How To Branch Out of Your Comfort Zone - Article by Tiffani Pe

“A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. You must break out of your current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown.”- Denis Waitley

The saying "there's no such thing as failure" is a statement that rings true for many situations -- especially when it comes to escaping your comfort zone. Contrary to its name, fear is what prevents many folks from leaping past the line between the familiar and the unknown. But taking risks goes beyond the notion of being incompetent. Once you take your first step into exploring another medium or style, you’ll gain countless benefits without bearing any heavy losses. Escaping the old routine will allow for growth, increased creativity, and more. Sure, we can all agree that the unexpected is frightening. Still, you have to challenge yourself by pushing through the discomfort it first gives you and discovering the inspiration that lies beyond your horizons.

Need some more reasons on how to go beyond your comfort zone? Here’s the why and how:

1. Leaving the easy path to the long-winding road of creative challenges allows for self-discovery.

As your knowledge of unique styles and techniques expands, you can explore hidden talents, passions, strengths, and weaknesses. Perhaps, through this way of exploring yourself, you’ll find a new comfort zone to adapt as your own! Who knows, you may find a hidden love for sculpting or writing screenplays! On the flip side, you might not be a fan of something that you try out; that’s important too because at least you’ll know that for sure.

2. Every time you embark out of your comfort zone, you learn something new that you can apply to your other creative works.

If you're an artist, you don't only have to change up your medium -- you can learn the works of a new software, such as 3D design, learn how to shade in cel, toon, and/or soft shading, or draw unfamiliar subjects (depending on what you usually draw) like architecture or portraits. If you're a writer, you can practice various character tropes, write random story settings, or emulate an acclaimed writer’s style to learn from them.

3. Get rid of that pesky creative block that follows every creative mind around.

Frequently, when you reach that level of being “fairly decent”, you hit that point where you go on autopilot mode as you create something that you are capable of creating with your eyes closed. Challenging yourself and learning new things as a beginner replaces the feeling of monotony with enthusiasm and exhilaration! When reading a hard book (War and Peace, anyone?) it forces you to snap your focus solely on the book. The same idea applies for getting rid of an unfocused and inspired rut. With the book analogy, reading demanding literature can make you a better reader in the long run because you’ll be picking up on new vocabulary and being forced to increase your attention span to make sense of the words. So, attempting a complex piece of art/writing will motivate you to learn new ways to get it done, as well as increase your attentiveness and presence of mind.

4. Even if you don’t plan to be a professional, wouldn’t it be impressive if you were skilled in multiple facets of art/writing?

Imagine if you could both sculpt an ornate abstract creation as well as paint a masterpiece, or write a fantastic dystopian sci-fi romance! Be a painter along with a charcoal-artist, be a poet and a novelist. There is no limit for those with an imagination and the drive to commit themselves to their ambitions. Matt Fussell, an artist who has commissioned art internationally, said, “We can describe ourselves as “specialists” in certain subjects or media, and remain safe from judgment when we venture into mediums or subjects beyond those categorizations… This thinking stifles our artistic growth and limits our potential – especially if we are learning art and discovering ourselves as artists.”

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After reading the points mentioned above, I hope that you feel inspired to spread your creative wings and soar above and beyond. There’s never an end to learning when it comes to art or writing which is the unique experience that art gives you. Venture beyond your comfort zone. Be ambitious. You’ll become a more outstanding creator as you constantly gain a greater understanding of yourself, pick up a myriad of skills, and bring back the excitement from when you were just a beginner. Note that a tiny step goes a long way towards a big accomplishment, so set a few goals and see where you end up in the future.

Sources:

1. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-flux/201512/5-benefits-stepping-outside-your-comfort-zone

2. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/7-benefits-from-stepping-outside-your-comfort-zone-joshua-miller/

3. https://thevirtualinstructor.com/blog/going-beyond-our-comfort-zone-in-art

4. https://writersrelief.com/2011/06/10/step-out-of-your-comfort-zone-and-become-a-better-writer/

5. https://thewritepractice.com/writing-comfort-zone/

6. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/stepping-outside-your-comfort-zone_n_5872638v

7. https://rachelgieselgrimm.com/blog/3-reasons-why-you-should-write-in-a-variety-of-genres

8. https://www.clothpaperscissors.com/blog/5-ways-to-get-out-of-your-creative-comfort-zone/

9. https://3dtotal.com/news/inspiration/8-ways-to-escape-your-artistic-comfort-zone#article-try-something-new

Cover page by Khushi Kolte

Article by Tiffani Pe

Editing by Poorna Prakash