One of the more intriguing avenues open to retirees is to find your creative self. I have personally witnessed creative transformations occur when Boomers retire. I know one business executive who turned his attention to working with wood and has created exceptional pieces as a result. I know another professional who took up jewelry making, and yet another who pursued a love of art and has become a successful water colorist. I myself have followed my muse and become a freelance writer.

Patricia Corrigan, writing for NextAvenue.org, reports on four retirees who were unafraid to pursue their passions: a doctor who became a sculptor, an aeronautics engineer who began to make chocolate, a retired CEO who took up photography, and a retired buyer at a manufacturing firm who knits scarves. Their stories are well worth reading.

Chocolate maker Doug Cale had this to say about his second act: “For me, life is all about engagement. Coming up with new ways to do things day in and day out, what I get out of this job is the creativity. And being creative is a form of relaxation for me.”

Like so many other things in life, and especially as we face retirement, a positive attitude is everything. The four people Corrigan writes about are no more or less unique than any of us -- they just had a passion and the courage to follow it. They freed themselves and found their own creativity in completely different ways.

Your second act should be a time when you pursue what you love. Perhaps it is something you remember from your childhood, something you always wanted to do but never had the time to do. Or maybe it is a new-found interest. Whether it is for fun or profit, creativity can bring a lot of joy and fulfillment to retirement. Try it!

More and more Boomers face the work-life dilemma as they age. While there is no single perfect solution for everyone, an attractive option may be freelancing. This type of contract or hourly work used to be reserved for writers, designers, photographers and other creative types, but today, freelancing has a much broader definition. That's because the "gig economy" is thriving, so it is possible to freelance in just about any field. A recent study indicates that as much as 35 percent of the American population freelances, and more than half of them (51 percent) prefer freelancing to a traditional job, stating that "no amount of money" would make them switch. Another study puts the typical freelancer's hourly wage at $31 per hour -- but that can go much higher depending upon the market.

There was a time when Boomers only freelanced as "consultants" between jobs -- it was more of a pit stop along the way to "real" employment. Now, however, many Boomers are finding that freelance work can be personally and financially rewarding. It can provide you with a flexible work situation and decent income to supplement retirement savings.

Here are two helpful articles from The Balance that offer valuable information about freelancing:

"The Average Freelancer Salary in the U.S." - In this article, you'll find typical hourly and annual income figures for freelance positions in IT/Programming, Design and Multimedia, Writing and Translation, Sales and Marketing, Engineering and Manufacturing, Legal Services, and Administrative and Customer Support. 

"Best Second Job Ideas" - While this article primarily addresses freelancing as a second job, it offers an excellent overview of the freelance and second job market. It also offers a comprehensive list of "best second jobs" in alphabetical order from A to Z. This list is a great idea starter if you are uncertain what type of freelance position you might want to seek.

In addition to the above articles, do a search on freelance jobs and you'll discover a wealth of resources available to you. Maybe freelancing is the work-life solution you are looking for.

You've heard it over and over again -- and perhaps faced it yourself: Ageism, aka age discrimination, is rampant in American business. This makes it especially difficult for Boomers to find employment, because they can be silently discriminated against. As a result, the best option for job-searching Boomers may be to take advantage of the Internet. Numerous job search sites are available, and some even specialize in helping Boomers secure positions. Here are a few that might help:

• RetirementJobs.com
  RetirementJobs.com, Inc. now has more than one million members nationwide. The site's goal is to identify companies most-suited to older workers and match them with active, productive, conscientious, mature adults seeking a job or project that matches their lifestyle. The RetirementJobs.com service is completely free for job seekers. The service provides the option of upgrading to a premium service which gives access to seminars and special content, and enables job seekers to easily identify job openings from employers they have certified or pre-certified as age friendly.
• FlexJobs.com 
  FlexJobs.com hand-screens flexible jobs, which it defines as remote, telecommute, part-time and/or freelance jobs. The site has professional job listings in over 50 career categories ranging from entry-level to executive, freelance to full-time, and local to global. FlexJobs charges for its service because it says it is "a premium job search service, offering you personalized support, curated and trusted resources, and guiding tools to help you in your job search, your career, and your work-life fit."
• AARP Working at 50+
  Part of the AARP.org website, AARP Working at 50+ is an informational site with articles about staying competitive, age discrimination, work-life balance, and planning for retirement. The site also has an "AARP Job Board" to enable searching for positions by job, title, or company within cities/states.
• Overcoming Age Discrimination in the Hiring Process
  (The National Council for Aging Care) While this is not a job search site, it contains excellent information for Boomers regarding industries, age discrimination, how to make yourself more marketable, and more.

If you need more sources, do a search on "jobs for Boomers" and you will find numerous other sites that may be of help. And be sure to check out this great list of resources from Nancy Collamer posted on Forbes.com.