Biography & Autobiography. Self-Improvement. Nonfiction. HTML:One of Publishers Weekly�??s Best Books of 2019 

A journey through the many ways to live an artistic life�??from the flashy and famous to the quiet and steady�??full of unexpected insights about creativity and contentment, from the author of The Good Girl�??s Guide to Getting Lost.

Rachel Friedman was a serious violist as a kid. She quit music in college but never stopped fantasizing about what her life might be like if she had never put down her bow. Years later, a freelance writer in New York, she again finds herself struggling with her fantasy of an artist�??s life versus its much more complicated reality. In search of answers, she decides to track down her childhood friends from Interlochen, a prestigious arts camp she attended, full of aspiring actors, artists, dancers, and musicians, to find out how their early creative ambitions have translated into adult careers, relationships, and identities.

Rachel�??s conversations with these men and women spark nuanced revelations about creativity and being an artist: that it doesn�??t have to be all or nothing, that success isn�??t always linear, that sometimes it�??s okay to quit. And Then We Grew Up is for anyone who has given up a childhood dream and wondered �??what-if?�?�, for those who have aspired to do what they love and had doubts along the way, and for all whose careers fall somewhere between emerging and established. Warm, whip-smart, and insightful, it offers inspiration for finding creative fulfil