Creative recovery with Darrell Fusaro: SKILL principles
In his most recent book, Break Out of Your Box: Be Your Heroic Self, Darrell Fusaro discusses his approach to creative recovery, which I found very helpful. Here are the principles that can be simply abbreviated to SKILL:
“Swim with the current. I’ve learned to never argue with a hunch. Follow them! They will take you places more remarkable than reason would allow. Don’t be afraid of silly ideas. -Paul Arden
Keep it simple. Let yourself off the hook. You do not need to wait until you have the right pen, brush, pad, or canvas to get started. Simply put, Do what you can, with what you have, where are you are. -Theodore Roosevelt
Inspire others. The best way to get into the creative current is to make something simple as a little gift for a friend. If you’re an artist, make a postcard and send it. If you’re a musician, sing a ridiculous song as your voice mail message to a friend. That’s what I do. Somehow, by making something with a friend in mind, I’m motivated. And the idea of creating something simple “just for a friend” frees me from the negative commentary of my critical mind.
Lower the bar. Self-imposed perfect is stifling. Relax your demands, and your creative spirit will naturally rise to the surface. Anything worth doing is worth doing badly. -G.K. Chesterton
Let it be easy. What you desire to do is possible. Give yourself permission to let it be easy. Whenever stuck, ask yourself, “How would I do this if I were willing to let it be easy?”
These truths seem so obvious, but I frequently need to be reminded of them. The third principle, inspire others, has stuck with me the most. How wonderful it is to prepare something thoughtful for a friend or loved one without feeling the need to do it perfectly. I can see how it has the potential of immediately helping me break out of my creative rut. From now on, whenever I’m feeling unmotivated or stuck, I'll think about the people for whom I should be creating and consider my work as something that should be generously shared. What a huge relief!
