Why pausing your artistic calling might not be such a bad idea

Katie Bailey explores what it means to follow your creative passions in later years.
An older woman with grey hair and glasses sits at a piano.

As a boy, Terry loved music and taught himself trombone, guitar and the tuba. Right through school and university he played in the evenings in jazz groups, musical theatre and marching bands. He started work as an accountant in his early 20s, but his wide social circle in the music world meant he was still out playing gigs every evening.

It wasn’t until they retired that both Terry and Jenny got back into their music in a serious way. Jenny was introduced to jazz by her new partner and then, following his death, was inspired by his example to join a band and experiment with different genres. Terry took early retirement, joined an orchestra and picked up all his old instruments.

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