David Bowie's Life-Saving Advice for Artists

"You create so you can feel like your true self again."

A neo-expressionist painting by David Bowie.

"You will never be criticized by someone who is doing more than you. You will only be criticized by someone doing LESS than you." -Lucy Sheridan

David Bowie, like many artists, was multi-talented. Whenever he momentarily reached an impasse in his work as a musician, he would switch to painting and vice versa.

Bowie felt that being an artist is about innovating, pushing forward, experimenting. And if you're not just slightly uncomfortable, you're not doing enough.

Creativity requires assurance

Above all, it is clear to me, privacy is needed for creativity. How else can we be free to be ourselves? This was the genius of the US Constitution and what made this country so innovative...

It's significant that many young people today have grown afraid to be creative, particularly online. The education system seems designed to stunt most students' creativity. Creative genius was also stunted in the Soviet Union -- nothing puts a damper on greatness like SPYING EYES! Whether sanctioned by an evil government or the unintended consequence of an incompetent one. Soon the Pushkins, Tolstoys and Chekovs were practically nonexistent in Russia, and something similar is happening here now. So why would the world's leading nations do this to ourselves with computers and smart phones? 

Creativity requires privacy. Meaning, of course, that prosperity requires privacy.

There's a reason many social media execs don't let their kids use computers, and the Russian Army no longer uses computers either. The military forces of the UK are also considering going back to paper, pencil, and typewriters as the only fail-safe technologies. Nothing could be more incompetent than leaving one's nuclear arsenals on inherently hackable computer systems. Hello? 

Give yourself a chance

Self-sabotage also comes on the individual level in the form of beating yourself up and discounting your ideas before you even give them a chance. No need to be your own worst critic. Ideas really have to be written out before you can evaluate them properly. First, see what's there and evaluate it after it takes shape on the page.

It is a real gift to be able to be practical and get your ego out of the way. Evaluate your own work as you would baking or decorating a cake or putting the final touches on something you've just made, and improve it matter-of-factly, like a carpenter. 

A good way to do this is to take your eyes OFF yourself and keep focused on being accurate. Writing should above all accurately reflect the ideas you wish you to convey, accurately describing the world and feelings of your story.

Remember to cut yourself some slack. Get plenty of rest, good food, water and then, once you are refreshed, dig deep and try again like David Bowie. 

---

David Bowie's advice to artists:

"I think it's terribly dangerous for an artist to fulfill other people's expectations. 

"I think they generally produce their worst work when they do.
"Always remember that the reason you initially started working was that there was something inside yourself that you felt that if you could manifest it in some way, you would understand more about yourself and how you co-exist with the rest of society."

"You create so you can feel like your true self again." -David Bowie

Read about Suzanne Vega, an American creative genius in the vein of David Bowie: 

Suzanne Vega: New Album, New Tour