There is a valid suggestion, not
only for artistic creative folks but for all, to get out of one’s comfort
zone now and then.
The thing about comfort, which has much to recommend it,
is that it has a lulling affect. You don’t want to walk through life lulled all
the time, do you? Certainly not if you want your muse to keep talking to you.
So this last Sunday I did
something that took me out of my comfort zone. At least that’s what I told
myself to get Self there. I went to an in-person meeting with lots of folks I
don’t know, without a single person I do know. The last time I did that was
before the invention of the wheel, or so it seems to me.
The meeting was of local SCBWI members, (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and for the first time this chapter was meeting in a café practically in my neighborhood. It was too good not to go to. Sunday
morning is a perfect time for me. I know the café and I like it. It stopped
raining and the sun washed the streets with rays of positive vibrations. I had no excuse.
What’s the big deal, you say?
For a shy person it is a big deal.
Everyone there was lovely and
many were lively. I pretended not to be shy, (that’s one of my specialties,
developed of necessity) and tried to be helpful. It was nice.
But here’s the real deal— I got out of my comfort zone and the
creative juices reconstituted into liquid flow. A good, good thing.
What would you do to get out of
your comfort zone?
14 comments:
That's so great, Mirka. And children's writers are some of the best to hang out with. Being amongst a lot of people is also out of my comfort zone--I pretty much avoid it unless I can't. And I'd say about half the time I'm pleasantly surprised.
Wish you lived closer, Vijaya. I'd hang out with you, happily.
Actually, I am very happy with one-on-one, or one-on two-three-four... It's a room-full that sends me to the corner. This gathering was a very full room-full, and I was pleasantly surprised.
So glad you had a good experience, Mirka. For me, it's not the numbers so much as the kind of people. If it's a roomful of homeless people or elderly nursing home residents or kids, I'm fine. But my comfort zone drops dramatically if it's a roomful of fashionably dressed, well-to-do young adults, standing around with glasses of wine chatting about the latest popular movies, songs, tv shows, etc. If I feel I have something positive to contribute to a situation, it's easier for me to feel comfortable. Otherwise, I don't feel motivated to force myself into a situation just for the sake of feeling out of my comfort zone.
Yes, everyone has "their people." But for me, any room full of strangers into which I had entered alone is uncomfortable. Of course, how can they become acquaintances rather than strangers unless I enter in the first place?...
I am glad you enjoyed the meeting Mirka. Belive or not I had butterflies in my stomach before going too. But as Evelyn says if you are a contributor it is much easier to cope.
BTW, thank you for your first class ideas!
xo
The thanks belongs to *you*, Susan, for organizing it in the first place.
I love to push myself out of my comfort zone. I hate it, too. ;) It's good for you, but it's not easy. You know what I mean, right?
I'm reminded of this quotation from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
"...there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right."
-Albus Dumbledore
Glad you were able to meet new kidlit folks. I'm fine with kids, but adults...that's another story!
That's wonderful you were able to attend, the conditions do sound perfect. I see those meet-ups listed in my area, but they always seem to be too far away and on the wrong day (being shy, that's all the excuse I need for not going). I find groups of 4 or 5 to be the best size, where one doesn't have to do half the talking, but can still easily get a word in.
What a fabulous thing, Mirka! To have the opportunity to attend with it being so close to you, and the fact that you DID attend. I bet you're really glad you went!
Any room *full of people* of any age is daunting for me. I feel very comfortable in a room full of house-cats...
We understand each other, Marcia. :)
You'd win that^ bet ;)
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