An open letter to a graphic facilitation friend. . . about discomfort and shoes

I recently read this text from The Way of Chuang Tzu, as interpreted by Thomas Merton, and it made me think of you:
 

WHEN THE SHOE FITS

 
Ch’ui the draftsman
Could draw more perfect circles freehand
Than with a compass.
 
His fingers brought forth
Spontaneous forms from nowhere. His mind
Was meanwhile free and without concern
With what he was doing.
 
No application was needed
His mind was perfectly simple
And knew no obstacle.
 
So, when the shoe fits
The foot is forgotten,
When the belt fits
The belly is forgotten,
When the heart is right
“For” and “against” are forgotten.
 
No drives, no compulsions,
No needs, no attractions:
Then your affairs
Are under control.
You are a free man.
 
Easy is right. Begin right
And you are easy.
Continue easy and you are right.
The right way to go easy
Is to forget the right way
And forget that the going is easy.
 
* * *
 
When the shoe fits, the foot is forgotten. This is so true! I’m breaking in a new pair of shoes right now, and I am continually aware of their presence on my feet. It is only those well-worn, perfectly-fitting shoes that seem to disappear on my feet and become a natural part of me.
 
The same is true with our graphic facilitation practice. Sometimes we approach our work from the perspective of having to “wear new shoes” for a project: apply a new technique, imitate someone else’s “prettier” style, draw a caricature or two.
 
The entire time we’re on the job, we are conscious of those shoes upon our feet. Crap, am I doing that technique correctly? What color did I need to make that sub-title again? Which feature am I going to emphasize for THIS person’s drawing?? WHY did I think I should try out this different approach on this project?? I can’t draw people the same way my tandem partner does. . . what the heck was I thinking?!
 
The experience leaves us feeling entirely uncomfortable. Off our game. Stressed. Pissed. Defeated. Deflated.
 
We cannot WAIT to kick those new shoes off and nurse our feet back to normal! And we always seem to want to wear those shoes at the most inopportune times.
 
Don’t get me wrong: new shoes are groovy. I have a bit of a thing for shoes, and I seem to collect new pairs all the time.
 
In order for them to get comfortable, though, I have to spend the time to break them in to fit my feet. Otherwise, I’ll frickin’ HATE those shoes that I once thought were so cute, and wonder why I bothered to pick them up in the first place.
 
If you’re on a project and you keep putting on “new shoes” before you begin, and you’re tired of stressing yourself out because of it, then consider this:
 
It takes time and practice for something that was once awkward for us to become comfortable, unnoticeable, when we do it. Ch’ui the draftsman wasn’t born able to draw perfect circles by freehand. (At least, I don’t think he was!) No, Ch’ui developed this skill to draw effortless circles by drawing lots of circles over time until they became effortless and automatic.
 
If you want to feel comfortable on a project, don’t stretch out a pair of new shoes on that project. Begin right, and you are easy. Continue easy and you are right. Trust in your abilities, relax, and enjoy the experience.
 
If you want to be able to do a project sporting a “new pair of shoes”, then practice walking in them before you show up wearing them on your project. Spend time with them, playing with them, dancing in them, working them out, breaking them in and making them yours. Then, when you start to forget that they are even on your feet, that’s the time to wear them to your next project. It is at this point that no application is needed: your mind is perfectly simple and knows no obstacle.
 
It is at this point that those broken-in shoes will look GREAT on you!
 
I cannot wait to see what you draw forth,