Your Creative Midlife
Your Creative Midlife. With host Betsy Bush.
I’m talking to people who are exploring the creative life post-career or as empty nesters: painting, writing, making music, theater, and film making. What about you? Is this the time to write that book? Return to arts you enjoyed as a kid or teen? Curious to try something new?
Here’s the thing: It’s never too late to bring a creative practice into your life. My guests talk about the satisfaction they find as they develop their new skills. They also share the uncertainty and fear they felt when they started and the confidence they gained as they kept at it and their skills developed. Even better: their definition of success is their own. Where do you want to go? Dare to follow your muse.
Have a creative journey to share? Please get in touch via our website contact page, www.yourcreativemidlife.com
Episodes
44 episodes
Can Art Prevent Burnout in Healthcare? | Larissa Trinder of Arts in Medicine Thinks So
Have you been following the new research about the importance of art and music in healthcare settings? This is such an important part of bringing art and music back into our lives, both as practitioners and also just being in a world where we a...
Dierdre Wolownick climbed El Capitan at 66. Melissa Davey Documented Her Story.
You may know Alex Honnold, the only person to climb Yosemite’s El Capitan rock cliff without any gear. But did you know that Honnold’s mother, Dierdre Wolownick, is the oldest woman to climb the same mountain (with gear)? Or that she only start...
Inside Nantucket's Heritage Craft Program, with Mary Lacoursiere
What happens to a craft when there aren't enough people left making a living at it?In this episode of Your Creative Midlife, I'm recording from the podcast studio at the Nantucket Historical Association with Mary Lacoursiere, artistic di...
Needlework, Toile, and What You're Not Good At
What happens when you sign up for something you might turn out to be bad at? In this episode of Your Creative Midlife, I'm exploring embroidery on Nantucket, in its different forms. It's the part of this island the influencers aren't telling yo...
This is the Value of Process Over Product: What I Learned in a Four-Day Collage Workshop on Nantucket
I’m sharing the results of a collage workshop I took at the Visual Arts Center of the Artists Association of Nantucket, one of the island's major art centers. As a budding collage artist, this was an amazing experience, and it really gave me a ...
Inside the 500 Year Old Craft of Paper Marbling
How would you like to try something completely new? That's what I'm doing with my summer, calling it Nantucket Camp. How about paper marbling? It's a heritage craft, which means, in some ways, it's considered endangered. Here’s how ...
Introducing a New Summer Series: Camp Nantucket!
This summer I'm treating Nantucket Island like summer camp, exploring new activities like pottery, collage, paper marbling, and so much more. You can try so many artistic pursuits on this island. So if you see something new that you want to try...
Yes, You Can Learn to Play the Violin as an Adult
Do you wish you had taken (or stuck with) music lessons as a kid? Or maybe you didn’t have the opportunity for lessons and now wonder if it is too late. In this episode, I talk with Elle Littlefield, an entrepreneur and classical music lover. E...
How to Write an Authentic Memoir and Tell a Good Story, with Sarah Saffian, Writing Coach
There are many reasons to write a memoir. You may find it cathartic to “get it all out there” or maybe you have a life story that you think readers will find entertaining. Either way, says memoirist and writing workshop leader Sarah...
How a Painter Found Community at The Art Students League of New York
In this episode, I reflect on my trip to The Art Students League and how it influenced my friend and podcast guest John Kneapler’s journey as an artist. The Art Students League has been making art education and studio space accessib...
If You Want to Try Collage, This Episode is for You
I’ve explored collage a lot this past year. In fact, my collage roommate has become an exceptional collage artist after retiring from her career in corporate communications. Her creative pivot has been a huge inspiration. This episode is a comp...
This Book is Taking Over the Art World: Reflections on Art Cure by Dr. Daisy Fancourt
I met Dr. Daisy Fancourt in May, when she was a featured speaker at a longevity conference. If you’ve heard of her, it’s because her latest book Art Cure, has taken over the art world on social media. In this special solo e...
