When Should I Retire?

Or should I just change the mix of my activities?

Auguste Renoir, despite crippling arthritis, painted almost until his death at 78.

In the U.S., the average age for retirement is 64.7 years. This must be for non-artists, because most artists I know love what they do and continue to create art far beyond this benchmark. My current mentor, Albert Handell, a much-respected artist and teacher, is now 87, and he's still going strong—painting and teaching, and even swing-dancing, his other love.

So when does an artist choose to retire? I love what I do, yet now a couple of years past the average retirement age, I've not retired but changed the mix. I run fewer painting workshops, but I'm hosting painting retreats. I write less for the magazines, but I'm doing more personal writing. I paint less en plein air, but I'm working in the studio more, creating larger and more-considered works. Interestingly, the time spent on all these activities together is the same as it was, say, ten years ago. I'm not any less busy.

Does it ever end? I suppose if I hadn't become an artist/writer, I would have continued in the world of IT, or information technology. I didn't love the job, though I found it amusing for eight hours a day. (I was the kind of systems techie who enjoyed setting things up but not maintaining them; I could write a nifty application, but if you wanted changes or found bugs—well, I wasn't your guy for that.) I would have snatched retirement as soon as possible.

But if you love it, you keep doing it. I'm reminded of an attorney acquaintance who in 2009 celebrated 50 years with the same law firm, of which he was a founding partner. Now, 15 years later, he continues to serve as the firm's senior director and general co-counsel. I'm sure he passed retirement age long ago—but he loves what he does.