Chapter 1: Rocking the second act

Rocking the second act: returning to creativity, passion, and purpose

The theme of this edition of RestlessUrban is crossroads—finding meaning in those pivotal moments when we pause, reflect, and decide where to take our lives.

Finding purpose at life’s crossroads: how midlife sparks creative reinvention

You could say the entire world stood at a crossroads in March 2020 when a horrific virus upended life as we knew it. Millions lost their lives. Billions retreated to our homes. Work and schooling became remote. Businesses closed. Anxiety levels spiked.

How one pandemic-era piano show reignited a musical dream

For me, that moment of global uncertainty led to something unexpected. I found myself at my piano, streaming an “all request” online music performance I called “Tell Shane What to Sing” for friends and family. It began as a brief experiment, sometimes with my kids singing with me, born out of a hope that COVID-19 would soon pass and the world would get back to normal.

From online performances to live shows

Then the lockdowns stretched far longer than anyone anticipated. So did my nightly shows—more than 150 in total, broadcasted live on Facebook. These sessions became my ritual, a way to bring people together and create shared joy in a time when stress was high and connection felt impossibly distant.

What I didn’t realize during all those shows, that by taking requests from the Internet, playing songs I didn’t know, thinking on my feet and entertaining as best I could, I was sort of “in training” for my own second act as a musician. Because by some cosmic stroke of luck, when the world reopened in 2021, so did a “dueling pianos” bar less than two miles from my house in Redwood City, California. (Dueling pianos is a sort of high- energy musical showdown where two pianists take turns rocking audience requests and singalong favorites all night.)

That serendipity led to something extraordinary: I landed a gig and realized a dream I didn’t even know I had. At nearly 50, I found myself leading a room full of strangers in exuberant renditions of “Sweet Caroline,” “Country Roads” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.” It wasn’t just exhilarating and fulfilling—it was lucrative, too. The tips flowed and the extra cash helped me support my family in the high-cost Bay Area.

This personal pivot revealed something profound: creative passions have no expiration date. Whether it’s playing music, painting, or pursuing an entirely new career, midlife can be a powerful time to rediscover or reinvent the things that bring us joy.

Even Mick Jagger wrestled with this idea. In 1972, the Rolling Stones frontman quipped, “When I turn 33, I’ll retire. That’s the time when a man has to dedicate himself to other things. I don’t want to be a rock star all my life.” More than 50 years later, Mick is still electrifying audiences around the globe.

Real stories of reinvention: finding joy in the second act

I am grateful to know so many others who also experiencing midlife transitions to rediscover their joy and purpose. Like Matt Jones, a hospitality professional who started painting at age 51 and now sells his works at a dozen paint shows a year at age 70. Or Greg Davidson, a career lawyer who managed billion-dollar transactions and is now a math teacher. Or, Susan Rink, a communications professional who walked out of a soul-sucking meeting with the top executive of a Fortune 200 company to realize her calling as a business owner and retire as an artist.

Sure, these were difficult choices that these people made at their own “crossroads”— epiphanies of sorts as they grappled with the decisions that come with age and responsibility. But each of them chose to make a big choice that worked out in a big way.

I hope their stories inspire you as much as they inspired me. Because it’s never too late to find what truly makes you happy.

From corporate to canvas: how Scott Johnson became a full-time artist

Scott Johnson always had art in his blood. As a child, he spent afternoons at oil painting classes and was known as the kid who doodled during school. While he considered art school for college, practicality won out, and he pursued graphic communication at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.

After a successful career in Silicon Valley working on digital marketing and corporate websites for startups, and later becoming a partner at Ogilvy & Mather running of a global team, Johnson realized something was missing.

“I was getting further and further away from having any sort of artistic or creative input, to just being a leader of doers,” he recalls.

Burnt out and looking for a way to get back to his creative roots, he left the large agency and started a boutique practice with a partner. But something was still missing. It was when he was walking with his family through the Monet exhibit at San Francisco’s De Young Museum that what he really wanted to do struck him like a bolt out of the blue.

Moved by the works of the French founder of Impressionism, he turned to his wife and said, “Why the hell am I not doing this?” At that moment, Johnson was an artist again. Ten years and dozens of paintings later, his works in the “impressionistic realism” style sell through galleries, private commissions, and juried exhibitions like those of the California Art Club.

What painting outdoors taught me about art, nature, and self

Painting “en plein air” (French for outdoors) Johnson connects deeply with nature and his surroundings. For him, painting is an intellectual and emotional endeavor—a challenge to distill the chaos of the environment into a harmonious piece of art.

“It sounds kind of silly, but it’s true,” says the Redwood City, California-based artist. “It’s like you’re becoming one with the environment.”

Coming soon: more inspiring stories of midlife creativity

Coming in the next installment of “Rocking the Second Act”: Meet three fearless creators redefining what it means to start fresh. From Matt Jones—who didn’t pick up a paintbrush until 51—to Susan Rink and Melissa Sturgis, two friends using fabric, photography, theater, and community to turn their third acts into bold creative chapters.

(There’s also a pop-art quilt, a street festival, and a Malaysian kid who grew up to be an architect—all thanks to the healing power of art.) Stay tuned.