When I was a teenager I was an all-in David Bowie fan. I recently started listening to his music again after watching the recent movie about him–Moonage Daydream. I found it surprisingly disturbing. It took me back to my teenage angst: my disenchantment with the material world, the passion to discover and express what was uniquely mine to bring, and a desire to do that even more fully now.
My art is to empower people to discover their unique gifts and create the most conducive setting to express them.
Bowie was unflinchingly committed to his art. He spoke of creating persistent change, deliberate discomfort, just to see what it would do to his songwriting. Trying on a different personality or appearance. Exploring new cultures. Being with people who show up as real. Asking himself the most poignant questions. Hungry to get and to give as much as could be gleaned from each day.
Suddenly, I was unimpressed with the things in my life, remembering the rebellious streak that was so much my way of thinking as a teen. Disturbing yet stimulating. So I’ve been doing something similar. I found myself longing to access a greater depth in my art, to connect with people in a more expansive place through my coaching and writing. To do that, I realize that I have to allow myself to be disturbed.
A Practice To Try
You too might find this worthwhile. Find a way to access what was once your teenage angst. Perhaps you have music, photos, places, or poetry from that time. Allow yourself to feel disenchanted with the status quo of your life and with the expectations around you. Reach for a perspective that is deeper and more expansive than you’ve had of late. Deliberately do something to be different and in some way go counter to the habitual ways you have been expressing your art that feel safe, normal, and happy.
Let me know what opens up as you find ways to express your art in even deeper and more expansive ways.
As always, my best,
David Lesser