Comfort Zones

Week 34

Comfort Zones
August 26, 2010

Every once in a while I think it's important to go outside of our comfort zones.  Maybe that means taking a risk that we don't know for sure will work out that way we want it to. Maybe that means participating in something in which we don't have confidence in our own abilities. Maybe it means remaining open-minded to an idea that we don't understand. 

The image above was taken as part of an unconventional media project conceptualized by artist Trina Merry. Trina does body painting (among other visual arts) and wanted to explore the Hispanic celebration of Dia de Los Muertos in this piece. Most of the set was shot against a gray studio backdrop with slave strobes and a couple soft boxes on hot lights. A tripod and slow shutter allowed for the motion in this image. 

Now I've done work with Trina before, but the work is a bit outside of the norm for me, and something I like to do to force a different perspective on my work. This photo along with the other images I captured during the session got me thinking about the idea of comfort zones, what they mean to us, and how they impact us as people.

Comfort zones can allow us to have a "safe" place to be, where we know and are accustomed to our surroundings, confident in our ability to navigate in an environment that is predictable. It doesn't sound too bad until you consider that along with these positive things can come a stifling of ingenuity and creativity, suspicion and fear of those people or ideas outside of our comfort zone, and an intellectual isolation that can repress learning. 

I believe that stepping outside of our comfort zones can lead to a number of things: Professionally, we can develop broader skillsets and understanding of our business or industry.  Personally, we have chance to overcome assumptions and fears and even learn a bit about ourselves. Spiritually we can grow to have a deeper understanding of our faith or beliefs, and greater appreciation for others'. The downside is that it can be... well, uncomfortable.

I've heard or read a number of quotes I like regarding comfort zones (and similar ideas). Each of these speaks to entirely different aspects of us and our comfort zones, and my purpose here isn't to exhaustively explore the idea. Rather, it's to share a few thoughts and maybe get you to consider what your comfort zones are, why they are what they are, and what you can do to step outside of them.:




"Comfort zones are most often expanded through discomfort."
Peter McWilliams




"We cannot become what we want to be by remaining what we are."
Max DePree

"We rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."  Romans 5:3-4

image taken with Canon 5D, MII, 24-70 2.8L lens, 1/10 @ f10, ISO 800