Do something that scares you

I have heard through many famous quotes and many books and friends that the best way of getting yourself out of a rut or just simply getting yourself out there is to do something that scares you. Maybe something new and different that you have never tried or simply something that pushes you out of your comfort zone. Sometimes simply driving a new way to work can change the way your brain thinks and functions and opens you up to new thoughts and ideas. Maybe trying a new food or being a tourist in your home town could be an amazing experience to jump start your creativity. 


This Sunday, September 12th, I am doing something that really scares me. I am going to be a part of a project here in Asheville called "City of 1,000 Easels". What does this mean? It means that a couple hundred artists (this is the first year of the project) are going to be setting up their easels in Downtown Asheville exhibiting their creative process for 3 hours for passers-by to witness what is usually kept locked away in the privacy of our studios. As a painter, I am used to working totally alone and not in a performance manner. I guess painters are more of the cowboys of the art world, if you will. Exploring new artistic territory with nothing but them and the open range of the canvas with their trusty steed of an easel. 


Well, I need to do something a little different if I am going to continue seeking ways to jump start my creative thinking. Maybe a little community is what I need in my painting world to hold me accountable to getting the work going. Ironically, most of my art work is about community and I have been sorely lacking some of that this past year. So sharing this with the entirety of Downtown Asheville may be just what the Art Doctor ordered!


I am jumping out there to do something that REALLY scares me, what could you do?