Breaking out of the box

I have a very bad habit. 

I like to stay in my comfort zone.  It is rare that I venture anywhere outside of it.  Hey, why would I?  I like it!  My comfort zone is clean, planned and organized.  As you can see in this picture of my latest fine silver earrings

Clean, simple lines.  I love how the enamel just glows and really sets off the leaf pattern inside. 
Another example of my comfort zone are these rings

Yet again, clean and simple, makes a statement without being too "in your face".

So why do I have a problem? 

Because I know that to grow as an artist I have to continually push myself out of my box, out of my comfort zone and test the boundaries of what I think I can do.  Easy to type this, a lot harder to put into practice! 

For me, anything organic is hard.  To just go with the flow of a piece, let it dictate where it is headed...not my cuppa tea!  As you can probably tell I do have some control issues.  I like to tell the clay or metal what to do and then I expect the sucker to behave!

But recently I decided to try to let go of the steering wheel and let the piece do the talking.

First off was a ring....yes it is still a tad organized but the layout and the eventual result just happened as I was sitting at my table.  I didn't know what stones I would set, if any.  I didn't know what the shape would be or how it would sit.  I decided to let it make those decisions.

I have to say the end result wasn't too shabby!

But it was still simple, elegant....not organic.  I wanted to see if I could let myself go enough to create something so outside my comfort zone.  The result?

This was a milestone for me.  Do I do wirework?  No.  Do I do organic shapes and mixing and matching...no.  But I did.  And even though it isn't something I would probably wear, I think it turned out ok.  It is for a school auction so I hope other people like it!  I paired it up with these earrings

Now these are totally me.  Can't wait to make more of them and see if others like them as much as I do!

So what did I learn?  That it is okay to let go of the controls every now and then.  It is okay to experiment and see where it takes you.  It may not be comfortable but it is a growing experience that produces fine results!

And what do I want you to do?  Comment and tell me how you have pushed your boundaries with your art.  How have you stepped outside your box and what did you learn?  I look forward to hearing your stories!

And if you like anything you have seen, check out my etsy shop where most of these things can be found! https://www.etsy.com/shop/MonaLisaCreations

Thanks for reading!