Amber Kane: Lauren : Be Perfectly Uncomfortable

I spent four wonderful days in my studio, four days that were all about creating. I find the times when I totally lose myself in the studio are when amazing things take place, both for me personally and for the work that I'm creating. At these times, nothing else matters, just the process of creating, the act of listening, and the magic of seeing what happens.

Sometimes I surprise myself, when I step back and see the finished piece, when I snap out of the flow state that I'm in , I'm almost surprised to see the finished product, those are the best moments.

I've been thinking a lot about moving forward, about trying new things, going on a new journey, one where I can only see the very next step, and the rest is unknown.

I waver back and forth between excitement and fear. However, my scarves confronted me over the last few days. They each asked me to go to new places, to take steps that I had never taken, and I took them with ease. As I took each step, as I let go of each fear that the scarf might not look good, I was proved wrong, and I was surprised by the beautiful textile that I held in my hands at the end of the process.

Lauren, is named after one of my best friends growing up. The name seemed appropriate, as when we were young, she was always there for me, no matter what. And that's exactly what this scarf was doing for me. Coming along side me, showing me a hint of what I can do, and asking me to please keep stepping forward.

We have the choice in life to stay exactly as we are.

We can stay comfortable in that thought that we know what is coming next. We can stay comfortable, and stay in the same house, keep the same friends, wear the same clothes, work the same job, and make the same choices each day.

However, when we stay comfortable we are doing two things. One, we are selling ourselves short, we are not allowing opportunity to become what we were designed to be. Two; we are selling the world short. In our decision to be comfortable, we cause discomfort for others. We cause pain to those that we don't take the time to know and understand, we cause hurt to those that we walk past, instead of taking the time to help.

When I am creating, there are moments of great discomfort. My body literally starts to hurt, but I keep going anyway. I know that there is something great being created in my hands, and if I stop, if I don't push through the discomfort, it will never happen.