Your Creative Midlife

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 Saffian, there is a difference between therapeutic writing for its own sake and writing for publication. Working through these distinctions in a workshop setting with an experienced teacher can help you get your memoir writing to the place you want it to be.

Covered in the podcast:

• How Sarah Saffian helps students craft a compelling story that will engage an audience.
• Approaching your life story with necessary emotional distance and perspective
• Receiving and giving feedback in a workshop setting is a valuable learning experience that helps writers improve their own craft.
• Why it's important In a workshop to "critique the work and not the life” to keep the focus on the craft of writing
• Why Sarah encourages students to read extensively in the memoir genre to deepen their understanding of the craft.
• Sarah's strategies for managing concerns about family members, should your memoir be published.

Sarah Saffian is a licensed clinical social worker, therapist, and author. Her memoir, "Ithaka: A Daughter's Memoir of Being Found," about her experience as an adoptee reconnecting with her birth family, has been called a classic of the adoption genre. She teaches memoir and profile writing at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival and uses a "Therapeutic Writing" approach that combines her expertise in psychology and creative writing.

Links:

saffian.com 

https://www.sarahlawrence.edu/writing-institute/courses/ 

https://www.writerscenter.org/ 

Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  And see more about Betsy Bush and her guests at www.yourcreativemidlife.com.  Are you on your own artistic or creative journey?  We want to know about you!  Please contact us through the website.  Dare to follow your muse!

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 accessible in New York City. This kind of community is important for making art and also for improving our health. In her book Art Cure, Daisy Fancourt says social prescribing as the practice of referring patients to “community-based activities that can support their health, with arts being one of the most popular.” 

John Kneapler is an artist who grew up in Miami, Florida, with an early talent for art. Discouraged by his parents from pursuing fine art as a career, he studied at Pratt Institute and founded John Kneaper Design, a prominent graphic design and branding company in New York. His firm worked with high-profile clients such as MoMA and Citerella. Following significant life events, including the loss of his parents and the closure of his business during the pandemic, he retired from graphic design to pursue his lifelong passion for painting.   He serves on the board of the Art Students League in New York City.

Links:

Full interview with John Kneapler: https://youtu.be/V2OwR--129U?si=SBj224Ac3aV9jeQM 

The Art Students League: https://www.artstudentsleague.org/why 

John Kneapler’s website: https://johnkneaplerpaintings.com/ 

Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Saves Lives by Daisy Fancourt: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250364531/artcure/

Webinar on social prescribing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocnv9rzJeYY 

Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  And see more about Betsy Bush and her guests at www.yourcreativemidlife.com.  Are you on your own artistic or creative journey?  We want to know about you!  Please contact us through the website.  Dare to follow your muse!

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 compilation of my interview with Lela and my own journey into the world of collage. 

Links:

Watch the full interview with Lela: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2vc2HvS2zo&t=793s 

Collage Lab: https://explore.collage-lab.com/join2026 

Kolaj Magazine: https://kolajmagazine.com/content/ 

How to Make a Collage: https://www.yourcreativemidlife.com/resources-for-creativity-midlife/how-to-make-collage

Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  And see more about Betsy Bush and her guests at www.yourcreativemidlife.com.  Are you on your own artistic or creative journey?  We want to know about you!  Please contact us through the website.  Dare to follow your muse!

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 episode, I share my thoughts on this revelatory book, the questions it asks, and what I think needs to happen next. 

Resources:

Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Save Lives: https://bookshop.org/p/books/art-cure-the-science-of-how-the-arts-save-lives-daisy-fancour

Learn more about Dr. Daisy Fancourt: https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/44526-daisy-fancourt 

Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  And see more about Betsy Bush and her guests at www.yourcreativemidlife.com.  Are you on your own artistic or creative journey?  We want to know about you!  Please contact us through the website.  Dare to follow your muse!

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 and fellow podcaster, Flora White, who is the CEO of Evolution Content. 

We talk about the inspiration behind Your Creative Midlife, what it was like to go back to school in my mid-fifties, and why creativity is essential for long-term wellbeing. 

Links:

Columbia School of General Studies: https://www.gs.columbia.edu/ 

Older Adult Auditing Program, Purchase College: https://www.purchase.edu/offices/registrar/older-adult-auditing-program/

Juilliard Extension School: https://www.juilliard.edu/stage-beyond/juilliard-extension 

Art Cure: The Science Behind Why Art Saves Lives by Daisy Fancourt: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250364531/artcure/

About Evolution Content: https://www.evolutioncontent.co/

Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  And see more about Betsy Bush and her guests at www.yourcreativemidlife.com.  Are you on your own artistic or creative journey?  We want to know about you!  Please contact us through the website.  Dare to follow your muse!

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 is working on his third book. 

Chris’s story offers inspiration, empathy, and encouragement for anyone who dreams of writing but doesn’t know where to start.

About the guest:

Chris Shirley writes contemporary fiction that blends emotional depth with high-stakes storytelling. His debut novel, Playing by the Book (Magnus Books), won a National IPPY Award in religious fiction, becoming the first LGBTQ coming-out novel to receive that distinction. His current novel, Bloody Hell, is an upmarket thriller set in the world of global pharmaceuticals. Before turning to fiction full-time, Chris Shirley led executive communications teams at three Fortune 500 companies—experience that informs the corporate realism of his work.

