Your Creative Midlife

After a 33-year career as a pediatric dentist, Manhattan-based Dr. Deborah Pilla took on a challenge that rewards her love of art and of learning:  becoming a docent and a school programs guide at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her work with children in her dental practice makes her a natural for engaging students during museum tours.  She also has her own arts practice, which she views as an important creative outlet.  She has taken on a new project, writing a children’s story and developing it for publication.

Topics we cover: 

• How she became a docent at the Met, a rigorous and competitive process, requiring extensive research, writing, and public speaking skills. 
• The fulfillment she finds in sharing her knowledge and passion for art, especially with students who may be visiting a museum for the first time. 
• The intersection of science/medicine and the arts, and how skills from one field can translate to the other
• Her favorite exhibits at the Met and why – her answer may surprise you.  
• The importance of staying intellectually engaged and finding creative outlets in retirement 
• The transformative power of art in providing perspective, calm, and wonder 

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!

They met in tap dancing class in NYC as young theater hopefuls.  Marriage, babies and a move to the suburbs followed.  But they never lost their love of theater.  Now, post retirement, they are finding their way back to the stage.  Kathleen Mahan is now a director and theater arts teacher working with both kids and adults.  And after years of involvement in local theater, Steve has re-entered the professional world.

Discussion includes:

• Kathleen's transition into directing showcases her growth and passion for the craft.  She started with working with children and eventually moved to directing more complex plays, including "Clybourne Park" and "Significant Other". 
• Steve has recently returned to professional theater, landing roles in several musicals after retiring from his IT career.  
• Steve describes his training regime of working with voice teachers and coaches.  
• Both encourage theater hopefuls to take classes and start auditioning.
• Steve and Kathleen’s extensive theater-going habits and their discussions about the craft  have helped inform their own work.
• Their theater contacts have led to participation in the vibrant ecosystem of new play development and readings in the New York metropolitan area.
• They encourage others who may have given up on their creative dreams to pursue them, noting that fear of failure should not hold people back. 

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!

For anyone who regrets quitting their music lessons when they were little and assumes it’s too late to go back, please listen to Elena Rahona talk about founding the New York Late Starters Orchestra, modeled on a similar one in London.  “Late starters” are people who want to resume playing their childhood instruments, are learning a new instrument, or have never played before.  Late Starters ensembles emphasize coming together as a community to make music. The discussion covers the importance of music-making as a community activity, the challenges and vulnerabilities of adult learners, and the value of creating spaces where imperfection and joy are celebrated rather than perfection being the sole focus. 

Elena Rahona is the co-founder of the New York Late Starters Orchestra.  She had always wanted to play the violin but did not have the opportunity until later in life when she decided to pursue it as an adult.  This experience led her to co-found the Late Starters Orchestra to provide a supportive community for other adults in a similar position.  

Key Points

• Late starters in music can be those who never had the chance to learn an instrument, those who played as children but had to stop for various reasons, and those who are starting a new instrument later in life.
• Late starter orchestras like the New York Late Starters Orchestra welcome players of all levels, including complete beginners, and focus on creating a supportive, judgment-free environment for music-making.  
• Music-making is valuable not just for the music itself, but for the sense of community, connection, and pursuit of beauty it can provide, especially in challenging times. 
• There is a need to shift expectations around music-making, away from perfection and towards joy, self-expression, and the process of creating something together.  
• Starting or returning to music-making as an adult can be daunting, but having the right teacher or conductor, appropriate music, and a welcoming space can make a big difference. 
• There are potential benefits of music-making for older adults, both in terms of cognitive brain-hand coordination and social connection. 

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!

Extended Version of Episode 2

Graham Broyd thought he’d write down the stories of his adventures as a 20-year-old from the UK hitchhiking across the United States, stories he’d been telling friends for decades.  Through a series of improbable events, Forbes publishing discovered him, and the result is Graham’s forthcoming book, "Backpack Jacket Surfboard."

We talk about Graham’s experience working with the Forbes editorial team, Graham also compares his experience self-publishing his book on the Panama Canal treaties to the more comprehensive and professional approach taken by Forbes for his hitchhiking memoir.  He also discusses the potential challenges of marketing and distribution, as the success of the book will depend on him engaging with audiences in traditional in-person appearances.

We also touch on personal reflections from his journey that include his father’s service as an RAF Lancaster Bomber pilot in WWII.

Key Points

• Graham initially wrote his hitchhiking stories just for his amusement and to share with friends, not expecting to publish a book.  
• After seeing his social media posts about potentially writing a book, Forbes reached out to Graham and offered him a publishing deal. 
• Graham went through an extensive editorial process with Forbes, working with editors to refine and polish his manuscript.  They helped him expand on the personal reflections and impact of his experiences, rather than just recounting the stories.  
• Graham also self-published an earlier book on the Panama Canal treaties as a learning experience before working with Forbes and compared the two processes. 
• Graham’s father's history as a young RAF bomber pilot during WWII is woven into the narrative of the book.  

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!

Graham Broyd thought he’d write down the stories of his adventures as a 20-year-old from the UK hitchhiking across the United States, stories he’d been telling friends for decades.  Through a series of improbable events, Forbes publishing discovered him, and the result is Graham’s forthcoming book, "Backpack Jacket Surfboard."

We talk about Graham’s experience working with the Forbes editorial team, Graham also compares his experience self publishing his book on the Panama Canal treaties to the more comprehensive and professional approach taken by Forbes for his hitchhiking memoir.  He also discusses the potential challenges of marketing and distribution, as the success of the book will depend on him engaging with audiences in traditional in-person appearances.

We also touch on personal reflections from his journey that include his father’s service as an RAF Lancaster Bomber pilot in WWII.

Note:  While this episode was edited for time constraints, Graham’s full interview, which includes a deep dive into the financial issues of different options for aspiring writers, agent vs publisher vs hybrid vs self-publishing, is available in the extended version in the Season 1 playlist.

Key Points

• Graham initially wrote his hitchhiking stories just for his amusement and to share with friends, not expecting to publish a book.  
• After seeing his social media posts about potentially writing a book, Forbes reached out to Graham and offered him a publishing deal. 
• Graham went through an extensive editorial process with Forbes, working with editors to refine and polish his manuscript.  They helped him expand on the personal reflections and impact of his experiences, rather than just recounting the stories.  
• Graham also self-published an earlier book on the Panama Canal treaties as a learning experience before working with Forbes and compared the two processes. 
• Graham’s father's history as a young RAF bomber pilot during WWII is woven into the narrative of the book.  

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!

After many turns as a marketing and media entrepreneur, Cherie Corso turned her energy and talent to abstract painting, with great results. Just two years in, she’s exhibiting her canvases, making sales, and even donating a few to charities for auction. She shares her latest project, The Pulse of New York: she took canvases to all five boroughs, where people on the street would interact and leave their mark on them. Cherie models the fearlessness that many later in life artists may need to inhabit to persevere and thrive. She and Betsy discuss starting a new class when others around you appear more accomplished; resolving to continue your
practice in the face of skepticism by friends and family; and how skills and habits from her business life have helped her establish herself in the art world. See Cherie’s work @cheriecorsoart and www.cheriecorsoart.com

https://creativityworkshop.com/articles/med-schools

https://creativityworkshop.com/articles/working-with-your-hands-is-good-for-your-brain

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!