Creativity and Comfort Zone

Your contribution to this site energizes and inspires.

Recently, your fellow creatives wrote several fantastic post-worthy comments in response to a post about creativity and comfort zones (original post and comments here).

Here are a few notables…

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From Scrollwork:

You asked two questions: Can we create in a comfort zone? Aren’t there ways we MUST be comfortable to create?

For me, as a writer and indie clothing designer, the creation happens twice, first in my head, then in real life. I get images or phrases in my head as I awaken or shower—definitely comfortable states. I am still in non-judgmental mode.

But the impetus to create feels like a strong contraction—decidedly uncomfortable. It doesn’t leave me alone until I’ve taken one step toward the birth. I jot down the blog idea, sketch the dress design, or curate my stash of fabrics.

The process of writing and sewing is painful! I beat myself up emotionally and cramp my back and fingers for good measure. The torture doesn’t let up until I can see some semblance of what I first imagined.

Then the happy dance…

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Jennie T:

I have to be creative on a day to day basis, and get others to do the same. Mostly I do art and help small business get their image together. My steps are as follows.

1. Forget all limits. ALL LIMITS
2. What would you do now?
3. If it doesn’t pop up now, then let yourself daydream and make scribble patterns until you see something
4. Build on it. As much as you want
5. Come back to earth. What is the basic thing in the dream?
6. How much or what do you really need?
7. Back off give up ownership. Now how would you get this done. This is a hard step requires, hard facts and a distance between you and the project.
8. Create the project. Stop before it becomes public or you pay out large sums of money.
9. Go away don’t think about it. At least 24 hours more time is better.
10. Now that you have a cold eye come back and review it. Stay as cold as you can and complete the project.
11. The best part. Go about your day to day life doing what needs to be done. After a time go back and look at your work. Wow! it looks so much better.

This last step has taken me as long as two years, going from tossing the work out, letting it lay on the floor, to finding out it was received as the best work I had ever done. Yes, acceptance by others makes you proud of your own work.

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From Susan:

Maybe we creatives need to step outside the zone so that we can continue to create, so we don’t stagnate. Maybe every time we create, we step outside in some way. Isn’t creating itself a big unknown? When we truly create and give full voice to that energy, isn’t it with no real idea of where it wil lead, of what the end result will be?

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Great tips indeed. I’m sure you’ve got your own. Jot it down in the comments below.

We’d all love to hear from you!