The Context
Next time life hands you a pile of shit, try to grow something. Every artist needs a good low. Our species spends a lot of money trying to buy happiness. But sometimes what we really need is for life to hand us a pile of shit.
The Tool
Good Low
GOOD LOW — When life hands you a pile of shit, you strategically convert that experience into creative resources of energy, fertility and happiness
Consider it from an agricultural perspective. Manure contributes to the fertility of soil, assists in the growth of life, even functions as an energy efficient fuel source in some mountain cultures. Shit may have a foul smell and a filthy reputation, but it’s still been an essential resource human civilization. Why should artists be any different? Be a true professional. Be vulnerable enough to open yourself to the low, humble enough to give thanks when it comes, and creative enough to leverage it until it’s gone.
The Rest
If you become someone with an exquisite understanding of your own artistic timing, you will be more prolific than you ever dreamed. It’s the season of creation, of exhaling. And as the air goes swirling out, you honor the flow and work until the vein is dry. How good are you at recognizing when life is giving you a gift?
The Benefits
Uncover efficient fuel sources to energize your work
Grow profitable new ideas in the fertilizer of your own failure
Deepen your resilience in the face of difficult experiences
Force yourself to marshal your creative resources and persist in the face of incredible odd