Maintaining a creative life is a balancing act. Between making the time for all your creative work, trying to get the word out about your works, and doing that whole living thing it can be a challenge to make it work. For me, to make it work, it's meant finding a routine and sticking to it. Habits are incredibly powerful things. Most of our lives on built on these small day-to-day actions that we barely notice happening.

But while habits are amazing. Sometimes, particularly during blocks, you need to shake things up and do something new, something that pushes you out of your comfort zone and fills you with wonder. To create you need to feed your creative well with experiences that bring amazement, joy, and a tinge of fear. New adventures fill like a breath of fresh air after years underwater. It stretches and refills our creative energy.

For a long time I doubted the power of these moments, of what stepping out of my comfort zone would mean, but when I took the leap it led to me finding a new love in ice skating. Nothing fills me with as much joy as going on a trip to the ice rink (which is not exactly a dime a dozen in Atlanta). Taking that one chance (on a day job outing no less!) has shown me new ways to experience the world. It's encouraged me to try other things and to get up after wiping out.

I take pride in the bruises that come from my tumbles. Those blooming black and blue markings tell a story of taking a chance, of laughing and of wonder.

Your challenge for the week is to do one thing you've always thought about trying. Make the appointment, buy the ticket. Take a chance and watch how you grow.