5 Reasons To Escape Your Creative Comfort Zone

What is a creative comfort zone?

The comfort zone is the space where you feel safe, in control, and productive. Your comfort zone is where you thrive. It’s where you shine. It’s usually the place where you get the most love (usually because you are doing what others and you expect you to do).

But what about your creative comfort zone?

This could be a certain medium you always use or a genre of art you gravitate towards. Maybe it’s the physical space where you create. It could be the content of your writing, or being known as a landscape photographer and only taking landscape photos.

Comfort Zones are not evil

Before I go any further I need to make a clear distinction. This article is not about getting out of your comfort zone for the sake of getting out of your comfort zone.

For the landscape photographer who has made a career of shooting landscapes, I hope I did not offend you. As a creative, I understand the importance of perfecting my craft. Especially if it’s not just a hobby, bringing your creativity to a professional level takes years of dedication; focused dedication.

We also have an audience to serve. There’s a reason why as a performer, Michael Jackson is such a legend. His fans knew what to expect from him and he spent hours in the background making sure he was at the top of his game and delivering the performance of a lifetime every single show.

I would even argue that as creatives, whether a photographer, a chef, or even an entrepreneur running your business, you have a responsibility to your craft and to learn and execute at an increasingly high level, especially if you want to make a career out of it.

So, when are they evil?

I already told you they’re not evil. But they can be a hindrance to your growth, especially when you find yourself fighting against a creative block. These are the times when you need a solution out of the ordinary.

That solution?

Stepping outside of your comfort zone.

So, I’m not suggesting we get rid of our comfort zones altogether. That would be silly and unrealistic (and probably a little scary). However, if creatives aren’t careful they could be stagnant, repetitive, and even unmotivated to create at a high level.

When this happens, it’s time for some self-discovery to reignite the spark that got you into art in the first place!

Why step out of your comfort zone?

Yes, why step out of your comfort zone when there are other ways to deal with creative blocks? I can take a walk. I can take a nap. I can even do something completely unrelated to my creativity and hope that time away sparks something.

I agree.

There is no one size fits all approach to breaking through your creative block, but I argue that, if you are anything like me, your creative block isn’t always an invitation to stop creating.

You still feel a need to be active in your creativity while trying to overcome this creative hurdle. If that’s the case, stepping outside of your creative comfort zone while still creating, is the solution you need to try out.

5 reasons why this is the best method for creatives who don’t want to stop creating

1 You’ll Discover New Abilities

The great thing about stepping out of your comfort zone is that you never really know what you’re capable of until you try. Stepping outside can help unveil new talents, skills, and abilities you never knew you had on the inside.

When we try new things out of our depth or beyond what we’re used to doing and find some success, we build a renewed confidence in our abilities. You have hidden potential and it will only be discovered when you are ready to take a bold step and do something you have never done before.

2 You’ll Experience New Perspectives

Stepping outside of your comfort zone can also provide a new perspective on the world or specific situations.

When you try something completely new, it alters your mindset and point of view in ways that are both exciting and empowering. I have changed my views so many times about different topics for the simple reason, I tried something new in earnest rather than reluctantly. Tried something that I was ignorant about. Tried something I thought I knew enough about.

3 You’ll Abandon Safety & Security

Safety and security can prove to be dangerous to your progress. Let’s get this straight first. I am not speaking of solely operating outside of your sweet spot (though there is a time and place for that). So I would never tell Nic Stone to start building houses. Her sweet spot is and will always be writing. The same goes for you as a creative.

If you are a writer, write. If you are a photographer, be a photographer. If you are an actor, act. Just understand that it’s easy to stay within your comfort zone because it provides safety, but at some point, it no longer challenges you. And when you don’t feel challenged, something needs to change.

The goal of stepping outside of your comfort zone is not doing something new for the sake of new. The goal is to have a transformational experience that can possibly increase the size of your comfort zone.

4 You’ll Experience New Adventures

When you try something completely new or out of your element, it can provide an exciting adventure that may give you a sense of personal satisfaction and the motivation to go back and find your groove in your creativity. Your life is full enough already without getting stuck in routines day after day.

So why not mix things up every once in a while?

It’s easy to get into this type of routine because it allows us to avoid failure and criticism. After all, who wants to put themselves out there only to be rejected?

But you can’t forget this. The very nature of creativity is to experience something for the first time and then share it in a way others have not yet experienced before.

Stepping out doesn’t mean completely leaving home or venturing off into unchartered territories but simply creating more space between what’s known and unknown inside yourself so you are able to discover things about yourself that allow you to see a new reflection in your creative mirror. If you try this out, I’m sure you will like what you see.

5 You’ll still be exercising your creativity

The good news is that no matter what you choose to do, it will still be a creative outlet. An opportunity for you to fulfill your need to create, just in an unexpected way.

Time To Step Outside

I love the quote by Alan Watts, “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”

Creativity can grow within a comfortable space, but it may stagnate if we don’t give our minds the opportunity to explore and discover new things outside of this space.

You need to push yourself creatively, and one great way to do that is by moving outside of your comfort zone.

This can be done in a number of ways, but it’s important to find what works best for you and to experiment with different mediums and genres. The key is to have fun with it, do it with purpose, and remember that it’s not about abandoning your love and finding a new sweet spot, it’s about expanding your creative horizons and discovering new ways to tell the stories.

I hope these five reasons help you see the importance of using this method to overcome your creative blocks.

As always, feel free to reach out if you need any additional support or advice!

TJ