Breaking free from the comfort zone

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” – Neals Donald Walsch 

I’ve been thinking this week about comfort zones and how tricky they can be.

Comfort zones are of course comfortable for a reason – we feel safe, confident, and there are no real surprises.

My recent interest in exploring abstract art felt like the break from the comfort zone that I needed, and I was feeling pretty excited after I painted two originals in a row that resembled nothing I’d done before.

And then I painted a landscape last week, even though I hadn’t planned on it. I even thought I was painting an abstract until I got to the end, and my husband Eric pointed out to me that I had in fact painted a landscape. Hello, sneaky comfort zone!

The real kicker was this week, when I picked up the 16×20 wood panel Eric brought home for me a few weeks ago, curious to see if I’d like painting at a much larger scale.

I was both intimidated and curious about the size, but when I started painting I found myself creating another landscape. Eric called me out on it again, and then gave me a challenge to truly play.

Thank goodness for the people in our lives who inspire us to grow.

So, here is where the painting began on Monday, a horizontal landscape with the beginnings of a sunset over water:

And here is the finished painting. What I love about this is that while I like the painting vertical, it can really be turned in any direction.

This was a super challenge for me, and I had to let go of all expectations in order to feel brave enough to play.

I sat through many uncomfortable moments where the colors were ugly and strange and I doubted what I was creating. I sat through moments where I literally had no idea how to move forward, since nothing in my previous painting experience had prepared me to paint so freely.

And the result?

I couldn’t have been further outside of my comfort zone with this painting… and I haven’t felt this inspired in months.

I was reading the blog of one of my favorite artists recently, and she mentioned being in a moment of expansion in her life. I love this idea, of simply being open to expand in whatever ways tug at our hearts.

So today I am open. Open to new discovery, to painting in ways I didn’t think I could, to sharing my heart, and to learning new and better ways to listen to my intuition. It’s a feeling that helps me to feel awake in my own life.

My challenge for you today is to name your comfort zone. What area of your life needs to expand?

Here’s to feeling awake in our lives,