end work

Sometimes an artist will write or sing or paint something they know they can never exceed, and their creative life ends right there.

tooth and nail

An artist and a writer lived together harmoniously while their books and artwork battled for every inch of wall space.

aged out

If an artist lives past about age 80, the assumption is that s/he is already dead. Which is to say that the creative life is assumed dead even if the artist isn’t.