You’re Not Stuck with Your Professional Identity: Betsy Bush and Flora White on Evolution Now
You can have a whole new identity if you want. You can pick up something new or pursue that creative impulse that has been in the back of your mind. This week on Your Creative Midlife, I am in the hot seat! I sat down with my friend...
Don’t Wait for Retirement to Write That Book, with Chris Shirley, Award-Winning Fiction Writer
Do you want to write a book, either now or in retirement? Rather than put off his writing dreams until retirement, Chris embraced the challenges through courses, mentorship, community, and self-education. He went on to write a debut novel and i...
Make a Movie on Your Own Terms and Navigate Life as an Artist, with Brooke Berman
This week on Your Creative Midlife, I talk with Brooke Berman about her latest film, "Ramona at Midlife," which explores the central challenge of reconciling one's youthful aspirations with the reality of how life actually unfolds. ...
From Medicine to Painting and Finding New Forms of Expression in Retirement, with Bob Veselis
What do doctors and scientists do in retirement? In this week’s episode, Betsy speaks with Bob Veselis, a former anesthesiologist, about his art practice and how he transitioned from medicine to becoming an artist.About the guest:...
Why Music and Performing Arts are Key to Creative Aging, with John-Morgan Bush, Dean of Juilliard Extension School
I am thrilled to share my conversation with John-Morgan Bush, Dean of Juilliard Extension. We talk about creative aging, Juilliard Extension, and how music and the performing arts can help us live more enriched lives.John-Morgan advocate...
From Lawyer to Model & TV Extra, with Deidre Michael
When you watch a movie, do you ever wonder about the people in the background? What would it be like to work as an extra in the movie business and how do you get that work anyway? In this episode, I talk with Deidre Michael, a forme...
What Is Your Creative Midlife Going To Be? My Biggest Lessons From One Year Of Podcasting
While you're learning to be creative, I'm learning how to do a podcast. In this episode, I reflect on the fantastic first year of the show, podcasting as an older woman, what AI means for our creativity, the connection between creativity and br...
She Made Her First Film at 65: Now, at 75, Melissa Davey’s Documentary "Climbing Into Life" is Winning Awards
Few of us would dare attempt to become a filmmaker at 65, but that is exactly what Melissa Davey did when she retired from corporate life. Her second documentary, "Climbing Into Life" profiles Dierdre Wolownick, the oldest woman to climb ...
“I was actually just a storyteller my whole career”: Live from Graham Broyd’s Book Launch for Backpack, Jacket, Surfboard at Scarsdale Golf Club
We've been following the journey that my guest, Graham Broyd, has taken as a first time author from developing a personal story into a manuscript that was published by Forbes imprint Advantage Press. In August, I was honored to be asked by Grah...
Nobody Pays to See Normal, with Stand-up Comedian Jane Condon
What does it take to be a stand-up comedian in midlife? Jane Condon has been at it for several decades and gives us the inside scoop of what it really takes to get in front of audiences, develop material, and even recover when a routine b...
His first book is in the top 10% of books sold in 2025: How Graham Broyd Did It.
Graham Broyd was a popular guest when I interviewed him back in February, as his book, Backpack, Jacket, Surfboard was in the final editing stages. Now his book has launched and is selling very well. Graham, a former ...
Did a Family Ghost Lure Me to Nantucket? A Special Episode with Betsy Bush
For the last Nantucket edition of the year, I’m sharing a personal story that kind of fits with the spooky season of Halloween. It’s the story of my first visit to Nantucket, only five years ago during COVID, when the island was shut down...
Enjoy this Replay with Astrologer and Tarot Reader Suzanne Keating!
Enjoy this Replay with Astrologer and Tarot Reader Suzanne Keating!Summer can offer us time to contemplate the future and imagine life changes. If you are on Nantucket, you might consider consulting Suzanne Keating. She's an astrologer w...