Comfort Zone vs Happy Place

You would think the terms comfort zone and happy place should mean nearly the same thing. However, I have found this to be the opposite of truth in my experience. I guess you could say sometimes I can be a little yellow about trying new things. If I'm honest my comfort zone tends to be a place where there is a general absence of excitement, energy, curiosity, and most important (for me) learning. In my comfort zone I avoid learning new things, and focus on those skills where I am adept. I have to admit it's not really a place of growth for me. I'm not sure why it's even called a comfort zone, as I find that I am neither happy, nor comfortable while I'm in it.

I've spent the last couple of months completely outside of my comfort zone, and it has been a hair pulling, teeth gnashing, glorious, good time. In early December a friend sent me a link to the Skillshare teach challenge, and I filled out the application on a whim. I honestly never actually considered that I would complete the challenge, but I was curious to see if I would be invited, and what it was all about. The invite came in late December. On the surface of my mind I thought, Oh crud! Well that's nice, but you still don't have to do it. However, deeper in my subconscious, my creative juices must have begun to flow, because before I knew it I was outlining my class.

I guess we all have moments where we are faced with deciding whether we will stay in the safety of our comfort zone or try that terrifying new thing that we just can't stop thinking about. I'm beginning to think that maybe when something feels impossible it may mean I need to pursue it. I can't say for sure, but what I do know is this … it feels truly amazing to place the cherry atop a sundae that you never thought you could or would create. I'm wishing that feeling to everyone who reads this. If you feel afraid or stuck in a rut, maybe you should just go for it and see how it feels to accomplish something that you never believed you could.

Since completing my Color Studies course, i've been trying to get the word out about it, which truthfully is such a challenge for me. I think a lot of artists have anxiety when it comes to promoting their work. I keep reminding myself that it's normal to feel the way I do, but I shouldn't let it hold me back. I've also been experimenting with yellow (one of my favorite colors), and working on some patterns that I started earlier but had to put off in order to complete the Color Studies class. I've shared a few of my latest patterns at the top of this post.

I did a lot of research on color while I was preparing Color Studies, and I thought this might be a good place to share my enthusiasm about it. For example, you probably already know that yellow is associated with happiness and intelligence, but did you realize that it also has a darker side? It was news to me and I'll share a bit of what I learned later this week, but for now I need to quit the rambling and get some work done. Hope you're having a marvelous Monday, and that you try something new and reasonably scary sometime soon. 🙂