There are many opportunities around you to try and be innovative. Whether that’s in the classroom, in the workplace, or just in a hobby of yours. A personal example in my life is with dance. I always strive to be innovative with my dance choreography and pick songs that no one would expect.

Photos I took of my piece from the WSU Senior Dance Show my freshman year.

As I went through several years of dance, I felt like I was always watching the same dance just with different music and a different order of moves. Once I pursued my passion for dance choreography, I knew that I wanted to try my best to be creative with my artistic choices.

The more dances I began to make for the performance stage, the more I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and try new things. Continually choosing to step outside of my comfort zones has changed my “go to” style of movement throughout the years. I went from frequently choreographing sassy jazz pieces to just choreographing modern dances for the performance stage.

I grew a lot from trying new ideas on the stage. I believe if my styles of choreography didn’t evolve and change then I wouldn’t have truly grown as a choreographer. Instead, I would have just stuck with what I knew and what I was comfortable with.

Trying something new can sometimes result in a different outcome than I had originally wished for. However, I never fail to get something out of the choreography process when I choose to step outside of my comfort zones.

Maybe it’s not with dance, but there are many ways for you stretch your mind and be innovative. One of my friends once told me, “Growth and comfort do not coexist.” If you want to experience growth, I encourage you to pursue your passion, step outside of your comfort zones, and try something new.