Experts advise old people to lift weights to enhance bone density. Working muscles makes them stronger. But what makes our inner strength increase?
The older we are, the more set in our ways we can become until we start turning into an old curmudgeon. Some of this is good: we care less what others think of us and can be more comfortable in our own skin. But habits based in fear can petrify us like ancient wood.
Therefore, it may be good to try new things that seem daunting. Learning a new skill requires humility but it does not have to be humiliating. With the right guides, one can go from novice to competency. This in turn gives courage to try yet another change in our thinking about what might be possible.
The trick is to choose something you want to do, but that is not too scary, at least at first. The cliché of a bucket list – stuff to try before you die – doesn’t have to be filled with parachute jumping and financially risky activities. Look inside for a secret desire that maybe has waiting in the wings since childhood.
My friend who is in her eighties just took up piano playing. She found the right teacher. Another old friend dances the tango a few times a week. My students are often older, coming to see if maybe there is a slight possibility they have an artistic bone in their bodies.
I have the great joy of showing each and every one of them that yes, if you are patient and work hard, you too will be able to created original beautiful things. And the process will no doubt both keep you youthful, and feed your courage to try other things that seem a little out of your comfort zone. Just watching my students makes me have that courage in my own life.

One advantage of aging is forgetting. While irritating at first, eventually forgetting can be a friend and a tool. You can read the same book over or watch the same movie again with pleasure. You forget about old grudges and appreciate people whom you may have resented in the past. You even begin to forget about other people’s opinion of you and be who you want to be at any given moment.

For those who take up an art form later in life, forgetting can be an advantage. With painting, often a bad art education keeps people from being able to learn to draw and paint. They were told the wrong things by an ignorant teacher. Or the teacher had too little time and too many students to do a proper job. So it is great to forget that somewhere back in childhood you were told you were a bad artist because you painted a sky orange. When in fact, if anyone had looked out the window at the time, the late afternoon sky was a blazing orange. You began to mistrust your own eyes.

Aside from formal art education, the culture may have given incorrect concepts about what art is and how it is made. For example, that art can only be made by a select few that have talent.

I have encountered new artists in the latter part of their lives who managed to forget that they couldn’t do art because “they can’t draw a straight line” or “my sister was the talented one in the family”. They see no reason they cannot learn to paint or draw, or for that matter, dance or learn a new instrument.

If you catch young children soon enough before negative messages cloud their thinking, you can show them anyone can make art. But the difference between them and older students is that once the older student begins to make art, they have a lifetime of experience and memories that can feed into the process. Their memory of these things may be hazy at first, but the process of making art can actually bring memory back into focus, but with a wonderful flair based on the wisdom of old age.

Fashion and attention to our physical image may seem shallow and unrelated to important issues like finding one’s passion, or being creative. But there are many benefits to taking time to look not only attractive, but to cultivate a look that communicates who we are.
Also as we age, sometimes we give up and just wear what’s easy and comfortable. This is a look in itself. It says: I mostly like to relax and am not looking to expand my world. It may seem futile to try to hold back the effects of aging. But there are many examples of older people who have an interesting image. When you are older, you have more to express because you have lived longer.
If a passive attitude towards image is allowed to go on for too long, it can cause a few problems. You may not be as inclined to go out and look for new adventures. You may repel people who could have been interesting and helpful to know: people have to judge a book by its cover until they get to know the person. So it may limit life’s possibilities.
No need to go out and buy Vogue magazine or spend a fortune. First step is usually throwing out ninety percent of the items in your drawers and closet. Then you can see clearly the things that you own that make you feel good and express your personality. The creative part is putting looks together, and then figuring out what might enhance the impression you are giving. Perhaps you need a new haircut or glasses. Don’t go forward until you work with a friend or expert to fine-tune what impression you want to give the world.
Yes it will take time and emotional effort. But the rewards will be a new attitude towards the future and interest in going places or meeting up with friends. You will attract positive attention, which fuels self-esteem. It fights depression and enhances energy.
You can be your own work of art physically, which will in turn stimulate your inner creative force. It will give the freedom to try new things and build a larger world. It can even be fun, discovering who you are in new ways.
Although artists sometimes like to wear all black, it is usually a stylized look with significant details, to enhance an already defined image created by hair, makeup, or accessories. Not because they think black will make them invisible or thinner. Chic, hip, European, mysterious, and serious can all be done in black. It’s just better not to dress dowdy black.
Have fun thinking about your new possibilities!  This place can help