Lately I've been scouring the web. I feel like a digital hobo, traveling from site to site begging for meager left-overs from someone else's creative inspiration. Whoa, didn't that sound, like, way dramatic? Perhaps it was and perhaps I am, but my desire to see the world differently has caused me to search for inspiring things and people.
Last Sunday I bought tickets to a fundraiser in Los Angeles because it'd put me squarely in the midst of creative people, doing amazing things. I should also mention that I was squarely out of place. I begged JD to go with me, but the minute we walked in, we had a Dorothy and Toto moment in Oz. Instead of meeting people, I cowered in the corner while JD was at the bar trying to secure a bottle of Perrier for me. I passed on the caviar appetizers and opted to stare out the front window. I mean, WHO DOES THAT? Stare out the window like I was auditioning for an indie movie. Ugh.
I was there to meet one person, one person who I might be able to reach out to at a later point in time. When JD returned with my sparkling water, I drank it like I was parched in a remote desert. Part of it may or may not have dribbled down my chin. I decided to build up the nerve to meet X and walked by myself to a group of people.
This group stood in a circle laughing and talking, and I stood on the outside of the circle. For 15 minutes. Just waiting. As X moved from group to group, I followed. I pictured myself looking pathetic, but JD corrected me later and said I looked more creepy than pathetic. Well, that's awesome.
When I couldn't wait any longer, I reached out and tapped X's arm (yup, I was definitely creepy) and introduced myself. X was kind, attentive, and completely warm. We spoke for a few minutes and then went our own ways.
On our way home on Sunday night, I admitted feeling good about getting out of my comfort zone. For someone who prefers long romantic nights in sweats and a large pizza, getting out to see the world was a good thing. When I first started my business, I was out a lot more. I attended mixers and parties and seminars just to simply meet people and learn how to strengthen my young business. In the passing years, however, I've taken to living my life online, which can be a good and bad thing.
Getting out from behind my computer forced me to get uncomfortable, forced me to see how different the world looks from the bottom of a Perrier bottle, forced me to meet people who might change the trajectory of my business. Looking back at it, I suppose that's a little how Dorothy and Toto felt when they got back to Kansas, too. Thankful for the experience, but equally as thankful to be home.
