At 77 (and a half), I decided to learn iMovie.

Some of you know me as a textile artist. Others, as a coach. What you may not know is that I’ve been a creative all my life. I wanted to produce a video history to illustrate that journey.

This felt like the right time to put my story together—for myself and for you.

How hard could that be?

I opened the iMovie app on my desktop computer and began.

After struggling for an hour to merge the first two images with captions, I decided it was too much for me to tackle alone. Even with multiple YouTube how-to videos available, I needed more help.

The old me would have given up. “Too hard! Video production is for kids, not senior citizens.”

Everyone would have understood.

But, as a fan of, and nano-influencer on, Instagram, I wished to share my experiences through daily stories. The motivation was there. I needed content, and I’d never done a consecutive rendition of the pieces of my past.

I gave myself permission to figure it out.

Luckily, there’s a tender shoot in me, a tendril that discreetly rose up and said with kindness and encouragement, “C’mon. We can do this. Little by slowly, we’ll get the help we need, stick with it, and show the world.”

I’m a resourceful person. I know where to reach out for help. I posted a job description on Upwork – a freelance site – for projects of all sizes. I searched on SuperProf for 1:1 instruction from someone skilled at working with iMovie. I consulted ChatGPT for other sources and found several services I’d never heard of.

Ultimately, I hired a talented young man from the West Coast who shared screens with me (both desktop and mobile), and patiently walked me through the entire process (about 5 hours). He helped me upload the 16 segments using Instagram’s preferred editing app.

I had a finished product.

My Gen Y action partner, who has a social media management business, described Instagram’s inscrutable algorithm choices when I mentioned what I was up to. She also lovingly informed me that there was a way to have the images fill the screen without the large black border. I appreciated her suggestions.

Next time I’ll proceed with that information.

1. Ahhh, the humility of perspective.

I was surprised that my young tech assistant wasn’t ooh-ing and ahhh-ing over what felt, to me, like a lifetime achievement playing out on screen. For him, it was a project to complete. For me, it was an illumination.

2. Nothing was random. 

Drawing on the basement walls as a young child. Being recognized and celebrated by teachers. Taking constant risks as an entrepreneur and growing through every iteration. All of it brought me here — to a place that feels unexpectedly exhilarating.

3. Self-compassion is a learning strategy.

This experience reminded me that with self-love and self-acceptance, I can learn whatever I set my mind to – at any age. For me, progress depends on patience, curiosity, and being gentle with myself.

The work I make now comes from this same place. If you’re interested, my current textile pieces and other work are gathered in my Etsy shop. Each one carries a thread of this story.

If there’s something you’ve been telling yourself is “too late,” I offer you this quiet permission slip.