Curving an artistic bent

For days, I have been mulling over the question of how to reconcile oneself to artistic habits if one begins to feel more serious minded. I am glad to say that this effort has not gone unanswered. However, it was not my answer, but what I saw in the actions of others that helped me. This morning, an academician greeted another, foreign one by punching him on the shoulder in what I imagined he thought was a collegial fashion. It was anything but. By greeting the guest in this way, he stripped him of his integrity.
Some never mature, never having come to terms with their creative side, or the child within to begin with. There is something noble about wearing one's heart on one's sleeve for a time, but this is not the best approach for a person making their way in the world in their later years. And by writing this, I do not mean that one should then silence one's heart, but that one doesn't necessarily have to wave it around for all to see. One finds ones soul mate, has and recognises what makes good friends, so there is no need for heart-wearing. The advantage for internalising one's child-like ways, so they are out of sight, is that one will appear more stable, and will thus attract more stability around one.We say one has "an artistic bent", but we know that sharp edges are painful. Round surfaces are more organic, and are better for feng shui. If one is already creative, even if one tones one's creativity down, such traits are bound to become manifest anyway. So, it is just a question of becoming a little bit more private, which will make it easier for one to survive one's middle age.
I have spent so many words just to say this: one can afford to become more subtle with the years, and more mindful of what one engages in.

Elements: background: SKC photography; icons of modern design: curbly;

doily, paper bag, starbursts, washi tape, sequins: pugly pixel;

embroidery, frame and buttons: minitoko. 

Post Script: Just this morning, I read this post about the very same subject that has preoccupied me in recent days.