The Art of Discomfort

Get comfortable with being uncomfortable

You know that feeling when you have zipped up your jeans and they are just a little too tight and you spend the rest of the day walking around in a state of discomfort and the only thing on your mind is when the opportunity for you to rid yourself off these jeans is coming. We get consumed by our discomfort.

 And the same is true of activities we undertake that are out of our comfort zone. Anything that tells the brain that something new is occurring and maybe a change is happening. The reptilian part of our brains decides it’s time for a siren call. It warns us that we are heading into unchartered territory and that we have never been there before. Because it doesn’t have a template of a past experience to match it to, it goes into overdrive. Sirens going off everywhere within you.

 Your body feels different, the physical sensations of that discomfort course through your physiology and your thinking is going nuts with what all the supposed dangers that might be and how you could counteract them. This all sounds pretty dramatic, but it all happens under a cloak of silence inside of you. It could go something like this:-

 You are pretty comfortable with the type of art you are creating; your work is flowing, and you have been creating quite the collection within the safety of your own home. A couple of friends have seen it and even then, your heart beat a little bit faster when you showed it to them. Will they like it? Will they think it’s terrible and that you’re a terrible artist? Will they laugh? None of those things occur and your heart rate returns to normal. But then someone suggests you create a blog and share your work on it. And the palpitations re-appear.

 As your finger hovers over the publish button, there are a thousand and one thoughts racing through your head. Why am I doing this? Isn’t it so much nicer and safer when we just paint for ourselves and no one else but us sees it? Isn’t that just so much more appealing? Basically, anything that will pull you away from pushing the publish button will show itself. Every distraction, every fear and it will all come in at warp speed so much that you won’t even notice what you are thinking. But you will feel it all in your body and if it gets really uncomfortable then you may just get up, move away from that button and do absolutely anything that doesn’t put you in a state of vulnerability and discomfort that you are experiencing.

 We all know what’s coming next, it’s the opposite of walking away from the publish button. It’s leaning into the discomfort; it’s the getting comfortable with all the discomfort. I’d even go as far as to say, it is allowing and welcoming in the discomfort with all the racing heart and sweaty palms that it brings and being ok with it all. Because this is the state of creating art and creating something new. If sharing your work with more than two loved ones is new to you, there is a chance that discomfort may visit you when you share to multiple strangers where you are leaving yourself open to not only praise but criticism. If you’ve got thousands of followers and you are used to sharing your work, but you are now going to charge for it, that feeling of discomfort may take a trip your way when you wonder if the whole world will think you have an audacity to think you could sell that for how much??

 The point that often gets overlooked in these cases where we really aren’t in any inherent danger, is that there is a threshold for us to cross. To head into a new expanded reality and the discomfort is a sign that you are on your way. So, it’s literally the opposite of danger ahead, it’s more like a wider horizon is welcoming you and those feelings are telling you to head right on into that direction. Lean in, feel it all and press publish.

 Once you see that nothing atrocious occurs and that you begin to see for yourself the pattern that occurs each time you are overcoming a limited belief you will not only welcome the discomfort you will look forward to it because you know it means something new and exciting is beckoning you and it is time for you to meet this new world and a new you within it. The braver you get, the bigger boundaries you’ll cross and no, the discomfort won’t disappear but instead it can be the lighthouse telling you that the direction you are heading in is perfect for you in this moment in time.

 If you would like someone to guide you through this discomfort and show you that there is nothing to be afraid of then the Art Alchemy Calls may be for you. To take a look at what they include and how they could help you on your creative journey, visit:- www.illustratingrain.com/artalchemy