The Real Magic Happens Outside Your Comfort Zone

Have you ever looked at your life and thought...

“When exactly did I stop doing the things that lit me up?”

Not the responsible things.Not the practical things.Not the things everyone expected of me.

I mean the things that made you feel alive.

The things that made you lose track of time.

The things your soul quietly whispers about at 2 a.m.

Hello beautiful souls… welcome back to the channel.I’m so glad you found your way here today.

This channel is a space for women who are starting over, waking up, rediscovering themselves, and learning how to live more creatively, spiritually, and authentically a second time around.

And today… I want to talk about something that changed my life:

Choosing to live creatively.

Not just making art.But living creatively.

There’s a difference.

The daily grind vs the inner voice

For most of my life, I did what many women do.

I worked.I cared for others.I raised children.I maintained a home.I checked the boxes.

And listen — there is beauty and meaning in all of that.

But underneath it all… there was always this tiny voice whispering:

“Is this all there is?”“When do I get to become who I really am?”“What happened to the girl who loved creating things?”

Can you relate to that?

If you can… I want you to write the word “awakening” in the comments.

Because sometimes the first step is simply admitting to ourselves that something inside us wants more.

Not more stuff.More aliveness. 

The little girl who knew

I’ve always been creative.

When I was about four years old, I hand-sewed a fancy blue felt gown for my Barbie doll with fringe around the bottom.

At seven, I was making doll furniture out of tin cans.

Yes… actual tin cans.

Cutting them into strips and twisting them into little wicker-style chairs.

I probably needed a tetanus shot and better supervision.

But I loved it.

I wasn’t worried about whether it was good.I wasn’t worried about being talented.

I was just immersed in the joy of making something.

And isn’t that interesting?

Children create naturally.They don’t ask permission.

Somewhere along the way, many of us learned to become self-conscious instead of self-expressed.

And that shift changes everything.

Where does our creativity go?

As I got older, creativity slowly became something I squeezed into the corners of life.

I studied graphic design in college.I worked in corporate marketing.Then eventually freelanced for years.

And while that gave me freedom… I still felt disconnected from something deeper.

Because creativity isn’t just about productivity.

It’s about connection.

Connection to yourself.Connection to spirit.Connection to life itself.

And I think many women lose that connection because we become caretakers of everyone else’s lives.

We become experts at putting ourselves last.

Have you ever done that?

Have you ever abandoned yourself while trying to be good for everyone else?

I certainly did.

The pattern many women fall into

After my first marriage ended, I had this brief window of freedom.

And something inside me wanted to paint.

I bought the easel.The brushes.Big tubes of oil paint.

I wanted so badly to become an artist.

But do you know what I did instead?

I got into another relationship.

Again.

And looking back now… I realize something important:

I never gave myself enough space to discover who I was outside of being needed by someone else.

Whew.

That realization hit me hard later in life.

And maybe some of you know exactly what I mean.

How many times have we rushed to fill the empty spaces in our lives because being alone with ourselves felt uncomfortable?

But sometimes those empty spaces are sacred.

Sometimes they are invitations.

Invitations to evolve.

Fear of beginning

Years later, a friend invited me to go plein air painting with her.

And do you know what I said?

“No.” !!

Not because I didn’t want to.

Because I was afraid.

Afraid of looking foolish.Afraid of not being good enough.Afraid of being a beginner.

And I think this is where so many dreams die.

Not because women lack talent…

But because we become terrified of being seen learning.

Especially later in life.

But let me tell you something that age has finally taught me:

Your comfort zone is not where your soul expands.

The magic is outside the familiar.

The magic is in trying.

The magic is in being willing to make terrible first attempts.

Honestly, some of my early paintings were absolutely awful.

And thank God for that.

Because awful beginnings are still beginnings.

The turning point

Eventually, when my children were teenagers, I cleared out space in our attic and created a little painting studio.

It wasn’t glamorous.

But it was mine.

And something shifted in me.

By then, I was in my fifties and honestly… I cared a lot less about whether people approved of me.

That is one of the gifts of this season of life.

You begin realizing:

This is my life.This is not a rehearsal.And if I don’t start now… when?

So I started painting.

Messy paintings.Experimental paintings.Fearful paintings.

But I kept going.

I watched YouTube videos.I learned from other artists.I practiced.

And over time… something beautiful happened.

I stopped asking permission to call myself an artist.

I simply became one.

What happens when you take yourself seriously

Eventually I began submitting work to galleries.

I had a solo exhibition.

I participated in art festivals throughout the Pacific Northwest.

I built a website.Sold originals and prints.

But honestly?

The greatest transformation wasn’t external.

It was internal.

Because for the first time in my life… I was taking my own soul seriously.

And I think many women spend decades waiting for someone else to validate them before they fully step into themselves.

But there comes a moment — especially after 55 — when something inside says:

“No more waiting.” And that moment is sacred.

The spiritual side of creativity

I truly believe creativity is spiritual.

Whether you call it God, Source, the Universe, Divine Intelligence, Jesus, Krishna, Light…

That creative force lives inside you too.

Your desires are not random.

The things you feel drawn toward — art, writing, music, gardening, photography, dance, pottery, healing, teaching — those things matter.

Your soul is always trying to guide you toward expansion.

Toward expression.

Toward your truest self.

And here is what I’ve learned:

When you create from the heart, it doesn’t feel like punishment.

It feels like alignment.

Your best work often feels like your best life.

Invitation to the viewer

So today, I want to invite you into something.

Not perfection.

Not performance.

Exploration.

What if this next chapter of your life became the chapter where you finally gave yourself permission?

Permission to try. Permission to fail. Permission to be messy. Permission to begin again.

What interests have you ignored for years?

What dream keeps tapping you on the shoulder?

I would genuinely love to know.

Closing

Thank you so much for spending this time with me today.

If this video spoke to your heart, please subscribe and join our beautiful growing community of women choosing to live more creatively, spiritually, and authentically.

And remember this:

You are not too old. You are not behind.And your creative spirit is not gone.

It may simply be waiting for your attention again.

Give yourself the gift of exploring who you really are.

The world needs what only you can create.

I’m sending you all my love and gratitude.

And until next time…

Go make something beautiful with your life.

Namaste.