Inspiration for staying creative as you get older

Nathman says:

07:50am | 06/01/10

Take it from me, having recently turned 30… If your pecs stick out further than your gut then you’re winning!

Sarah says:

07:59am | 06/01/10

As my 83-year-old darling dad says “You’re only as old as the woman you hold”—> good thing he has a childbride of 65, plus six kids and numerous grandkids to keep him young!

julie says:

08:32am | 06/01/10

i recently read that death and ageing is only popular because most believe it’s inevitable.

Jamers Hunter says:

09:16am | 06/01/10

well as a sixty three year old with a seventeen year old inside trying to get out my comments are “that if i had known i was going to live so long i would have looked aftermyself better” and “the good thing about getting old is that we only have to do it once” mind you it serves to remember this of our journeys through life “there is no way out of it alive”  enough i rest my case

Moggy says:

10:05am | 06/01/10

Old age sucks. I’m 62….in constant pain & because I’m an older woman am invisible to all & sundry.  I noticed the lines & bags on the face of a male newsreader on TV last night & I wondered that if it was a woman with bags & lines whether she’d keep her job.  More than likely she would have been cast aside years ago. But believe it or not I am a happy & contented woman….mainly because I have a BIG secret. It’s called granny’s revenge. Shall I tell you??? It goes like this. Very soon YOU will be old too!! AND be covered in lines, wrinkles & bags.And no amount of denial will stop it!

John S says:

10:18am | 06/01/10

Only one thing worse than getting older - not getting older (ie dead!).

Babs says:

10:34am | 06/01/10

Hi Moggy - one of my friends is Latvian.  Her mother’s version of your comment above goes like this:

‘Where you are I once was,
Where I am you will be’

It almost reads like a curse!

BTW - I’m incredibly old but I hardly ever think about it and don’t understand why anyone does.  Life is fun, I have friends, I read and eat when I please, laugh over Malcolm in the Middle and get up in the middle of the night to play Scrabble online.  What could be better?

Liz says:

10:45am | 06/01/10

You bet; at least you’re alive,healthy and have a new generation to care for, be responsible for until they can take over.Age should mean wisdom,empathy and compassion..how you doing?

Traxman says:

11:05am | 06/01/10

You’re worried about getting old ?
Consider the alternative…...

Sue says:

11:21am | 06/01/10

Agree, age is just a number and kids keep you young.

I know my 30 year old interior looks nothing like my not-thirty-year-old exterior!

I like this: Work like you don’t need the money, love like you’ve never been hurt and dance like no one is watching.

PS ..I would have sung along.

Davy says:

11:34am | 06/01/10

Once you realise that the way you are in the world is a choice that you are making it takes the sting out of it. If you dont dance in the streets that is actually a choice you make. If you succumb to social pressures re this kind of thing all you are doing is being a follower, but it is still your choice to be that follower. One you willingly make. You just want to think you dont make it willingly so you can still say, “Hey I’m creative”. ” I’m still on the edge”.

In regard to creativity following guidlines. Thats only true if you buy into the $$. But what about my mortgage. Well you chose to have a mortgage and its something you can unchoose. Forget the dollars and create what you will. The rest will follow.

Of course if you heed this advice then you are still just a follower.

Moggy says:

12:22pm | 06/01/10

Hey there Davy at 12:34pm I love your attitude. This is how I approach life much to the embarrassment of my adult kids. Even ill health doesn’t stop me from being outrageous & having a ball. It’s my only life & I intend living every moment of it to the full. AND my daughter & I have started a small business designing “way-out” clothes for kids.

JJJ says:

01:00pm | 06/01/10

Well said Davy. You are SPOT ON. No one on this earth has the right to complain, because we are all in charge of our destiny all the time. What you do and how you react to what life throws at you is TOTALLY up to you! ..

It’s SO darn liberating! Do what you want, no regrets and live your life to the fullest!

