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David Bowie Had a Rule for Creativity — And It Applies to Life, Too
David Bowie had a secret. A rule he lived by.
It wasn’t about talent.
Or genius.
Or luck.
It was about drowning.
Bowie believed that the best work — the kind that electrifies, innovates, and stands the test of time — happens when you’re slightly out of your depth. When your feet can’t quite touch the bottom.
“If you feel safe in the area that you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth. And when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.”
Read that again.
Because this applies to more than creativity.
It applies to life.
The Fear of the Deep End
Nobody enjoys that stomach-drop moment where you realize you don’t have all the answers.
We crave certainty. We want to feel competent. To know exactly what we’re doing before we do it.
