The Courage to be Outside Your Comfort Zone

Anais Nin is quoted as follows: "If you do not breathe through writing, if you do not cry out in writing, or sing in writing, then don't write, because our culture has no use for it."

I captioned this blog entry as the courage to be outside your comfort zone. Which I try to do by my writing and image taking. At the same time I try and be adaptable while outside that comfort zone. This also ties in with the above quote in the sense that if I do not put my artistic self (both intellectually and emotionally) into my work, then the images and writing will appear "flat" and devoid of any compelling reason for my audience to read or view them.

In my humble opinion, we must strive to develop our own style in all our endeavors. Conventional "opinion" has no real place in your life. While I want people to like and enjoy my images and writing, I cannot do it by copying others, or compromising my integrity (either artistic or personal) just to please others. The more I photograph, paint, sing, write, or act just to please others, the less of "me" is evident in my work.

So dear reader, please yourself in your daily endeavors and firmly place your passion, emotions and thoughts into your work. If you are a teacher, then teach, a painter, then paint, a photographer, then photograph, a singer, then sing. Always remember that when the student is ready, a teacher will appear. If the world is interested in your work, then they will find you. Let the world decide if your work is for them. In the meantime you are working to please yourself.

I continue to photograph to please myself, write to please myself and I am humbled when the world is interested in what I am doing.

Wishing you all the courage to enjoy being outside your comfort zone and the adaptability to express your perfection while there.

Create a wonderful reality for all the days to come.

Love, peace and joy
Dennis