In this case it doesn't matter if you're near the middle of the wall, or to one side or the other. If the wall runs parallel to the joists, there's no getting around it, you're going to have to bore through the joists. In this case you'll want to consult local building codes, to figure out where and how to bore the holes. You'll have to bore some holes through the joists to reach the ceiling box. If you're not so lucky, and the switch box does not line up with the joist bay. In this situation, you'll simply have to drill a hole through the top plate, then run your cable. You might get lucky, and simply going up the wall will land you in the proper joist bay. If the switch is in the middle(ish) of the wall, and the joists are adjacent to the wall. Since you didn't mention where the switch is, or which way the joist run, I'll cover a few scenarios. If you're working in a home constructed of solid wood framing, you should be able to run the new cable fairly easily. You'll want to either install a larger box and a new switch, or a double switch, so the light can be controlled independently. The easiest option would be to run a new cable directly from the switch, up to the ceiling fixture.

Install can lights in existing ceiling