Zeta says:

01:59pm | 06/01/10

Cognitive dissonance. Look it up. Followed by Irony. Followed by ‘K Foundation Burn One Million Quid’, for no other reason that to cleanse your brain of Damien Leith’s article. 

“Even creativity has got to follow rules, for the most part we need to make a living so what we do creatively needs to be commercial, has to follow trends and guidelines.” - Damien Leith

Hopefully, they’ll write that on the headstone we erect to commemerate the passing of reality television. Does poor Damien feel stifled by the machine that created him? Maybe he wants to go to Berlin, with a Herculean dose of pscilocybin mushrooms and make a weird, glitchpop influenced album under the tutelage of Brian Eno. Grow a lumberjack beard and backmask his tracks over a chillwave drum accompaniement in a $10,000 a night New York hotel room full of shredded phone books, perhaps a conceptual piece about life as a hampster, Banksy could do the album sleeve. The lack of creativity in our lives isn’t our fault. We have to work for a living. I’d rather wake up every day and write press releases in the style of Jay McInerney or Bret Easton Ellis. ‘PRESS ALERT: I approached my desk tentatively and began writing about why you should do what my bloated, fly blown organisation says you should, then immediately needed another Quaalude, is that Christian Bale’s ghostly face floating above my window? Or am I still dreaming?’ But we can’t, I’d get fired, the rest of us aren’t very creative. That’s why there are, or at least used to be creative people in the media and the arts. Now even they complain that they aren’t allowed to be creative enough. Where does that leave the rest of us? If people paid money to perform the creative arts feel stifled, what kind of concrete shell has been built around the average punter? If these corporate vampire squids have their blood funnels so deep in poor Damien Leith, their own product, we’re just husks, sucked dry, and waiting for our pathetic lives to be filled with the next ad sponsored shill.

No, Damien, you’re wrong, there are no rules to creativity. That’s the whole point. They, the ephermeal ‘they’ create rules for you to follow so you don’t strip down to a dirty pair of Y-fronts and board the next A380 to London to help reform The Pogues and change the world. They don’t want that. They want you to warble at old people who still buy CDs. They want you to appear at shopping malls to reinforce the message that consumerism is still cool. They want you to be nice and non-threatening, because the ugly, meathook reality of creativity is that a lot of brain eggs should be broken to make music omlettes.

I genuinely feel for your children. Because the system you’re a part of is directly responsible for them growing up too scared to take risks and be creative. This article, printed on the same day as in 1977 EMI cancelled The Sex Pistol’s contract.

Did no one at The Punch see the connection? The sad, terrible connection that what we had then, will never be again. That the Johnny Rotten’s of the world don’t just grow up and sell out, they become Damien Leiths.

H of SA says:

03:47pm | 06/01/10

Hey Zeta,

I think you would love a book entiled “Hey Nietshke: Leave Those Kids Alone” which examins how the romantic movement of the past 200 years informs current music (popular and cult followed).

It also includes discussions on formalism as oppossed to more pure unbounded creativity in music

notSue says:

04:03pm | 06/01/10

What a sad litlle person you are, Zeta.  Obviously you don’t live in the real world like Damien has to, with children to support. He is as creative commercially as his bloody record company allows him to be, that’s what he’s saying! He’s also saying he allows his creativity full reign at home with his his kids, cos no-one can tell him what to do there. He’s also lamenting that people lose their spontaneity as they get older.
He hasn’t ever been scared to take risks either, his latest album Remember June was very risky and original, taking him down a completely new , rockier, less-granny-pleasing path, but bloody Sony haven’t marketed it properly and they fought him all the way. If you are going to make disparaging comments at least get the facts right!

Greypower says:

04:24pm | 06/01/10

My husband’s 80th today and my 74th soon - we are take no medication, only occasionlly go for a walk, alcohol faily often, chocolates - yes, too often!

My body has a few aches and pains there are wrinkes on my face and there’s grey hair too   - but I DON"T CARE!  I’m glad to have lived this long because I’ve had the time to work on myself and I now am a confident, positive person - I like myself - and there’s nothing in the world better than that!

