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In and Out of the Zone
Jan. 7th, 2007 02:27 pmThe other day I put a new CD in my CD player. It was Enigma's newest album entitled "A Posteriori". I first heard Enigma very late one night after getting back from a show I was stage-managing. I turned on the TV to TBS of all things and they were showing music videos including Enigma's "Mea Culpa" which had me trying to find out for about a week what the name of the song was since I missed the beginning. Fortunately a DJ buddy of mine knew exactly what I was talking about and gave me the name of the album and the artist. I am apparently about two albums behind on his work but when I put this disk on the first thing he has is a very familiar rift. This immediately put me in my musical comfort zone.
I have been thinking a lot about comfort zones and getting in and out of them. May be it is the New Year and thinking about the bright shiny months in front of us. May be it is because my little one is now 4 years old and is trying to figure what her comfort zones and limits are. Which is changing what my comfort zones are. I can leave her playing in one room and go to another and get something done which is not something I would have felt comfortable with even a year ago unless she was asleep. She liked to do something crafty like draw or paint while I am working on costumes or puppets or dolls. It is comfortable for both of us.
I have been challenging myself as an artist to get out of my comfort zone and try things that I might not be good at but never tried. It is one of the reasons I took Wendy Froud's class a second time and probably will a third when it is offered. Wendy pushed me to challenge myself and become a better doll artist. She made me go outside my comfort zone and create something I had in my head but thought that I would never be able to execute. Muchly is the result of that. She is probably going to hold me to making a female figure next time round. I did some doll challenges last year that forced me to try new things as a doll artist. It also forced me to get some dolls done rather than just think about them. I made the fluzzies which stretched my puppet making skills a bit. I had to sort out what I wanted them to look like and then create them. And there are a couple of failed puppet parts in the creative process for those. I'm hanging onto them for something else down the road.
I use to be very terrified of public speaking. It was way outside my comfort zone. That and talking on the telephone, I hated to call someone that I didn't know. I still don't like telephones but I got over a majority of my irrational fear while working at Del Rey since calling people was part of my job. As was public speaking at conventions, so now I am very comfortable in front of a crowd talking about whatever the topic is. It is now in my comfort zone. It's funny that I can act with a puppet on my arm without thinking about it but I still can't act on stage without a mask or a puppet because I get very self-conscious about it.
I have a few things in the hopper for this year that are challenging my comfort zones. I have a short story I need to write by March 1st for an anthology. I have a doll/marionette I need to get done by May 1st I believe. I have doll parts exiting the house by the 10th of this month. I have a couple of art shows I am doing along with some convention stuff. There are a couple of other projects that I want to do this year which will challenge me and move me outside my current comfort zone and spur me to try new things.
I am grateful for my expanding comfort zone.
I have been thinking a lot about comfort zones and getting in and out of them. May be it is the New Year and thinking about the bright shiny months in front of us. May be it is because my little one is now 4 years old and is trying to figure what her comfort zones and limits are. Which is changing what my comfort zones are. I can leave her playing in one room and go to another and get something done which is not something I would have felt comfortable with even a year ago unless she was asleep. She liked to do something crafty like draw or paint while I am working on costumes or puppets or dolls. It is comfortable for both of us.
I have been challenging myself as an artist to get out of my comfort zone and try things that I might not be good at but never tried. It is one of the reasons I took Wendy Froud's class a second time and probably will a third when it is offered. Wendy pushed me to challenge myself and become a better doll artist. She made me go outside my comfort zone and create something I had in my head but thought that I would never be able to execute. Muchly is the result of that. She is probably going to hold me to making a female figure next time round. I did some doll challenges last year that forced me to try new things as a doll artist. It also forced me to get some dolls done rather than just think about them. I made the fluzzies which stretched my puppet making skills a bit. I had to sort out what I wanted them to look like and then create them. And there are a couple of failed puppet parts in the creative process for those. I'm hanging onto them for something else down the road.
I use to be very terrified of public speaking. It was way outside my comfort zone. That and talking on the telephone, I hated to call someone that I didn't know. I still don't like telephones but I got over a majority of my irrational fear while working at Del Rey since calling people was part of my job. As was public speaking at conventions, so now I am very comfortable in front of a crowd talking about whatever the topic is. It is now in my comfort zone. It's funny that I can act with a puppet on my arm without thinking about it but I still can't act on stage without a mask or a puppet because I get very self-conscious about it.
I have a few things in the hopper for this year that are challenging my comfort zones. I have a short story I need to write by March 1st for an anthology. I have a doll/marionette I need to get done by May 1st I believe. I have doll parts exiting the house by the 10th of this month. I have a couple of art shows I am doing along with some convention stuff. There are a couple of other projects that I want to do this year which will challenge me and move me outside my current comfort zone and spur me to try new things.
I am grateful for my expanding comfort zone.
