January 3, 2008
allow your work to age with you
[More thoughts on “How To Be Creative”:]
32. Allow your work to age with you.
You get older faster than you think. Be ready for it when it happens.
I have a friend. Call him Dan.
When I first met Dan, he was a twenty-eight year old aspiring filmmaker, in a one-bedroom apartment down on New York’s Lower East Side, who liked to spend too much time in bars.
The last time I saw him, he was a forty-one year old aspiring filmmaker, in a one-bedroom apartment down on New York’s Lower East Side, who likes to spend too much time in bars.
There’s a famous old quip: “A lot of people in business say they have twenty years experience, when in fact all the really have is one year’s experience, repeated twenty times.”
It’s not just guys in business who fall into this trap, unfortunately. It happens just as often to people taking a less conventional path. It’s sad enough when you see it happen to a friend of yours. When it happens to you, it’s even worse.
The good news is, it’s easy enough to avoid. Especially with experience. Suddenly you realize that you’re just not into the same things you once were. You used to be into staying up late all night, going to parties, now you’d rather stay in and read a book. Sure, it sounds boring, but hey, sometimes “boring” can be a lot of fun. Especially if it’s on your own terms.
Just go with the flow and don’t worry about it. ESPECIALLY don’t worry about the people who ARE worrying about it. They’ll just slow you down.
I like this one Hugh, even if I’m just an impatient 30 year-old aspiring novelist in Chicago.
It reminds me, tangentially, of a quote that sort-of goes, “Spend six years working. Spend the seventh alone or among strangers, so your friends don’t stop you from becoming who you are.”
I think this mini-sabatical has and continues to be good for you.
As a 60 year old I can vouch for the fact that you are ‘old’ in numerical terms for a very long time.
However, you don’t have to be old in any other way as some poor teenager found out when I was helping them out with their computer
Main motto is Use it or Lose it!
Yes! Yes! Thank you.
So important to create with what you have.
Reminds me of the saying that for a writer the first twenty years are experience, the rest is reporting. But, as Graham Greene said, that is probably true for all of us.
Martin
37 years old and dont feel it. I have shifted to different fields every job switch and now in events so yippeee I agree
‘In nineteen seventy eight
I lived in a hotel in Notting Hill Gate,
Now in nineteen ninety two,
I live in a hotel in Notting Hill Gate.’
The Fall
How do you not worry when you are in the middle of a lack luster career rolling up the one year experiences? I just turned 40 and feel like I am 150 and 17 at the same time.
Nearly 28 now. Staying home becomes more and more attractive. Got a load of books on my shelf, and there´s Friday nights (!) where I really prefer those to a wild party.
It´s… ok. Hurts less the next day
The cartoon — The same thing could be said for Austin, TX (though I love it).
The blog — What if you spend your 20s staying in and reading and then discover in your 30s that you also really like being out and about?
I’ll turn 39 in February. I have a 16 year old and an 18 year old. I have days when I don’t feel like I’m “this old”. And I have days when people tell me I sure don’t act or look old enough to have two teenagers. Then I turn around and think, “Jeeze, X happened 20 years ago?! Ouch!”
I heard when I was a teenager, “Age is only important if you’re a cheese.” As I get older, the more inclined I am to believe it.
My favorite aunt told me once, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”
Very thoughtful post — but it took me a while to read it — I was too busy laughing at the cartoon — sooooooo true! Hit the proverbial nail on the head.
Hi there, interesting post, strikes a chord with me esp on going with the flow
Insightful post – I’m in my mid 20’s and like many others living in New York I often forget that there’s more to this city than tall buildings and flashy lights.