The Gen X Creativity Comeback Building Skool Communities That Pay

Every conversation I have with another Gen Xer seems to drift toward the same thing:

“I kinda want to make something again.”

Music. Writing. Painting. Photography.

Stuff we used to love before life turned into a never-ending to-do list.

And the funny thing is… it’s not nostalgia.

It’s a sign.

A couple of weeks ago, I picked up my guitar after letting it sit for way too long.

Within five minutes, I felt something I hadn’t felt in a while.

It wasn’t ambition. It wasn’t “I should get better.” It wasn’t even about goals.

It just felt good to create something again.

Less about trying to prove anything.

More about feeling like a real person again instead of some grown-up running from task to task all day.

And when I started paying attention, I realized I’m not the only one.

People who haven’t touched a sketchpad in 20 years are suddenly looking up supplies on Amazon. Friends who used to write lyrics or stories are asking me about starting small online spaces. And more than a few are admitting they want something that isn’t tied to work for once.

Not a crisis.

Not a meltdown.

Just a pull toward making things again.

Here’s the pattern showing up everywhere:

Gen Xers are tired of being told to grind harder.

This is why the “midlife creativity comeback” is hitting so many of us at the same time.

We’re not trying to go viral. We’re trying to feel human again.

And we finally have tools that don’t require a full reinvention or a second career.

The part that really caught my attention the last few months is how many people our age are turning these little sparks into small online communities.

Cool spaces built around hobbies they never stopped loving.

There’s a guy running a guitar community on Skool who now earns more from his group in a month than he probably made in a year at a job.

There’s a painter with maybe 150 members whose little corner of the internet covers her mortgage every month.

And a photographer in his late 40s who thought he was done with anything “online” until he realized a simple, private community gave him two things social media never could:

That’s been on my mind because I’ve been inside a Skool Traffic Challenge ($) all week, working on ways to grow The WorXshop without having to perform for the algorithm.

Watching how other creators build these communities has been a reminder of something I forgot:

A community isn’t another job. It’s a place to put the version of you that still enjoys things.

The creative spark you’re feeling isn’t random — a lot of Gen Xers are feeling it too.

You don’t need a reinvention. You just need one place to put the things you enjoy.

A small community might be the simplest way to turn a hobby into something steady.

You don’t need a big audience.
You don’t need a perfect plan.

Most of the good stuff happens right at the start — that moment between “I miss doing this” and “maybe I should try.”

That’s the shift I felt this week building my Skool Community.

It made everything feel doable instead of overwhelming.

If you’ve been feeling the itch to start your own spot — even a tiny one — here’s the link:

Try Skool Free ($)

Something worth looking at if you’re feeling that old creative spark waking up again.

Ace of Base - “I Saw the Sign”

Here’s the tune that popped into my head this week.

This was always an early set-the-vibe song when I was DJing.

After reading the lyrics, it’s kinda perfect for the vibe this posts theme.

Have a good one,

Corey