The problem with passion: how to channel creativity.

Photo: Taelynn Christopher 

“I began to realize how important it was to be an enthusiast in life. If you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good.” 
— Roald Dahl

Being passionate can be interpreted in different ways – it may be seen as being incredibly driven in business, or it could be seen as being enthusiastic about each task you take on. There is a difference, though, between people who push for things for achievement ad those that push for things for experience. This outlook may be different for everyone, but I’d rather be remembered for being passionate about my day to day work than being driven enough to create an empire. What Roald Dahl is referring to is not simply a sense of enjoyment, but the combination of passion and dedication.

The problem for many artists is not a lack of passion but having too much of it without the sense of direction or dedication needed to let it take root and grow into something. Although there are times when you get creative block, there are also times when you have so many ideas you simply don’t know where to start. It’s often hard to know which ideas to pick up and run with and which to leave untouched. And to make this all the more challenging, passions can’t be forced. Just because you have a talent does not always mean you have the passion to go with it. Though I have always had a love for drawing, for years I let my passion for it wane due to experiences in my life that made me feel I was either not good enough or simply did not have the time. These are the biggest enemies of passion – I hear from many talented people who express feelings of jealously and bitterness about being unable to create and the most repeated excuses are ‘I don[t have the time’ or ‘I’m not good enough.’ Of course making time for something comes with a sacrifice of giving up time for something else, but is giving up watching television one night too hard? And yes, you may not be the best artist in the world, but who exactly are you creating work for? Passion is unconcerned by time or performance.

So how do you increase passion if you’ve grown tired and how do you channel it if you have too much? The answer could well be the same.

Passions partner in crime is dedication. It is the commitment to something that helps it to flourish. When we have too little of passion, dedicating time towards something can help it to grow (like deciding you’ll draw for five minutes a day). At first this can feel hard and not very passionate at all, but allowing your mind to wander where there is even a hint of a spark can help get the creative juices flowing. In the same way, reigning in passion looks much the same. It is committing to tasks without allowing distractions, even if other ‘passions’ seem overwhelmingly tempting. It is scheduling in time in the future that you can dedicate to other tasks. Research shows that focussing for no more than 20 minutes at a time can help provide a good framework for productivity – if you want to continue after that time, then great, but having a boundary can stop you from feeling overwhelmed.

How to know where to start

If you’re struggling with how to home in on a passion, your best bet is to think about what you loved most as a child when you were the most carefree, or when you undertook tasks instinctively. What were you drawn to? What things did you like to do? Make a list. Here you will find the purest form of expression and it may involve a combination of lots of things. This is where the fun starts. But just because you liked drawing as a kid doesn’t mean you’ll have the same passion about it now – discovering other deep rooted passions can enable you to explore subject matters or even ways of mark making that bring some freshness into your work. If you loved comics, can that inspire your drawings too? If you liked to sew, can you incorporate it into your mark making? Ultimately, finding passion is allowing yourself to play and have fun. It is not solely about doing something just because you’re good at it. There has to be more to it than that. How can you make your work more personal? How can you tell stories or provoke emotion with it?

Expression not obsession

Maybe you already know exactly what your passions are, but what does it mean to 'embrace them with two arms’? People love to encourage others to be passionate about what they do, but I’ve met plenty of people who have turned their passion into an obsession, often with destructive results. There needs to be a healthy relationship with work – an ability to put it down when those inevitable interruptions arise. There is the sweet spot – to invest in something without being controlled by it – expression, not an obsession. That doesn’t always mean it will be easy, it just means that the challenges will be driven by a healthy drive. Somehow true passions always have time for other things like family and friends. They are inspired by the simple things; other opportunities to explore life; walks in nature; time invested in relationships. True passions become a lifestyle – they fit in with your life and those around you, like a great tapestry. 

Interestingly, I read an article this week about how you should never base your career on your passion – as though passions were too close to the heart and inconsistent to pursue. Jobs should primarily be based upon skill, so it said, in order to develop a successful career. The question was asked: will people pay me for my passion? It’s an interesting point. After all, passions may not always pay the bills and we need to be realistic, but if skills have no passion to back them up I would imagine that you would be embarking on a very unfulfilling career. I doubt that Roald Dahl questioned how much money he could make out of writing before he embraced it with two arms. There’s also no question that Roald was extremely good at his passion too, so I guess there needs to be a collaboration between the two – a perfect partnership between skill, passion and dedication. It raises an interesting point about whether passions should always turn into something of monetary value. and it is the curse of our generation to feel the pressure to do so. Is it possible to create something just for passion’s sake, without having to achieve anything through it? Perhaps only true passion can do this.

People need people

Part of the need to show our work is the sense of connection it brings. Art can be a great communicator and bring a sense of community with it, not only through tasks worked on collectively, but through putting it out into the world for others to be inspired. People love expression of any kind and there will always be encouragement where there is passion – people love to see it. It brings a sense of freedom from the monotony – creativity takes courage and not many have the guts to pursue it. Surrounding ourselves with good people is important for growth too – how can you truly grow if you’re constantly around people who criticise or belittle you?

Creativity takes courage

Though you may not feel very brave in creating work, creating work that truly comes from a place of fun and exploration is countercultural in a world that is consumed with capitalism. People need the sense of freedom artists bring and the encouragement for them to truly express themselves too, in whatever form that looks like. Perhaps true passion can only be found when we get to know ourselves. it helps us to truly recognise opportunities that make us tick. The more you open yourself up to the possibility of exploring new things, the more you will notice them. What’s the harm in saying yes? By doing so, you add in the dedication element that can push passions in the right direction.

What would it truly mean for you to embrace life with both arms?