Why it's important to be out of our comfort zone all the time

Happy September, everyone!

I love September not only because it's my birthday month, but because we all get into our routines, with a chance to reflect on the lessons learned from the exciting/hopefully relaxing days of summer.

This summer has been incredibly busy for me: we traveled to Croatia and I did some lovely touring and sketching in a country that is absolutely gorgeous on all fronts, with the landscape so varied.

I created a summer fashion line which was a huge success, and created 6 weeks of an unforgettable camp experience for kids where I truly relied on the talent of multiple teachers, and on kids' creativity to lead the way.

Lastly, I made it out to Venice to map out my Biennale quest, and do some further sketching on site for 2 more large scale paintings I cannot wait to start this week!

The 1st completed painting by the way, which is the most gorgeous piece I've ever created, will be on display along with a few more dreamscape series pieces at the Coolidge Corner library starting September 2nd. Go check it out!

What I've realized through all of these experiences was that struggle is healthy. It looks like these are all major accomplishments on the outside, but trust me - they didn't come easy. They come with immense ups and downs ranging from Covid fears, to travel anxiety, to loss of income to many, many more unexpected twists and turns.

Struggle is part of the journey, however, it's the importance of that inner battle between self-confidence and doubt: whether you deal with the painting process, the learning curve in a business, or simply, or maybe the hardest of all - a relationship with your co-workers or companios, in my case - traveling with my mother. I've come to see 5 distinct phases of the cycle of change that are important to move through in order to come out more complete on the other side.

1. You start with exhilaration and awe about the subject or project at hand - be it a marathon, a painting, a relationship.

2. This quickly turns into overwhelm at the scope of the details - at the hardships and misunderstandings along the way,

3. You progress to celebrating mini-victories each time a certain element starts to sing - when you break it down into bite size pieces: running to the next block, surviving through the day, meeting that next deadline.

4. Simultaneous fears come up about making that one decisive wrong move that will ruin the magic created thus far. It's that moment of procrastination, of decision paralysis, of doubt.

What's key is to recognize that you're out of your comfort zone, and that's a normal part of growth, and that you can trust yourself to move through this and come out on the other side.

5. Success - be it little accomplishments along the way, or the manifestation of your ultimate goal. All these steps are key and make you so much stronger and more prepared to risk more, to live more. The more this last step happens when you operate outside of your comfort zone, the more trust you have in yourself, in life, in others.

"In this world you're either growing or you're dying, so get in motion and grow", Lou Holtz