Links:

About Chris Shirley: https://www.schrisshirley.com/ 

Chris’ recommendations for books on writing: https://www.schrisshirley.com/books-on-writing 

The Writer’s Institute, CUNY: https://www.gc.cuny.edu/writers-institute 

Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  And see more about Betsy Bush and her guests at www.yourcreativemidlife.com.  Are you on your own artistic or creative journey?  We want to know about you!  Please contact us through the website.  Dare to follow your muse!

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. 

The film follows Ramona, a former essayist turned animal shelter worker, as she grapples with the gap between her 25-year-old self, the person she expected to become, and who she actually became—a struggle shaped by both personal choices and broader cultural shifts. 

Brooke shares how she made the film on her own terms, how artists at any stage of life can pursue creative ambitions, and the top skills and resources for anyone who wants to make a movie. 

About the guest:

Brooke Berman is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter, filmmaker, and memoirist whose work has been produced and published across the US and abroad. Originally trained as an actor and solo performer, Brooke began performing her own work on the Lower East Side of Manhattan before receiving formal training in playwriting from the Juilliard School and Maria Irene Fornes. Her latest film, “Ramona at Midlife,” is available on Apple, Amazon, and other streaming platforms. 

Links:

Watch "Ramona at Midlife" on Apple TV:

https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/ramona-at-midlife/umc.cmc.7b4qpx8ldhzghe90ziw599t74 

Watch "Ramona at Midlife" on Amazon: 

https://www.amazon.com/Ramona-at-Midlife-Brooke-Berman 

About Ramoa At Midlife:

https://www.ramonaatmidlife.com/

About Brooke Berman:

https://brookeberman.net/ 

Brooke Berman on Substack:

https://substack.com/@brookeberman 

“In Anna Quindlen’s Latest Novel, Hardship Is Relative” by Jennifer Weiner, The New York Times:https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/24/books/review/more-than-enough-anna-quindlen.htm

“Why Women Still Can’t Have it All” by Anne-Marie Slaughter, The Atlantic, 2012: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/07/why-women-still-cant-have-it-all/309020/ 

Resources mentioned by Brooke:

SunDance Collab: https://collab.sundance.org/About-Collab 

Film Fatales: https://www.filmfatales.org/ 

Film Stack Substack: https://filmstackdailydigest.substack.com/

No Film School: https://nofilmschool.com/ 

Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  And see more about Betsy Bush and her guests at www.yourcreativemidlife.com.  Are you on your own artistic or creative journey?  We want to know about you!  Please contact us through the website.  Dare to follow your muse!

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:

Bob Veselis, a retired anesthesiologist from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, has returned to painting, collage, and piano playing in his retirement. His artistic work has evolved from more traditional, representational painting to a more abstract, intuitive approach, where he starts without a fixed plan and lets the work develop organically. Bob sees his artistic practice as a way to tap into his creativity and find new channels of self-expression, similar to how he found research and problem-solving in his medical work to be a creative outlet.

Resources:

The Failure Of Success Creativity Study, Dr. George Land

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFD5UdGTOmw&t=70s

Do Schools Kill Creativity? Sir Ken Robinson, TED Talk 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY 

Values: Building a Better World For All  by Mark Carney: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61965810-values

Follow the show:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/your_creative_midlife/ 

Website: https://www.yourcreativemidlife.com

Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  And see more about Betsy Bush and her guests at www.yourcreativemidlife.com.  Are you on your own artistic or creative journey?  We want to know about you!  Please contact us through the website.  Dare to follow your muse!

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 advocates for the importance of lifelong engagement with the arts, explaining that older adults bring a unique depth of emotional experience to their creative pursuits. He highlights how arts participation can combat loneliness, provide a sense of agency and choice, and significantly enhance quality of life. He tells why the word “amateur” has been banned at the Extension and how they are working to bring these ideas to senior living communities.

About the guest:

John Morgan Bush is the Dean of Juilliard Extension. He is a professional classical musician (French horn) with extensive teaching experience, having worked with students ranging from 6 to 102 years old. He served as the Director of Learning and Learning Programs for the  League of American Orchestras and previously taught at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Featured Show Music: Beethoven’s 9th Symphony Performed by Purchase Symphony Orchestra, March 6, 2026.

Resources:

• Learn More About Juilliard Extension: https://www.juilliard.edu/stage-beyond/juilliard-extension
• Read US Surgeon General Report on Loneliness (2023): https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf?ueid=a6a91c99b86e9539783269cb1d6db6fe 
• Can Art Therapies Become Public Policy? Learn from the Jameel Arts and Health Lab https://www.jameelartshealthlab.org/ 
• NYT Article on Amsterdam’s Singing Circle:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/arts/music/amsterdam-concertgebouw-singing-circle.html

• Connect with John-Morgan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-morgan-bush/ 

Follow the show:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/your_creative_midlife/
Website: https://www.yourcreativemidlife.com

Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  And see more about Betsy Bush and her guests at www.yourcreativemidlife.com.  Are you on your own artistic or creative journey?  We want to know about you!  Please contact us through the website.  Dare to follow your muse!

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 former lawyer, about how she became a model and movie extra. It took Deidre following her curiosity to start this new phase of her life. What is something you are curious about, and where could that curiosity take you? Submit your story on my website contact form –  https://www.yourcreativemidlife.com/contact. 

Remember – it’s never too late to follow your muse!

Resources from the episode:

https://www.backstage.com/

Follow the show:
Instagram: https://bit.ly/4tL6rcp
Website: https://www.yourcreativemidlife.com

Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts.  And see more about Betsy Bush and her guests at www.yourcreativemidlife.com.  Are you on your own artistic or creative journey?  We want to know about you!  Please contact us through the website.  Dare to follow your muse!