CreativeCutie says:

06:11pm | 06/01/10

Hey Zeta, I think you should leave the Herculean doses of psilocybin mushrooms alone my friend!  You also need to learn how to spell properly.  Man, you are truly psychotic - what a ramble your response to Damien Leith is!  Ah but you were sly enough to take his thoughts out of context to add ammunition to your ridiculous diatribe.

Rock on Damo.  You’re a creative genius.

Tina says:

07:13pm | 06/01/10

Quite a few years ago, my 94 year old grandmother told me that she was only 94 on the outside but she felt 40 on the inside!  Now I am 40ish I like to remember what she said - if this is as young as I’m going to feel for the rest of my life, I might as well enjoy it now while the outside matches the inside!!

Damien, enjoy dancing with your children while they are young!  My 11 year old now finds it very embarrassing when I dance or sing, even when there’s no one else around but her to witness it .... but it doesn’t stop me!!  I enjoyed reading your thoughts!

Tracey says:

07:45pm | 06/01/10

Damien,  you are coming up for your 34th birthday.  You are hardly old.  You are a wonderful YOUNG man with a great zest for life with your wife and children.  They will keep you young and I also agree with notSue regarding your creativity.
I have listened to your lyrics and I think you are one of the better songwriters around.  I don’t necessarily agree with not Sue on the less-granny pleasing album ‘Remember June’.  I am a grandmother of 3 and I play it loud and dance along to it.  I do agree on the lack of promotion by Sony though.

I agree with CreativeCutie re Zeta.  Zeta, you need a chill pill and join the rest of the world.  You never know what you might find.

I am looking forward to your next book due out in April Damien plus some concerts that this granny has bought tickets to.  I have enjoyed the others I have been to.  Rockin’ great they were.

Pinata girl says:

02:11am | 07/01/10

“Have a good look girls… you’re looking at your future!  BUT if you don’t like what you see, change it!”
Maybe my kids see it as a threat, or, maybe as a promise… I’ve often said it to them when they’re wide-eyed with shock at something I’ve done (again) or, when they see me just as how I am (cuddly soft and frizzy, or, a seething lioness).
I guess Leith’s talking about learning to compromise and loving where you’re at for most things… having a perspective. And you know what? That’s not a bad thing. It’s all about making choices that fit and that you can live with. I do it every day and I’m not a lesser person for it. Achieving the n-th degree in everything isn’t the prize,  the total life-package is. We had two cars: one old-ish and the other a lemon. The best thing about the lemon was it made the old car ‘great’!
I’m all for enjoying reality, for working hard, loving my people, dreaming and creating and for cleaning up messes!

Ben says:

08:56am | 07/01/10

when he was six he believed that the moon over head followed him
by nine he had deciphered the allusion, trading magic for fact
no trade backs,
so this is what it`s like to be an adult
if he only knew now what he knew then

pearl jam

Helen says:

10:42am | 07/01/10

I’ve never understood why people are so concerned about age! They set themselves goals that must be achieved by a certain age:
- must get married by ...
- must have first child by ...
and on and on it goes. Throught out the timeline, throw out your watch, and just live your life!
I am quite happy to tell people my age (a very immature 36) although for a few years I remained 32, not because I was lying, but I didnt care, and couldnt be bothered calculating it. And when talking about age and how people are looking for their age, I have no problems asking people’s age, and dont understand the shocked looks I get. Its only taboo if you make it taboo.
Having said all that, having children is not the only way to stay young. While children do make you see their eyes, they also make you grow up, in that you are now the one who needs to get up on time to make sure they get fed, and follow schedules and eat the right food. Not having children can be just as liberating - eat ice-cream for dinner, sleep in without worrying about the kids, decide to do something at the last minute.
No, its not kids who are the key to staying young, its the state of mind to start off with

Geoff Field says:

