out of the comfort zone

stepping out of the comfort zone is hard.  i like cuddly, warm, predictable.  however, sometimes the cuddly-warm-space starts to become too warm and instead of feeling safe in a cuddly embrace you begin to feel claustrophobic and constricted.  worse yet, you can begin to feel as though your very breath is being taken as you begin to suffocate by what once was your "comfort".  it's also known as growing, maturing and we all must experience and walk through these seasons in our life as we learn to explore and grow into the people God is nurturing us to become. 

i have long walked this creative journey teetering on the edge of what feels good, comfortable, and secure and those areas where i feel as though i have no business.  being creative is so much more than just thinking or pinning the things you like or hope to do one day.  it's about stepping out and actually doing it.  it's about believing in yourself enough to step out of your comfort zone and allowing yourself to become vulnerable.  i know this is a scary thought - but i really believe the only way to find growth is to shed yourself of the comforts constricting you and move forward in your hearts desire.

i love taking photos. i find security and safety behind my camera.  with my camera i am able to take snapshots of the life and world around me.  my photos are memories of times past, they are stories, they are my life, my art.  however, when i am asked to take photos for a friend i begin to panic.  any security i once felt with a camera in my hands is immediately diminished by a voice telling me i am not qualified.  in a blink of an eye i find myself outside of my comfort zone.  allowing myself to become vulnerable as i say, "yes" and telling the voice of negativity to, "get behind me" is both scary and invigorating.  this past weekend i had the joy of shooting two of my favorite little girls.  although, the voice was there telling me, i wasn't good enough, i am finding the more and more i push it back the less and less strength it has in my life.

 as i processed the photos from our afternoon shoot i was reminded how much bigger these photos are then just me and my "less than" feeling.  what a freeing thought, when you realize it isn't about you but about what you can give out of your talents.  i challenge you today to step out of your comfort zone and actually DO what your hearts desire is calling out for you to do.  go for that walk, paint a picture, read a book, play a board game with your kids, pray....  stop thinking about doing it, stop allowing that part of your self that tells you, you don't have the time, expertise, know-how and just give-in to the beautiful vulnerability - you never know what you might find or learn about yourself.

grace & peace