I have never seen an expiration date stamped on the forehead of an artist, or a musician, or an
interior designer. Creativity, like wisdom, is often a gift that becomes more complex and more
nuanced as we get older. Michelangelo was seventy-one when he took on the job of completing
St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Tony Bennett will be ninety-three on his next birthday, and when he
was eighty-eight he did a killer duet of “The Lady is a Tramp” with Lady Gaga. It’s had more than
29 million views on YouTube. The sheet-metal sculptor, Beverly Pepper, is still producing
monumental works at ninety-six.
I could keep listing active artists in all fields for the next week, but I think the point is made that
as humans we are hardwired for creativity, and it is something we carry with us until our last
breath.
