A personal reflection on aging, creativity, and building a life you don’t need to retire from. Retirement as An Artist
A Conversation That Hit Me Hard
A few days ago, I was sitting with my mom talking about life when she said, “You know that you can start taking full Social Security next January.”
I looked at her with a blank stare and thought for a moment before saying, “Huh?”
That hit me.
My career choice, lackluster financial planning, and a few failed personal relationships haven’t exactly added up to a comfortable retirement fund. What I did manage to save has trickled away over time thanks to a few life-altering events.
But I’m doing fine. This isn’t a sob story or a tale of irresponsibility. If anything, it’s about the journey—success and failure, perseverance and tenacity, ambition and stress. And more than anything, it’s about choosing to live a meaningful life as an artist, even if that meant throwing away material comforts along the way.
Life as an Artist (and a Reluctant Businessman)
I’ve proven that you can make a living as an artist. There’s money in art shows, commercial installs, teaching, and commissions. But here’s the truth: it takes a lot of work, and most of that work doesn’t feel artistic at all.
To succeed, you’ve got to be more than creative. You have to be a businessperson. That means wearing a dozen different hats—marketing, accounting, promotion—and most of them have nothing to do with making art. The job demands time spent online, writing ads, answering emails, and promoting your work nonstop.
That’s not a natural fit for people with an artist’s mind. I’ve found my way through it all, but honestly? If I had the choice, I’d skip all the business stuff entirely.
Time Flies When You’re Living Your Passion
Over the last twenty years, I’ve made a living solely from my art. I’ve been a solid artist and an adequate businessperson.
I don’t want to fall into cliché about how quickly time passes, but when you’re living a life you love, it’s easy to lose track of the years. I haven’t spent much time thinking about my age, retirement, or what the future’s supposed to look like.
Growing up, retirement meant working hard until 65, then finally calling your time your own. You’d buy a motorhome, follow the sun, maybe pick up a hobby you’d put off. If you were lucky, you’d grow old surrounded by family and bouncing grandkids on your knee.
Choosing a Different Path
After enough tough experiences to derail the usual retirement dream, I chose to simplify. I didn’t want to chase a system that hadn’t worked for me. Instead, I designed a life I could live until the end—doing what I love, on my terms.
That decision gave me freedom, but it also meant I stopped thinking about time. I dealt with a few medical challenges along the way, but I came out strong. None of it shook my ambition—or my stubborn refusal to acknowledge the passing years.
Without even realizing it, I had begun living my own version of retirement as an artist, long before I was eligible for Social Security.
So What Does Retirement Aa an Artist Really Look Like?
When my mom reminded me of my age (and hers too), I finally stopped to think. What does retirement mean for me?
Not much, really.
I’ll still live my modest but comfortable life. The creative work won’t stop. And I’ll still be the same artist I’ve always been—just with a little less worry about the bills.
It feels like now I can finally fire the businessperson I’ve had to be… and just be an artist, fully and undistracted.
When I really stop to think about it, I’ve already been living retirement as an artist for the last twenty years.
