When we are cold, we put on a sweater. When we are hungry, we eat and when we are thirsty, we drink. We actively seek to minimize or eliminate discomfort in our lives but can value be found within the feeling of discomfort?
Discomfort is the feeling of change so if we are seeking positive change, perhaps we should actively seek discomfort. The benefits of exercise cannot be realized without some level of discomfort. The same can be said for creative pursuits - we have to move out of comfort to find the words, sounds, actions or images that lie within. Exposing our inner world to others is very uncomfortable with the added and inevitable danger of being subject to criticism. The world is infested with critics and one will find us and our work - social media is full of them. But criticism is a price of being our authentic self. Take it as a measure of success - someone is paying attention. Someone cares.
One of my favourite quotes is by the late poet Mary Oliver...
The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time.
Don't let discomfort get in the way of your desire to pursue a creative life. A bright and brave new world lies on the other side.