Peter Himmelman started his creative life in avant-garage bands, in Minnesota, but unlocked his artistic core when he wrote a nakedly emotional love song for his dying father, in 1983. Today, after transitioning through a number of creative roles—including composing for TV and children’s music—he’s followed his restless muse to a new role as a lecturer, coach and author, helping others realize their own human potential. “If you cling too closely to what happened in the past and don’t create space for what’s happening now, it’s very difficult to move forward,” he tells Robert Cherry.