04:15pm | 07/01/10

What a great article Damien, as a man in my forties I refuse to be put into a demographic that listens to a certain type of music, film, TV show etc.
Love your outlook mate - and you new album is GREAT

Gareth says:

05:35pm | 07/01/10

So what does Damien do to stay creative?  Does he paint or something?

notSue says:

09:39pm | 07/01/10

Gareth, you may be being facetious,(in which case *smack*  but I think Damien explained that spending time with his kids helps a lot bwah!..and he songwrites, writes novels (his new one is due out about March/ April,) and I guess he writes the odd column! Not to mention touring all over the country singing. I think that’‘s about enough, doncha reckon?

Tony says:

01:35am | 09/01/10

I’ve always been an artist but now I do other work for a living. When I’m on my own at home, I usually end up doing the mundane housework. But, like Damien, when the kids are around, they can really kick my brain into a different gear.
When they were younger, I tried to find ways to join in their fantastic games or tried to give them opportunities to make things. Even that parenting process was creatively inspiring. But now that they’re teens, I just sit back in awe as they do their own writing or artwork and then I’m compelled to have a go at ‘something’ myself ... maybe, to be inspired,  I just need someone to open a door - then I’ll find my own way of walking through it:

...but I’d say that I’m looking forward to a lot more than 18 years left of creativity in my life!

Sally says:

08:16pm | 09/01/10

I enjoyed reading your article Damien, I think your children are lucky to have   a father like you to teach them whats important in life. I olso agree with Geoff Field. your new album Remember June is great.

Neski says:

08:55pm | 09/01/10

Your thoughts are interesting Damien, and in saying that, to all that have commented, yours are too. One of my favourite sayings to live by is:

Dance as though no one is watching
Love as though you’ve never been hurt before
Sing as though no one could hear you
Live as though heaven is on earth.

Jason Kemp says:

07:43am | 10/01/10

Damien,

Unlike you, having to be put through the grinder of a 3 month reality show,dictated to by record execs, repaying exorbitant overheads from both your primary return and various back end incomes all at the same time as raising a couple of young kids - at 36 years old I now have a 16 and 17 year olds,a music career that has spanned 20 years so far and gained me international success though commercial releases and various publishing deals, delivered me Independent Songwriter of the Year 2009, has seen me make friends in both the Australian and US country music industries, allowed me to write a catalogue of almost 3000 songs, has let me perform my own material to thousands of people both through live performance and recorded works, led me to experience the wonders of our country 7 times and the USA as well, taught me patience and the skill of entrepreneurial business.

Unlike you Damien I worked full time through this entire time, raising two wonderful human beings that have also experienced more than most their age.

2010 will see me release my next album produced out of Nashville,a beautifully crafted piece of creativity, which I will market/promote myself, direct/produce/design my own music videos, contract my own distribution, monitor my own returns, draw up contracts for venues, build the business case for tours, maintain my own online profiles, do my own graphic art, drive myself to my own shows, both load in and out,  does sound, light and entertain!

I am my own machine Damien and the only thing that drives me to continue doing what I love doing is the total freedom of creativity ! Adopt the “YES” attitude , take it on head first, hold absolutely NO regrets, forget about negative opinion, public scrutiny and your fxxkin ego and JUST DO IT !

You are the one in control and will only be limited by your CREATIVITY, if you admit you are running out of it already then the Australian public (who own you!), Idol investors, the record company and commercial media must have been wrong mate. Harden up and get on with the job that millions have charged you to do and that is entertain, very few are given the opportunity to develop the skills you have naturally developed it is our RESPONSIBILITY as ARTISTS to CREATE, to offer the general public an escape from the drain of everyday life, a common connection to the universe and and IDOL to aspire to.

Our road isn’t easy, cheap or glorious, it is simply to please.There are no rules to creativity bud, the only person stopping you from moving forward is the one in your mirror! Step forward confidently and you will loved for it, we only get one chance at this life and believe me no-one gets out of it alive, Nike had it right mate “JUST DO IT !”