I am a smalltown Kentucky boy that grew up thinking that being comfortable and fitting in makes for the best lifestyle — get good grades, go to college, pick a good major, don’t stay up late, get up early, get a secure job working a 9-5, don’t disagree with your superiors, don’t do anything to call unneeded attention to yourself. These are a few of the things I learned from watching others around me in society as well as some of what I was taught. Nothing is wrong with any of those things; however, if you don’t fit the mold for some of them, there is nothing wrong with you either. It’s ok to do things different in a way that possibly even makes you feel uncomfortable in comparison to what others are doing or what your mind tells you (Seth Godin calls this The Lizard Brain).

I graduated college and worked as a designer at a world-reknown sports marketing firm for a year and half. I hated going into work every day; not so much because of the people or what I was doing, but because of the routine and I felt too comfortable. I wanted to be free to do what I want, design when I felt most creative, work when I felt most productive and control my own day. So I took a risk, quit my job and went freelance with only one client that wouldn’t entirely support me alone. It was an uncomfortable feeling but it was the beginning of the best decision I ever made.

That was five years ago. Since then I’ve taken on projects I wasn’t entirely sure I could do, founded an organization I wasn’t sure I could run, accepted leadership roles I didn’t think I could take on, disagreed with leaders when I’d otherwise avoid conflict, called on clients I thought I was too small or young to work for, met some of my design and business heroes I never thought would give me the time of day, as well as learned areas of business I never thought I’d learn. I even got married and am fathering a baby without knowing where the next paycheck is coming from. All of these things have made me uncomfortable.

I have realized that being uncomfortable is actually what drives me. It makes me want to get better, to continue learning, to support my family doing work I love, and to be the best person and designer I can be. When an opportunity presents itself, even if I create it, I find that putting myself in the most uncomfortable position allows me to solve the problem more creatively and to find a way to become successful at whatever it is simply because I have to, otherwise I’ll fail. Not being afraid of failing is what pushes me.

If I never made that uncomfortable move five years ago, I would have missed out on some great experiences and the opportunity to meet some wonderful people while doing the things I love.

I encourage you as creatives to step out of your comfort zone every once in a while. You don’t have to be as extreme as quitting your job and starting a business (unless your gut is telling you to but you say no, i.e. the Seth Godin dubbed Lizard Brain), but I encourage you to do something different, something that doesn’t feel as comfortable. You’ll notice that you’ll find new creative ways to overcome the obstacle and solve the problem, all of which can make you a better designer and a more confident person. So go forth and make yourself uncomfortable.

Adam Martin is an independent creative strategist, design thinker and founder of Social Media Club Lexington. His company, amartin design studio in Lexington, Kentucky, partners with clients to develop positive, emotional brand experiences through design, social media and branding strategies. Find out more at www.amartindesign.com

The old saying goes, “Seek and you shall find.” Yyyyeahright. You want the truth? Creative types are hunters, feeding that appetite for fulfillment & mental stimulation much like the cat who will only pounce on a pulled string; Catch it and the fun is over—move it and the game is afoot. I have a theory on that. I’ll explain, but bear with me.

What’s odd, and a bit funny, is that most are missing an obvious point. My theory is that the end goal or the destination represents a stoppage—a dead end. Even if you know beyond shadows of all doubt just what that thing—that “it”—is that you are reaching, digging, striving and scratching for, the actual finds are strewn behind you and left in your wake along the way. You’re far more likely to find piles of junk rather than gold. You’ll most often unearth some “life critters” that actually bite back, and hard at that. I guarantee that you stumble and fall knee-deep in shit and have those stagnant moments of exhaustion that prompt you to spin it positive, saying it was a moment for you to sit a spell & think of next moves. MmmHmm, yeah.

Awwww, I’m sorry. Didn’t you know? Weren’t you told? This is the inglorious, unpolished, decidedly unsexy reality of the “seek and you shall find” story. Oh, you’ll find a lot, but perhaps not the shiny, golden booty you struck out Jolly Roger’ing for in the first place. But now we’re getting to it—that proverbial “it”. Ask yourself; Are you seeking to find that fictional pot o’gold that somehow always ends up leaving you wanting, or are you taking in the wonders that are the struggles and progress of the entire search? We live in a society and world that teaches us to reach a destination in the shortest, fasted way possible, even turning a blind eye to questionable behavior, as long as it ultimately results in a win. I get that. I’ve done than. And I’m still on the hunt. Why?!

As one strapped with the blessing/curse of feeling the pull to perpetually search, I find myself here a this place more often than not. Even now I feel myself reaching one of those stopover points of exhaustion, rest and contemplation. Lately, I’m doing all of the right things, but coming up with handfuls of dirt. Ah, but there’s the thing. I love that. I feel alive in that need to constantly hustle. The search is the thing—the formulation of next moves and that situational adult ADHD that keeps me looking. For what? I’ll let you know when I get there, but chances are I never will. I’m finding out that I don’t seek to find anything. I seek to seek, and seek some more. And then I use all of that anecdotal evidence in my work and life. And therein lies my theory—that the “seek” is a cycle that I wish not to escape by finding any one thing. It’s my own limbo of exploration, and the truth is—I dig it.

At the center of RDQLUS is Steve Gordon Jr—a nationally-recognized, award-winning designer and creative consultant specializing in identity, branding and creative direction. Well-rounded as a artist, Steve also brings experience in audio production, writing, speaking and promotions. More about RDQLUS can be found at www.rdqlus.com.