What the Arts Reveal About Living Well as We Age

Creativity, Community, and the Health Benefits of Aging Well

I consider myself a positive aging advocate—not a Pollyanna, singing to my readers that getting older is a breeze. At the same time, I’m not sitting around imagining the ills that could befall me as a 68-year-old woman (classified as “elderly” by government standards).

I’m also a writer, a storyteller, and a blogger.

UIndy Center for Aging & Community hosted and supported this Summit along with the Indiana Arts Commission, Freedom 250, and the NEA

March 23rd marked a shift in my thinking.

I attended the Lifelong Arts Indiana: Creative Aging Summit at the University of Indianapolis. In five hours, something unexpected happened. I didn’t just leave feeling inspired—I left recognizing my identity as an Artist.

The Summit addressed what was described as the triple threat of aging: boredom, isolation, and helplessness—and, importantly, offered strategies to counter all three.

What struck me just as much as the content was who was leading the conversation.

This was not a room of younger people talking about older adults.

The first presentation was led by a woman in her eighth decade—and she was not alone. Panel after panel, breakout session after breakout session, the voices guiding the conversation were seniors themselves.

It was inspiring. It was enlightening. It was energizing.

One moment, in particular, has stayed with me.

I was riveted as Peggy Taylor, an octogenarian fiber artist from southern Indiana, shared a story about a retiree who was struggling to find purpose after his career ended.

Peggy Taylor received a beautiful award from Traditional Arts Indiana. It was made by Master Potter, Tom Wintczak

She described how discovering weaving did more than give him something to do—it gave him a new sense of community.

Her story took me back to my own experience.

I remembered the first morning I woke up retired in 2023. It was disorienting and confusing, even as it felt exhilarating and well-earned.

In that moment, I realized how easily purpose can slip away. A few weeks later, my own sense of community began to take shape as I started training as an Amherst Writers & Artists affiliate.

And then there was a word I won’t soon forget: generativity.

Generativity is about creating, contributing, and leaving something meaningful behind. What I witnessed at this Summit was generativity in action—through the arts, through storytelling, and through a shared commitment to ensuring that aging is not defined by decline, but by continued purpose and impact.

Indiana may not be widely known as a hub for the arts like New York, Hollywood, New Orleans, or Santa Fe—but what I experienced that day told a different story.

Across this state, there is a growing movement—supported by artists, organizations, and public leaders—that recognizes creativity is not just enrichment. It is essential to how we age well.

This experience also affirmed something I have come to believe more deeply in recent years:

Being older is not about narrowing.

It is about expanding—into new identities, new communities, and new ways of expressing who we are.

If you are in a season of transition—retirement, a recent diagnosis, caregiving, or simply asking “what’s next?”—consider this your gentle encouragement:

You don’t have to be an “artist” to begin.

You only have to stay open.

“What I experienced at the Creative Aging Summit taught me that creativity and the arts doesn’t just enrich our lives—it supports our well-being in ways we are only beginning to fully understand.”

Theater, Painting, Writing, Storytelling, Dancing, Photography, Crochet, Film, Drumming, Playwriting, Jewelry-Making, Quilting, Baking, Candle Making, Creative Movement, Art, Textiles, Paper Crafts, Singing, Weaving, Pottery, Woodworking, + so much more