The creator part of me has hit a wall in retirement. It may be more of a speedbump than a wall. I just need to figure out how to move forward. Got any solutions for hitting the creative wall in retirement? I’ve got a lot of ideas, I just can’t get them done. There’s a lot of reasons for it. Its not inertia. I’m overwhelmed and it shows up as procrastination.
I have an active retirement. Some activities are are driven by family and friends, and the necessities of a new retirement career. Some activiites are leftovers from my working life. As I finish each external ‘assignment’, deliver it, and get ready to move on to the hobbies and the stuff that interests me, that’s when I get stuck.
I did plan my retirement activities. I was ready for it.
I put so much ‘on hold’ while I was working that now it’s become an unmanageable queue.
Analysis paralysis is an old phrase from my working life that sometimes seems to apply here.
I paint, I work with polymer clays, I photograph, I fly drones, I edit some light videos, and I write. I have been doing genealogy research. With so many interests I often find myself overwhelmed! What should I do? Or, what should I do next? I’m not always sure, so I make lists.
I make lists!;
- There is a list of paintings I want to execute on. Some are watercolours, some are acrylic, and a small number are mixed media.
- There is a list of nuances in my genealogy journey that need to be explored and refined.
- There is a list of blog posts I’ve started to write or research. There’s a bit of a backlog developing there.
- I’ve got two novels on the go, and the outline of a TV script. I moderate a writers’ group.
- There is a list of locations where I want to take my drone to capture images. I have to admit that I’m still learning about finessing the drone shots.
- My websites need tidying and refreshing.
- There’s a list of content that needs to be created and curated for the youtube channel I’m initiating.
I’m overwhelmed! Hitting the creative wall in retirement!
Is this the other retirement curse? I’ve got too much to do, and it doesn’t limit itself to driving grandkids and my darling wife to the places they need to be.
Maybe it’s time to set some priorities for my hobbies and interests!
I’m with ya brother! I too have so many creative pokers in the fire of time. For years they were pulled out at random to cauterize wounds made to my soul. Some injuries were intentional and cruel, some simply made by the carelessness of others journeying along side me. Then there are the life lessons that come to us all. Some of these we celebrate and some we survive. I’ve always been able to pull out a poker and dance on.
Now those pokers seem to overwhelm. They call out to me, begging for attention and yet their ties to the past make them somehow less healing in the present. I’m still learning how to navigate my new normal.
Thank you for sharing your journey. Perhaps I’ll spot a useful map amongst your musings.