“I’m a little nervous, it’s not like I do this every day,” she said with a bit of uneasy laughter. “But it’s ok, I’ve always wanted to do this and I think I need to do this for myself, but it’s a bit out of my comfort zone,” she continued.
At the beginning of a photo session, this conversation or something similar is almost a daily occurrence, and rightfully so. I find the whole concept of having a comfort zone interesting to explore. We’ve all heard the axiom “Life begins outside your comfort zone.”, and to be sure I understand the sentiment; however, when I think about the words themselves, I start to feel, well… uncomfortable.
I’d like to share something very personal here to illustrate my comfort zone issue. Over the past year, I have been working on being okay with allowing myself to openly communicate and be vulnerable with the people I care most about in my life. That has involved setting aside a lot of fear and shame, learning to be okay with getting it wrong sometimes, and dealing with letting go of some negative programs from my past. To be sure I still have a long way to go. But those very people whom I am committed to being more connected to, are also committed to keeping a safe space for me so that can happen. As such, I feel this growth is not happening outside my comfort zone; rather, my comfort zone has expanded to allow growth.
There is a demonstrated correlation between risk and reward in life. From investing your money to asking someone out on a date – if you don’t take the risk of it going poorly, you certainly won’t have the befit of things going well. Risk can be a little (or a lot) scary and your comfort level with risk depends on a variety of factors. That said, taking risks is always a little easier with a safety net or in a safe space. For example, jumping out of an airplane is risky, but there is a big difference between the risk of doing that without a parachute, versus doing it with a trained instructor (with a parachute) strapped to you.
Jumping out of an airplane might be out of your comfort zone, and without a parachute, it certainly should be – the risk as far greater than the reward. But, what about with an instructor and some training? Still risky, but having the support of a trained professional might expand your comfort zone enough to allow you to be more open to the risk so that you can have the reward of the experience.
So how does this all relate to the comfort zone conversation in the studio? For many folks, scheduling an intimate portraiture session feels like it is a little outside of their comfort zone. I believe that our clients choose to book a session with us because they feel that our team, our belief that all bodies are worthy and beautiful, and knowing that they will be coming into a safe space, empowers them to expand their comfort zone. They know they have come to a place where the reward is far greater than the risk. It’s not that they aren’t nervous, that, of course, is perfectly natural and normal.
The people I care deeply about have created a safe space for me that has expanded my comfort zone. In my life and our studio, I am committed to creating a safe space for my clients to expand their comfort zone. An environment that allows them the opportunity of experiencing an empowering session, with images that reflect their amazing confidence and beauty.
You must be logged in to post a comment.