Creative Space with Jennifer Logue
My name is Jennifer Logue and I’m on a mission to make creativity accessible to all. Through conversations with artists, entrepreneurs, filmmakers, musicians, scientists, and so much more, we’ll be exploring creativity from every possible angle with the purpose of learning and growing in creativity together. New episodes are released every Sunday and you can listen anywhere you get your podcasts. Be sure to rate and review the podcast if you enjoy it, and remember, we are all born creative. Make some space to honor your creativity today.
Creative Space with Jennifer Logue
Artists and Birthday Anxiety
What if you could transform your birthday from a source of anxiety into a celebration of your unique journey as an artist? On this episode of “Creative Space,” we explore the emotional rollercoaster that birthdays can be and how I learned to cherish them rather than dread them.
Drawing inspiration from Jonathan Larson's song "30/90" from ‘Tick Tick Boom,’ I share my personal evolution from fixating on unattained milestones to embracing the wisdom and experiences that come with each passing year.
To all my fellow artists feeling the pressure of time, let's change the narrative. Celebrate each year as a gift that enriches your artistry and brings new adventures. Reach out to me at info@jenniferlogue.com to share your own birthday experiences and let's continue this conversation together.
Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of Creative Space, a podcast where we explore, learn and grow in creativity together. I'm your host, jennifer Logue, and today we're going to talk about birthdays, celebrating them, the mixed feelings that come with them, and how my perspective has shifted over the years. As an artist, every year my birthday has been a source of anxiety. As an aspiring singer-songwriter, each year that passed felt like a ticking clock. I dreaded my birthday because it reminded me that I was getting older without a record deal or a hit song, and it was only until recently that I realized this feeling isn't unique to me. I saw it beautifully portrayed in Jonathan Larson's song 3090 from Tick Tick Boom. In the song he's freaking out about turning 30 without having a show on Broadway, comparing himself to other composers who found success earlier in their lives.
Jennifer Logue:But for the longest time I never really celebrated my birthday. Friends would surprise me if they knew, but I would treat the day like any other day Another day to work, another day to get closer to making my dreams come true, and the pressure I put on myself was immense, and I felt like each birthday was a reminder of the dreams I wasn't achieving. I'm not sure if anyone has ever felt like that. But everything changed when I stepped away from music. The anxiety around my birthday started to lift. I began to see my birthday not as a reminder of what I hadn't achieved, but as a celebration of my journey and growth. So this year I made a vow to go big with celebrating my birthday every year, to actually make plans, bring people together and cherish, you know, the successes I've had on my own terms, to recognize how I'm growing as a human and an artist. Just because I'm getting older doesn't make me less of an artist. In fact, it makes me more of an artist. I have more experience, more wisdom, I'm more seasoned and I'm cherishing getting older. Now what a gift it is to be an artist in this life and to have another year.
Jennifer Logue:So this year I had a picnic with friends in the park with live music playing in the background. We sang happy birthday outside with a fancy berry chantilly cake and we laughed because every time I tried to make a wish, the wind blew out the candles for me. My yoga class sang happy birthday to me during standing bow and it made my heart so full. Friends I couldn't see. On the night of the picnic I got to see one on one for lunch dates and the best part of it was just talking for hours. You know, when we're young we get to see our friends all the time, but as we get older, with more responsibilities, sometimes it takes a special occasion like a birthday to bring everyone together, and so my perspective on birthdays has changed so much compared to when I was young.
Jennifer Logue:As I was saying before, I would tell my younger self, my younger artist self, to cherish the years and not be so hard on yourself. You're learning everything you need to learn on this journey. Don't compare yourself to others, because your experience has been handmade for you. Cherish your story, own it, love it. Appreciate the gift of another year around the sun and look ahead with anticipation to all the adventures that are in store for this new year of life. So to all of my fellow artists out there who dread their birthdays or feel the pressure of time ticking away, remember this Getting older is a gift. Each year brings new experiences, new wisdom and new opportunities to grow. Celebrate your journey and don't be afraid to go big on your birthday. You deserve it. And remember there's no age limit on being an artist.
Jennifer Logue:Now I want to hear from you. Have you ever dreaded getting older as an artist? You can email me at info at jenniferlogecom, or send a text through the link in the show notes. I'd love to hear about your experience. Anyway, that's all I have for this episode of Creative Space. If you love the podcast so far, please leave a review so more people can discover it. My name is Jennifer Logue. Appreciate you taking the time to tune in. Until next time.