Be Curious. Be Bowie.
“I don’t know where I’m going from here,
but I promise it won’t be boring.”
David Bowie
David Bowie lived that line. He didn’t lock himself into one sound or style. He kept changing the landscape under his feet. Change was a constant to him. Ziggy Stardust, soul, Berlin synth experiments, theatrical art-rock. Each of these reinventions surprised fans and opened new possibilities. But here’s the thing: Bowie’s reinventions weren’t about hiding. They were permission to expand what music and identity could do.
And plus, it was always ever-changing.
For creatives stuck in one lane, this idea is quite liberating. Experimentation is never a gimmick; it’s a tool. You don’t have to become a different person to use them. Try approaching your work from a new stance (perhaps playful, angry, naïve, or brash) and see how your choices shift. See what possibilities open up.
Give yourself the same license/permission Bowie gave himself. Follow curiosity, not the checklist.
Bowie treated his career like a laboratory. He mixed influences, read widely, collaborated with unexpected people, and let failure and surprise steer him. That willingness to risk awkwardness (and failure) kept his art alive and interesting for decades.
TODAY’s CHALLENGE:
Adopt a new “persona” for your creative sessions. Pick a mood or character (the child who doesn’t care about rules, the cranky critic, the over-enthusiastic fan) and create in that voice for three short sessions. There’s no pressure to perform. Just notice how the persona changes your decisions, risks, and energy. Reflect and then report back to yourself: What surprised you? What will you keep? Maybe it won’t be boring.
I remember hearing Paul McCartney liked to try as if he was in the shoes of different artists. I’ve done this a couple times when trying to write a new song. I wanted to do it in the style of Ed Sheeran or even like The Beatles. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot. So give it a try!