By Brittany Passmore
Have you ever been scared to try something new? It’s an understandable fear and one that I relate to keenly. However, I’ve recently begun to look at trying new things in a different way and realized that new experiences can bring us incredible benefits.
I’m not asking you to climb Mount Everest or make a drastic change in your career. All I’m saying is that you and I should dabble occasionally in new and different hobbies that peak our interest. For instance, maybe you’ve always wanted to try rock climbing or learn how to paint.
If you think these activities might distract you from whatever creative profession you’ve chosen, let me suggest that they’ll actually make you a better creator than a worse one. New experiences can be incredibly important for your professional and personal development, even if they have nothing to do with your creative work! Here are seven ways that trying new things can help you flourish.
1. Gain New Talents and Skills
When you try something new, you’re likely to learn a new skill because of it. Even if you only try that new thing once, you’ll likely be using skills that you haven’t focused on practicing before. And although these new skills might not be needed for your specific profession, you may find ways to apply them and expand your creativity.
2. Meet New People and Network
Whatever new activity you try, you’ll probably be able to make new friends and add valuable people to your network. You never know when you might be grateful to know someone active in another profession or hobby. Plus, one day, others might be grateful to know you and ask for your expertise!
3. Gain Valuable Experience
You won’t just learn how to do something new if you try it. You’ll also gain valuable experience that can propel your own career. Trying new things can be hard, but learning to adapt to new situations allows you to better adapt to the difficult situations that arise in your own field. Start trying new things, and you’ll find the curveballs in your own creative pursuits are easier to dodge.
4. Gain Unique Perspective
Your new experiences as you try new activities can help you look at the world differently. Everyone has their own perspective on life, and that perspective is influenced by the things we love and do. So, when you understand a new activity or hobby, you’ll also come to understand the people who love and do those things. This perspective can help you better connect with people as you create your own work.
Fantasy author Brandon Sanderson once gave an excellent example of how trying something new helped him gain a unique perspective that helped his writing. He took an art class to learn about drawing. Although he doesn’t consider himself a professional artist by any means, understanding how artists look at the world in order to create helped him write stronger characters that had similar perspectives.
5. Find Inspiration
Your new perspective may also help you find inspiration as you create. You might be struck by the emotions you experience as you try something new, which could translate into how you use emotion in your next creation. Or you might connect to an idea, an experience, or a person in a new way that brings new meaning to your life and your work.
6. Spark Joy in Yourself and Others
If nothing else, trying new things should bring you and others joy. Have fun while you try new things! Get excited and share your excitement with others. Who knows? Maybe you’ll discover a new hobby. Even if you find you don’t want to try that new thing again, at least you will have created a happy memory for yourself and maybe for others.
7. Curate the Attribute of Bravery
Finally, as you try new things, you will develop important attributes like bravery. Trying new things can be scary and overwhelming at times. But when we find the inner strength to finish what we started, whatever the result, we become braver and more confident. That bravery is important to your professional creative work too! Your increased bravery will help you take risks and put yourself out there.
At first, the advice to try new things might seem like a distraction from your work. But in the long run, taking courage to enjoy new experiences can actually improve you and help you find more joy and success in your creative pursuits. So, what are you waiting for? Make a goal to try something new!
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Brittany Passmore graduated from BYU with a major in editing and publishing. She works as a freelance editor specializing in science-fiction and fantasy. When she’s not reading, writing, or editing, Brittany loves to be a stay-at-home mom to her toddler and dabble in her musical hobbies of piano, flute, guitar, singing, and practicing yoga.
Website: https://brittanympassmore.wixsite.com/passmoreedits
It’s inspiring to hear how attempting new things can open your eyes to fresh perspectives on the world. As you said, everybody has a unique outlook on life, and our passions and activities shape our worldviews. As someone with social anxiety who rarely goes out, this makes me want to go out there and attend a spring festival. Maybe I can even get my friends to join so we can all have a great time trying out new foods and other activities. How exciting!