank you!
Phew! Thanks for the vote of confidence.
Hear here.
Thanks, Chris! I was nervous to publish this one for some reason. Appreciate the kind words.
"If you’re brave enough to continue creating into your 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond, the least I can do is be there on opening night, volunteer, or tell as many people as I can about what you’re up to."
Amen! Words to live by.
This was incredibly relatable. As the floor starts (continues?) to fall out of the digital world/social media, my hope is we'll see a large-scale return to a lot of the promotion that made our teens/20s what they were. That's mostly analog, but really just means showing up for one another in whatever form works best.
Thanks, Kevin. I spent a lot of late nights in Hollywood flyering for shows during the ‘90s. I can probably get those muscles back into shape if necessary.
These days, we just need to stretch a little more before we head out. lol.
So true! "Threw my back out flyering..." is about as lame as it gets.
I couldn't agree more! I wrote a very similar piece a few years ago titled "You're Not Useless," which also addresses living with disability issues, It's up on my Substack and my Letter to the Vatican blog.
Awesome! I’ll check it out.
💛🫠💛
Couldn’t do a lot of this stuff without you, Marko. Thanks for always showing up.
This is brilliant on so many levels. Thank you.
Thanks, dude!
🎸🤘👊
I really appreciated the friends who showed up to support me in my creative efforts. I think your subscribers feel the same way about your work. I would never have learned that Chris Mars was such a talented artist, for example. Please continue!
The new Chris Mars book is STUNNING. I’m interviewing him about it for another publication. More in that soon…
This was such a wonderful piece. I don’t even know where to start with a comment. It resonated pretty hard.
(Sorry, I initially put this comment in the wrong place under someone else’s comment)
So happy it resonated! As I mentioned above, I was very reluctant to hit publish—which usually means I should. Thanks for the kind words.
Absolutely! I was trying to come up with something that you articulated here better- when you are reluctant to hit publish js when you should! It means your heart is invested in it.
Right there with you. As musicians (of any age) we get to do 2 things that have proven to be really beneficial over the long term: practice and play. Practice as in “a discipline” and play as in “joyful activity.” Regardless of what rewards come our way as a result, for me these things have been intrinsically valuable in creating a meaningful life.
Yep. Briefly working as a "professional musician" kind of messed with my perspective a bit. Don't get me wrong, it was a lot of fun and I had some mindblowing experiences, but I've also really enjoyed exploring what's on the other side of that.
This was a beautiful and inspiring piece. Thanks. Also, calling “The Child Who Survived” as a future band name if you don’t have dibs.
Thank you! …I’ll play tambourine.
Steve, really appreciate this piece and sharing aspects of your personal creative journey.
I'm finding many in my circle, who tend to be nearing or past retirement age, turning to creative pursuits in a big way. So it could be a stage of life thing for many, but boy are they making up for lost time, which is so great to see in terms of their life satisfaction and passion and also their contribution of really cool stuff.
Also, just to reassure you, your subscribers may not be in free fall. Some other authors have written about the platform removing subscribers from stacks without the readers' permission. Why this is happening they are trying to determine. New subscribers are not showing up at all in my own stats. I've also found myself subscribed to stacks without asking, so perhaps there are growing pains with the platform at the moment.
Thanks, Ellen. I've definitely stepped on the gas with a pointed return to art in mid-life, and I have seen a few others doing the same...but I'm reluctant to call it a trend in my circles just yet (although many of my closest friends never really stopped). Happy to hear that's the case for you, tho.
As for Substack, I generally avoid griping about stats and subscribers because what's the point? But it made sense to me in this context, so I added a quick sentence about it. I have watched so many platforms rise and fall that I'm mostly just trying to enjoy Substack for what I still like about it while it lasts.
This was excellent and really resonated with me. I’m thrilled that my young adult children have thriving creative circles for their music and art. But I miss the days when I was active in playing music and going to shows all the time with my peers. My interactions with like minded creatives are mostly through online connections these days. I’m thankful I can connect with people from all over the world and find my tribe. I appreciate you and your newsletter.
Thanks, Matt. Glad you connected with this essay. I really love that our kids are getting to experience this in their own ways.