Old Age Is Great For Creativity

We sometimes think creativity is for young people. Children are endlessly imaginative, but the elderly are set in their ways. After all, we think, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” right? Consider this list of creative accomplishments by people who may have seemed to be past their prime:

Goethe. The famous German poet finished part two of his masterpiece Faust shortly before his death in 1832, when he was 83.

Arthur Rubenstein. This concert pianist performed at Carnegie Hall at age 90.

Grandma Moses. Artist Anna Mary Robertson, better known as “Grandma Moses,” had her first solo exhibition of paintings in 1940, when she was 80 years old.

George Bernard Shaw. The Irish-born playwright remained active until his death in 1950 at age 94, when he published his final play. He was working on another unfinished play when he died.

Pablo Casals. The cellist and conductor, born in 1876, continued to perform on concert tours into his eighties.