Stretching Beyond the Comfort Zone

Playing our strengths. Doing what you love. Following your bliss.

Call it what you want.

I'd rather be doing this.

At some point every interpreter develops an interest wherever they find employment. It's natural. However, sometimes you have to step out of that into something less familiar.

Getting outside the Comfort Zone. Diversifying your resume.

Sometimes it happens by necessity, sometimes by design, sometimes by fluke.

While gaining expertise is great, it can also become boring. Getting outside of the norm and learning new things is a part of mental health as it is activating different parts of your brain as you are thinking in different ways, which adds depth of understanding to a resource. The reality is, while it is great to be specialized, it is also preferred by many employers to have employees that have knowledge in other areas. This includes branching out into other disciplines, topics, or content beyond one's preferences. For example, focusing on biology, geology, archaeology, sociology, or any similar discipline rather than history.

Yes, something other than history.

Take a moment to get up off the floor and recover. Deep breaths.

This is only time I have been on a horse.
I was very much outside of my comfort zone

Maybe not so sudden of a shift away. Maybe instead of focusing on what has been done in the past, try developing new material. Check with the supervisor first; don't step on any toes.

Perhaps looking at different aspects that are under-developed at the site. One further example would be to venture into social media, if you have avoided it. Ask to help out with the museum collection. Work with the education specialist to develop new curricula. Learn about the archaeology of the site, if applicable. Do something different where you are.

If you are in the place in your career where your employment is temporary, such as seasonal help, try selecting a site or location or place that is outside of your typical content area.

Geology and I have had a hard relationship,
but it's a discipline worth exploring.
Maybe one day.

For example, if you are interested in prehistoric times, try a site that is more modern. If you specialize in the southwest, perhaps try going to a different region.

Being a temporary employee allows you the opportunity to gain experience by moving around and trying different things. While it may not get you a job as a biologist, it would be an asset at parks, sites, or locations where wildlife is a regular part of the site experience and can even add extra dimensions to the regular programming. 

Stretching your knowledge, skills, and abilities can be uncomfortable at first, especially if it is a topic that is of no real interest to you - yet. Ultimately it makes you, as an employee, more marketable. From my own personal experience, my position as an assistant gardener at a Japanese garden led to other positions with gardening and plant growing parts of a job, which led to full time jobs as a gardener or farmer, and it continues to inform my knowledge and demonstration displays even to this day. Getting outside the comfort zone provides new learning opportunities that can lead to more opportunities down the line. Granted, you will play your strengths, but do not limit yourself. Give it a try.