Sunday, September 11, 2016

Art; our level of Discomfort vs Comfort

So I just came across this quote on on IG:


LIFE
BEGINS
AT THE END
OF YOUR
COMFORT ZONE
by - Neale Walsh



And this is why it's so interesting.  There is always guidance given to us that support the notion that we can't live in the space of personal success, or even find our best selves when we are ridden with self doubt, or in-confidence, or whatever kinds of things that cause "discomfort", right?  The notion is always presented to GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE.  So this may be true in a lot of instances.  But what I think is a worthy juxtaposition is the embrace of discomfort.  Embrace is always better than rejection.  Right?  This is applicable in every area; but lest I digress let me stay in the realm of creating art pieces.  Embracing what makes you uncomfortable is an interesting approach- once you welcome those feelings and thoughts and apply them to your process, a break through happens.  I have come to understand more clearly why I have to find inspiration; process that information; and then embrace every emotion, stigma, critique, and admiration that comes flooding in.  Cypher through all of that and see what remains.  What remains in most cases is probably my personal art piece.  When living outside your comfort zone (as this Neale Walsh suggests) you may just be living outside the "process" of finding yourself..... Just a day before coming across Walsh's quote (again, because I have seen it time and times before now) I had a bout with my processing habits.  Like most, I critique my efforts; obsess over my piece; obsess over my thoughts and critiques about my piece, and slowly die emotionally for a couple of hours or days.... But then IT happens.  I come back to the piece and I've figured out where I want to go with it.  This process hasn't ever been something that I had noticed, let alone appreciated until now.  Some crafter ladies that I respect a lot had an online chat about "design style" and the crust of the chat concluded that design style isn't a thing for them; it's more about how they get inspired and use that inspiration to force out what their eyes see and what their hands do naturally.  It's the inspiration, forged to fit within their space.  One crafter tagged it her "comfort zone".  This made total sense to me.  I mean we all already do that!  We are inspired by everything around us, and we use that inspiration to begin processing down what we want to produce as a result of meeting such inspiration.  I define this as a direct opposition of GETTING OUT IF ONE'S COMFORT ZONE.  And honestly I think it's just a play on perspective.  I chose to believe that a directive that is commanding NOT to do something a certain way is less productive than a gentle coaxing or nudge toward a direction, or in other words EMBRACE.  Positive vs Negative.  Embrace vs Rejection.  My deduction of all this has left behind my own quote:
"FIND INSPIRATION • FIND YOUR COMFORT ZONE • DO IT FOR THE LOVE OF ART"