Getting Started – Lauren Lapointe Coaching

The Beauty of Being A Creative Late Bloomer: 4 Reasons to Celebrate Getting a Late Start to Your Creativity

Lauren Lapointe — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 19:26:57 +0000

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Have you always wanted to write a book, paint, make music or follow another creative dream?

But maybe you've told yourself that it's too late or you just don't know how to get started?

Or maybe you’ve been working on your creativity for awhile but find yourself stagnating. Perhaps you’ve even had some success with your creative work but you don’t feel that same old excitement or charge that drove you when you were younger.

Maybe you haven’t had the success you wanted and you wonder if it’s time to focus on something else and let that dream go.

Often, we're naturally creative as children, but as we grow and get settled in the world our creativity gets set aside for other things and people.

But our creativity doesn't go away, even if we're not actively pursuing it. Our dreams will come creeping back and nudging us, no matter how much we try to talk ourselves out of them.

And while there is a beauty and fire to the energy and enthusiasm of our young creatives, the good news is that creative late bloomers have a lot to offer.

I know, because I’m a creative late bloomer.

Like many, I was creative as a child, but then drifted away from my creative side as I went through school, graduated with a business degree, and entered the work force. While I did enjoy my life and work at the time, I always felt like something was missing and I just wasn't doing what I was meant to do with my life.

When I started a career as a singer/songwriter in my thirties, I felt a little self-conscious at first. This may not seem that old, but in the music world that trends younger, it felt quite daunting! Especially since I didn’t really have a musical background and was teaching myself the basics of music as I went from gig to gig.

I remember feeling consumed by doubt about following my dream so late.

But then, two things happened.

First, I heard a story about a woman who worked as an accountant for forty years and then, when she retired, decided to follow her dream of becoming a ballerina.

Everyone laughed and told her that she couldn’t become a ballerina in her sixties.

But she ignored them and threw herself into her passion.

And guess what? She did it! She became a ballerina.

Later, in her eighties, she taught ballet and inspired others to follow their dreams at any age.

When I heard this story, I knew that I couldn't let my insecurities about my age hold me back from pursuing my dream.

This story also inspired one of my most popular songs to date, “Ballerina Girl.” When I started singing this song at concerts around the country and sharing the story of this inspiring woman, I was simply amazed at the reaction it would get.

So many people would approach me afterwards, often with tears, and tell me that they needed to hear that song. They had dreams that they were ignoring because they felt it was too late for them.

It wasn’t too late.

And it’s not too late.

In the words of Les Brown, “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”

Right around the time that I started to take my music seriously, I went to a songwriting camp for adults called SummerSongs.

To my surprise, I was one of the youngest people there! I was surrounded by silver-haired retirees who were happily returning to the music that they had always loved to do but had set aside for work, raising families, and other life obligations.

And the songs that they wrote were incredible! They were filled with depth and the richness of their lives. These were songs that I didn't get to hear on the radio.

I realized that getting older meant that I had so much more to offer my creativity.

So not only is it not too late, but there are some distinct advantages to pursuing your creativity as a late bloomer. Here are just a few:

1. Life Experience

Let's face it, the longer we're here, the more stories we have to tell and the richer the wisdom and experience we have to share.

You have unique experiences that only YOU have had and your creativity is a perfect medium to share this experience.

It's lovely to hear the perspective of youth. But often our culture is dominated with youthful messages and we don't get to hear the perspective of other ages.

The more we, as late bloomers, share our creative work, the more variety there will be for people to enjoy.

2. Intentional Approach

Often, late bloomers can be more intentional and deliberate with their approach to their creativity.

There is a thoughtfulness that allows for the creative idea to emerge in a beautiful, step-by-step progression.

Because late bloomers often don’t feel that their creative dream needs to be realized by tomorrow, they can plan better and work in a more methodical way towards their goals.

Late bloomers are often more likely to finish a creative project.

3. Focus On Process Rather Than External Success

Although many late bloomers achieve worldly success, their focus is often on the creative process rather than fame and external success.

They focus more on the internal process: what is happening as they create, what comes up, what are they discovering?

The milestones tend to be more of a sense of accomplishment and of learning.

4. Balance

Late bloomers can achieve a nice balance between the fire of youth and the steadiness of wisdom and life experience. This balance allows them to produce strong creative work.

This sense of balance that often comes with life experience allows creative late bloomers to be more productive with their creative work.

Many creative late bloomers that I’ve worked with in my Creativity Coaching practice have also been able to balance their creativity quite well with the other aspects of their life: work, family etc. Sometimes this balance can feel more challenging when we’re younger.

Some Famous Creative Late Bloomers:

Van Gogh didn't start painting until his late twenties and had his first exhibition at 32.

Toni Morrison and George Eliot both had their first novels published when they were 40.

Julia Child didn’t start cooking until her late 30s.

The singer Susan Boyle began her career at age 46.

Frank McCourt began writing at 64 and his first novel, Angela's Ashes, was published when he was 66.

And many more!

Hopefully this has inspired you to move forward with your creativity and not let age (or anything else) prevent you from sharing your unique gifts with the world...

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Six Ways To Get Your Creative Project Off The Ground

Lauren Lapointe — Sun, 25 Jan 2015 18:24:18 +0000

“Woody and the Kids” by Andy Getch http://www.andygetch.com

Do you have a creative idea that really inspires you?

But then one thing or another happens and you just can’t seem to get started, find the time, or get it off the ground?

Maybe a couple of years go by and you’re still talking about your idea with your friends?

Yep, I’ve been there. And if this sounds familiar to you rest assured that you are not alone! It’s pretty typical to encounter this on a regular basis.

I have learned that it can be really helpful to make a COMMITMENT to my project. Otherwise, another two years go by and I am still thinking and talking about it… but not actually doing it.

