Try something new

There is real joy to be found in something new. Something unexpected. 

The thrill of free-form curiosity being encouraged to explore and learn and fail and develop. This is a space for great growth, but also for great pleasure.

There is a Zen Buddhism concept called Shoshin (Japanese: 初心) which essentially means having a ‘beginner’s mind’. This is space for exploring things with a fresh perspective – as if you are seeing it for the first time. It refers to having an attitude of openness, curiosity, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions, even when working at an advanced level, just as a beginner would. 

This beginner’s mindset, or embracing the joy of being an amateur, can be very helpful as a concept throughout our lives, both personally and professionally.  This way of being can help us learn to see from a different perspective, explore new ideas, solve problems in different ways, and ultimately be more creative. To see things without a fixed view. To imagine possibilities rather than see restrictions. When we are open to exploring as a beginner, we are more likely to find unexpected possibilities and see opportunities that we would have otherwise missed. 

Of course, trying to do something new can be a painful experience. When we are so used to moving through life with a level of skill and an ability to navigate our regular daily routines and activities with mastery, the experience of struggling with something can be hard to stick with.

Learning new things as a kid is something we have to do. It is part of growing up. Learning new things as an adult can make you feel frustrated. If you want to learn the guitar as an adult and picture yourself as one of those guitar heroes shredding an epic rendition of ‘While my guitar gently weeps’, but then you struggle to pluck a chord clearly, that can be a confronting experience. As Arthur C. Brooks shares:

“The reason we hate being bad at things and failing is because when goal-directed activity is inhibited or blocked (either by an outside force or our own lack of aptitude), that stimulates our dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, which is part of the brain’s pain circuitry. This is the same region affected when we experience social rejection. This kind of mental pain does, however, have an evolved benefit—creating the motivation to succeed, if not at the activity at hand then at some other one.”

Part of the positive outcomes of these experiences can include learning to handle the stress of discomfort in unusual situations, and being able to demonstrate personal growth through the development of new skills. Trying and experiencing new things also has positive connections with memory and sense of quality of life. There are examples where when asked to perform in a role outside of your comfort zone, you have greater motivation to succeed and that flows into future activity.

Improvisation is one space that encourages you to embrace the unknown and explore with an open mind. It is a space where you create from nothingness – which can be complex in a small room with friends, and even more unusual on stage in front of an audience! But improvisation can be a great place to start with theatre games like ‘Yes, and…’. Some of the skills performers learn in improv — teamwork, collaboration, listening, communication, and the ability to adapt and problem-solve — can translate to social and professional skills sought after in many workplaces. 

In a study in 2022, a group of amateur improvisers was instructed to actively seek the feeling of awkwardness. The scholars found that, compared with improvisers who were not given this instruction, the participants were more engaged in the activity. The framing showed that instead of seeing the discomfort as something to avoid, they saw it as central to the process and leaned into it. 

The researchers suggest that: 

“Achieving personal growth often requires experiencing discomfort. What if instead of tolerating discomfort (e.g., feeling awkward or uncomfortable), people actively sought it out? Because discomfort is usually experienced immediately and is easy to detect, we suggest that seeking discomfort as a signal of growth can increase motivation.”

Making time to play, to be curious about new things, and to try new experiences can be a rewarding part of daily life. Whether it is learning to juggle, taking a pottery or art class, learning a musical instrument, joining a pop-up choir, or going on a taonga puoro wananga. There is lots to learn, and lots of skilled local artists to work with as guides to learning these new skills. 

Embracing failure as part of the learning process and celebrating those bumps in the road as being part of the nature of success is a powerful thing. Brad Montague is a creative who has made celebrating failure part of his work. There is value to be gained through seeing failure as information. As a sharable piece of insight that can help to inform a learning journey. And studies show that students who experienced small, controlled failures were better equipped to handle stress and uncertainty later in life. 

So instead of being afraid of failure, set it aside and make a plan to learn something new. To embrace that joy of being a beginner and engaging in the curiosity of new things. Make time for it. Allow yourself the time to play. It will be beneficial in so many different ways. 

Creativity Every Day is a great introduction to a range of different creative activities – check it out and see if anything sparks your curiosity.

Written by: Dr. Jeremy Mayall, Creative Waikato CEO