What do creatives do at 60?

As someone sitting comfortably on the hexagenarian scale, I feel well placed to talk about this. If you’re expecting a rant about ageism in the workplace, nothing to see here. But if you’re curious about what I’m seeing, hearing (and feeling) without bias… let’s roll.

The view from where I sit

I coach creatives to lead fulfilling and profitable lives. My clients are usually 45–65, evenly split male/female, respected “senior” professionals still in work, but also making significant decisions about how they want life to feel in the next five, maybe 10 years.

Some still have mortgages. Others don’t. The reason I mention this is significant because even though money concerns might not be in the subject enquiry or get prettified in the subtext. What you decide to do at  60 is very much governed by money. It just is. And we have to get comfortable talking about it to make honest decisions.

The real issues (and they’re not what under-40s think)

Without fail, every coaching conversation includes concerns around lack of confidence, losing relevance and the ensuing anxiety or fear.

But then come the surprises: energy, motivation, and self-awareness.

And the good news? At 60, energy is potent, motivation is unwavering, and self-awareness is sharper than ever. We know our values, even if we’re still working out how to live them fully.

What changes with age

The difference isn’t energy. It’s focus.

When you started in your career, your internal compass was probably pretty single-minded. Ok selfish. At 60, it’s being pulled in multiple directions, often all at once. Ageing parents. Adult children, who don’t always leave home. Illness, love, grief. And let’s not forget the state of the planet. Oh, and money. Always money.

This constant tugging plays havoc with your magnetic field. Compare your to-do list, say, with one you may have written 20 years ago (if you even wrote one). It’s no wonder it’s harder to screen out the noise.

What’s missing is not your creative ability, that’s still on fire, but the filters to enable you to crack on. The good news is that interference can be managed. There are tools and support that make it easier if you’re willing to keep learning.

So, what do creatives do at 60? 

The question isn’t what can they do? It’s what do they feel motivated to do? At 60, creatives don’t run out of energy - they just run out of patience for the nonsense. They also tend to get up bloody early, and that’s where the best work begins. What I see is that interesting, vital people are here.

This is just a flavour of what some of them do at 60: Launch innovative businesses, Learn new skills. Write their book, set up a radio station. Open a record store. Get a job back in the office. Pay their bills.

In other words, they keep going. Boldly. Differently. On their own terms.