Age is just a number

Feeling stale of my go-to playlists, I queued up Release Radar on Spotify, a playlist featuring brand-new tracks — curated to match a user’s musical taste.

When the sound of ‘70s soft rock played through the speakers, I assumed the playlist had ended and another began. Liking what I was hearing, I clicked for more information on the song.

I was surprised to learn that, despite it sounding like something from 1976, “Knocking (At Your Door)” by Rusty Williams had released just earlier that week. What was even more surprising was that Williams is 78 years old and just now is releasing his debut album.

I’ve never been a fan of the excuse of being “too old” to do something new. Rusty is an incredible example of why this is a lame excuse.

While it’s likely he’s been a musician for some time, deciding to release a debut album at nearly 80 is a great lesson in “why the heck not?” Though I doubt he has grand plans of becoming a rockstar and touring the world, Williams created something he wanted to share and didn’t let his age stop him.

I’ve already felt the internal nag that it’s time to outgrow creative habits because I “should” be focusing on adult responsibilities. You know as well as I do that there’s no rule about this, rather just societal and internal pressure that actually means nothing. It comes with the guilt that — when you’re doing something creative — says, “you should be cleaning or working more or exercising” or whatever.

Have you experienced this?

I’m working on telling that guilt to get to stepping. Though the bulk of my creative endeavors wind up sitting in a drawer, the outlet creativity provides is just as important as cleaning or exercising.

It relives stress and enhances my mood which are two great gifts that shouldn’t be pushed aside because I might feel “too old” to draw for the sake of fun. I’ve listened to Williams’ whole album, and I sure am glad he didn’t let his age stop him from sharing his work with others.

And I hope it doesn’t keep you from what makes you happy.