When I first started coaching almost 20 years ago (ack!), I wanted to call my company The Luminous Edge. Everyone advised me against it because it was ‘too scary’. The truth is, whether I used that name or not, that’s where the work of the studio often takes place, on that tender and brave edge that takes us into the next iteration of our work, of ourselves.

No matter our level of experience or expertise, we all have a luminous edge.

It’s that place where we lean into the new and the unknown, expanding our range in every way. Each of us, the seasoned artist and the budding and everyone in between, experiences the discomfort, the resistance and the self-doubt on this edge as well as the hope, the excitement and the expansion that’s available.

To describe this in more concrete terms, I like to turn to yoga. Imagine a room full of students: some have been practicing for years and others are moving for the first time in years, some are limber, some are tight and some are recovering. You name it. Every person in that room (and in any room) has a unique body and on any day that body is having a unique experience.

Now, imagine all of these students doing a forward fold. Everyone standing, bending at the waist and reaching down to the floor. Everyone is doing the same move and everyone will be in a different position. Some students’ hands will not reach the ground, the stretch in their hamstrings registering as soon as they lean forward. Other students will have their palms on the mat, their chest against their knees. Each of these students is likely judging their efforts against the others in the room. We have learned to measure ourselves against one another in order to assess where we are.

But what if we are all actually in the same place?

What if we are all experiencing that sweet spot where our current limit meets a sliver of new possibility: our luminous edge?

When we recognize that each of us in that sweet spot is doing the same work, the work of expanding, of braving new territory, of growing our capacity, something shifts. We can shake off the norms of hierarchy and instead share a companionable experience in a room rich with wild and glorious uniqueness. We can see one another as fellow travelers and treat one another with newfound compassion and respect.

We don’t live on that edge all the time but as creatives, we will come to it again and again and again. And when we do, it helps to know we are in good company.

We are a part of a tradition of brave souls unfurling, creative spirits braving the mystery, artists willing to dance on the luminous edge.