When we make a commitment to our creative project we are saying that we believe in it and therefore ourselves.

Making a commitment can send out a signal to the universe that you are serious and you might find yourself receiving all kinds of support (and some challenges, too, but that will be for another blog post on another day.)

So how can we consciously commit to our creative project?

I’ve identified six ways that have helped me to commit and follow through on my ideas and projects. This list is by no means exhaustible and I am always learning new ways to set a project in motion. I would love to hear your thoughts on these and any others that you have discovered so please be sure to chime in on the comments!

Get comfortable with fear
Commit out loud
Prioritize
Create an accountability and support system
Set deadlines
Reward yourself

Get comfortable with fear

It can be scary to begin a new project! While it remains in the “ideas phase” it feels much safer. We can enjoy the idea of the project without diving into the dark, scary, and unknown places that our creative project may demand of us.

But did you know that the more that we CARE about a project or idea the more fear we might feel around it?

In other words, fear can be a signpost that we are doing important, meaningful work.

This means that….(drumroll please) fear can be a good thing!

If we wait for the fear to go away, or only do the things that don’t scare us, we can miss out on some of the most rewarding and rich work available to us.

Sometimes I will talk to my fear: “Oh, hey there, Fear!” (we’re on a first name basis.) “What gifts do you have for me today? Oh, self-doubt? The need to distract myself? What’s that you say? I want to take a nap right now?”

Yes, fear can come in many forms. So it’s good to recognize fear for what it is…and to learn to get comfortable with it. The only way to do this is to just dive in and gradually get used to fear as our constant companion. Who knows, it may even become a friend!

Commit out loud

The key word here is “commit.” I find I have to use this word – otherwise my project is simply an idea and never really manifests.

We can say it to ourselves, speaking the word out loud in our minds, that we commit to our project.

But it can be even more effective if we put it in writing!

Some people make a commitment statement. It can look something like, “I, John Doe, commit to writing my novel.”

We can also break it down into incremental steps as needed, for example: “I, John Doe, commit to spending the next ten weeks writing the first draft of my novel.”

Telling designated friends that you’re committed to your new project can help it feel more real and believable (to you – the one that matters!) The more we say something out loud, the more powerful it becomes.

Prioritize

Several years ago I was having lunch with a friend. I was telling her about my dream of leaving my job and backpacking through Europe. Needless to say I had many good reasons why I couldn’t make that dream happen.

My friend paused from chewing her sandwich and held up a hand to stop me in the middle of my rant. Then she said some words that have stuck with me all my life.

She said, “None of this other stuff matters. You’re only going to do it if you make it a priority.”

And she was right. Until we make something a priority, it doesn’t happen.

This doesn’t mean that we should beat ourselves up if we can’t make a particular idea, project, or dream a priority right at that particular moment in our lives.

But it can be helpful to recognize that, in order to get a dream or idea off the ground, we need to shift it to the top of the “to-do” list.

Often when we say that we don’t have time to do something…what we are really saying is that it’s simply not a priority.

I catch myself doing this all the time. And it can be really liberating to recognize what’s really happening, to shift my thinking, and to give myself a new – and more empowering – perspective.

We don’t have control over time – but we do have control over our priorities.

Create an accountability and support system

Can you find a person or group who can hold you accountable and provide support for you while you embark on your creative project? This would be someone you can check-in with, who can boost you up when you feel discouraged, or steer you in the right direction if you are veering too far off course.

It can be an individual or a group. It can include friends you already know or people you meet through a shared interest. This support can happen in person, over the phone, online, or even just by knowing they are there.

It’s important to find the right people to do this.

I’m a creativity coach and one of the most important things that coaches do, I feel, is to be believing mirrors. We believe in people and remind them of their purpose and what they are capable of accomplishing.

Find your believing mirrors, the people who see your light and shine it back to you when you can’t see it.

Deadlines

You’ve had six weeks to write your essay…and now it’s due in a few hours and you are cramming to finish it.

Does this sound familiar? Was this you when you were in school? That was definitely me.

Most of us need deadlines in order to get something done. And it can be really helpful and important to set deadlines for our creative projects.

If possible, we try to set deadlines that are realistic given the other things that we have going on in our lives. It’s easy to set lofty goals and then give up when we don’t attain them immediately.

That being said, we often need to revise our deadlines as we go. The trick is to try to stick to them as much as possible to keep the project moving along…but to not give up in despair if the deadline isn’t met.

Every Monday I check-in with my current project and re-assess the deadlines for it as needed. This way I always know what I need to focus on that week. I don’t spend time (or try not to) beating myself up if I don’t meet a deadline. That is counter-productive. But I do try to learn from a deadline that didn’t work so that I can set a more realistic deadline for the week ahead.

Creative projects are ever-changing and always-evolving. It can feel like we’re trying to impose structure on a wisp of fairy dust. We need to be able to flow and change with our deadlines and projects while still allowing them to breathe and sparkle.

Rewards

This is one thing that I often forget to do…

Yet this simple technique can be surprisingly effective!

“Lauren,” I tell myself, “if you finish writing this song you get to eat your favorite chocolate. The good organic dark chocolate kind with the caramel bits and sea salt and…”

Well, you get the idea.

Whatever is it that motivates you…set up a rewards system for yourself. After all, you deserve it!

SUMMARY

There are many ways we can support ourselves in committing to our creative projects. What works for us now can also change over time or per project.

Eventually we find a system that gets us started, keeps us moving forward, and supports us as we move through the sometimes-scary and unknown world of the creative. And then we celebrate as we reach our milestones.

Don’t forget to celebrate!

What helps you feel more committed to your project? What challenges have you faced? Please feel free to share your comments and/or e-mail me at Creativity@LaurenL.com.

Best of luck with your creative project!