I’m 46 years old, not exactly old, but not exactly a 20-something prodigy, either. My brother is over 50. My husband is on his way to 60. My parents are in their mid-seventies… Every day, I learn something new about these various stages of aging — whether it’s me in a new set of bifocals, my brother and husband embarking on new stages of their careers, or my parents coping with aging bodies… And so, I’ve become very interested in the ways in which aging affects the creative process. And who better to learn from than one of the protagonists of my debut novel, Oil and Marble — Leonardo da Vinci.
In his twenties and thirties, Leonardo created his share of masterpieces (including the Adoration of the Magi and Virgin of the Rocks), but it was after forty when he designed many of his most famous inventions and painted The Last Supper and The Mona Lisa. His creativity only seemed to increase as he aged.
So, forget aging gracefully. Here’s what I’ve learned from studying Leonardo about aging creatively.
1. SEE YOURSELF FOR WHO YOU ARE NOW. Many of us avoid looking in a mirror as we age, but as Leonardo grew older, the artist took the time to study (and draw) himself. Knowing—and studying—yourself is the key to expressing yourself… which is the foundation of all great art. So spend some time exploring yourself — not who you were when you were young, but who you are NOW: what do you like, how do you approach life, what do you do with your time? Take an acting class to dig deeper into your own point of view. Write your memoir. Or spend some time staring into a mirror and drawing self-portraits. Not a brilliant draughtsman? Act like a teenager and snap a few selfies. Get comfortable with YOU, that’s how Leonardo grew and changed with his own creativity as he aged.
2. NEVER STOP LEARNING. Leonardo was arguably the most curious man in history—and he never stopped asking questions. This is crucial to creation: the more information you house inside your brain, the more likely you are to make unexpected connections between two seemingly disconnected ideas. Leonardo continued to delve into new subjects as he aged, and he didn’t only stick to his “field of expertise.” He was not only an undisputed master in oil painting, but also in aerodynamics, human anatomy, hydraulics, and even event planning! (That’s right, Leonardo da Vinci knew how to throw one heck of a party). Having a diverse field of knowledge will only make you more creative. I recently bought my mom a Masterclass subscription, and she’s loving reconnecting with her youthful passion for fashion and design. I’ve recently reignited an old passion for psychology, and the time I spend reading up on how the mind works, the deeper I’m going into my characters and the better my writing is becoming. Studying a new topic doesn’t water down your life’s work; it only enhances it.
3. RELISH MOVING SLOWER. As we age, we don’t move as fast; that’s not a curse, but a gift. There’s a famous story that, while painting The Last Supper, Leonardo used to stand in front of the fresco for hours before adding a single brushstroke to the painting. Then, he would put down his brush and go on a long walk. For Leonardo, slowness was the path to real creativity. He knew that time was the long, winding pathway to beauty. So as you age and you start to slow down, don’t try to “fix” your aging body too much. Lean into your need to slow down; perhaps giving tasks additional time will lead you to your own masterpieces.
4. LEARN FROM YOUTH. Too often as we age, we think we know better than those younger than us, but we need to keep an open mind about the power of youth. Leonardo wasn’t afraid to learn from his younger rivals. For example, Michelangelo Buonarroti was only in his twenties when he carved the David, and yet, the middle-aged Leonardo sat at the base of that statue and sketched it, just as any student might sketch his master to learn. Don’t discount the young. Listen to new music, watch movies directed by those decades younger than you, read a book by the next wunderkind… Their youthful exuberance might inspire you to some new way of seeing the world—and then you can use your mastery, that you gained with time, to push THEIR new spin to even greater heights.
5. GET BACK TO NATURE. Leonardo spent his life hiking through the countryside and cataloguing biological specimens. But as he aged, he appreciated the connection between nature and art even more. He studied the flow of water to improve his military designs, looked to flower petals to inspire his architecture, and used an imagined natural landscape to enhance Mona Lisa’s smile. So, especially in our world of ever-expanding tech, don’t forget to shut off your phone and computer and reconnect with the natural world around you. Nature is the world’s greatest creator; spending time with her will only give you new inspiration for your own creative endeavors.
6. EMBRACE YOUR MORTALITY. As we age, we know death is lurking, but instead of running away from it, Leonardo embraced it. He designed war machines to protect himself, studied anatomy to understand the deterioration of the physical body, and drew on the memory of battlefield violence to design a towering anti-war fresco for Florence’s city hall. Leonardo may have tried to use science to understand death, but he never ran away from his own mortality.
7. SPEAK UP. As we grow older, we lose our filters and say what we think, and this is a great boon for our creativity. The more we speak our true thoughts outloud, the more able we are to understand them and follow through on those expressed thoughts. So, lean into that new found freedom to say what you think and don’t shy away from disagreements. Leonardo was a vegetarian and—what we would call today—an outspoken animal rights activist. Conventional wisdom said to avoid bathing, but Leonardo touted the bizarre idea that cleanliness prevented disease. Oh and there was also that absurd idea he kept spouting that man would one day fly…
Speaking of flying…
8. TAKE RISKS. Young people are known for taking foolhardy chances, but as we age, we become more afraid. We have experienced failure and know how hard it can be to recover. But Leonardo never stopped taking risks. After the age of forty, he served in a war, moved to a new country (France), and even jumped off a mountain with a pair of wings attached to his back hoping–quite literally–to fly. Don’t keep yourself from flying just because you know more of what can go wrong; jump off the cliff anyway.
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These are just some of the things that Leonardo has taught me about how to age creatively. Now go out and find your own ways for Leonardo to inspire you into leaping into creativity.