Thread by @andrewphilos1

I've been thinking more about the "place of safety" concept I proposed a few months ago. I'd like to expand on it a little by talking about the two different kinds of safe places you can have: the "comfort zone" and the "atelier."

The comfort zone is exactly what it sounds like. It's a place where you are safe, where you aren't challenged, where you are unequivocally accepted. Contra the popular opinion, I think it's important to have this kind of space, and to stay in it regularly.

It's good to feel safe, and to have somewhere you can relax and not feel stressed. It's usually a place where the people are your friends, and you do fun stuff together.

(I'm sure this is all obvious, but I want to write it out to contrast it with the next one.)

Now, the "atelier" is a little different. I could theoretically use the term "workspace" or "dojo" or whatever instead, but I'm a nerd, so. ;) The atelier is a space specifically apportioned and designed to allow for practice and development.

It's a place where anyone, be they white belt or black, can work on improving their craft without fear of judgment or embarrassment. In fact, screwing up is encouraged in the atelier, because it means you're learning.

(The phrases that capture this idea are "fail faster" and "Keep moving forward" from "Meet the Robinsons.")

I was thinking about this in particular when somebody brought up how children learn to walk. What motivates them to do that, even if and when they fall down?

1) They have a bunch of models all around them that can walk, and they mold their behavior to match.
2) The cost of failure is relatively low, and the reward for success is relatively high (freedom of motion, greater access).

3) Here's where my concepts tie in. The child has a comfort zone where they can crawl freely, as well as specific spaces where they can practice walking easily. (For my family, it was the space between the coffee table and the couch.)

Here's the takeaway. In order to succeed at growth/learning/changing, we need both types of spaces. The first one I've talked about before. The second's a little trickier, and involves a process which I am now calling "atelierization."

(A word I specifically looked up to make sure it wasn't already used for something else.)

Simply put, atelierization is the act of carving out a specific place and time to act as your atelier. This could be a café where you write every morning, or an hour where you're only supposed to draw. It's a setting where you can experiment and practice freely.

People say all the time, "Get out of your comfort zone," but it's scary and stressful. That is, unless you're doing it inside an atelier. An atelier is a safe, comfortable place where you can expand your horizons, break out of your shell, without the shame of failure.

An atelier is a space between "be yourself without challenge or naysaying" and "sink or swim out in the Real World." It's a place where you can experience discomfort comfortably.

All this to say, if you want to change, you need to give yourself the space to do so. Once you've trained sufficiently in the atelier, you can take what you've learned out into the real world and prove your mettle.

Hopefully this inspires everyone out there to find your work space and give it your best shot! Good luck!