Let Your Passion Flow Through Multiple Outlets

I’m a writer. Writing is one of my biggest passions, and I want to enjoy it all my life. But my artistic expression isn’t limited to just my writing. I also love singing, acting, and, to my surprise, graphic design. I run slides and lights at my church once a month, which is a blast, and I go through phases where I’m consumed with photo editing. In the past couple of days, I’ve ventured into the world of photoshop – the process, not the actual program. I’ve made well over 300 little edits to this one icon that I’m pulling out of a picture, and most anyone else would probably be going crazy at this point. But I’m still super excited! See, this is another avenue that I can let my passion flow through. And though, realistically, it’s completely unrelated to writing, it can still be a huge benefit to me.

How can multiple outlets benefit you?

• Variety – When you love both writing and singing, you can switch between the two. You may spend more time on one or the other (writing, in my case) But, since it’s easy to become stagnant, distracted, and/or bored if you spend too much time on one thing, multiple activities can give you a much-needed break. Because I enjoy two unrelated things like graphics and writing, I get to engage different parts of my brain with them and keep my mind from getting stuck in a rut.
• Emotional Depth –  I think this is one of the most important reasons for exploring different avenues of letting your passion out. Experience creates depth. And depth is what makes our interactions real and beneficial. Young authors often have the difficulty of being real because they’ve experienced so little. We don’t know much about the world. But did you know you can experience those things through other methods? Singing, for example, brings me in contact with many different stories and experiences than I’ve had personally. By absorbing those lyrics and emotions, I’m able to infuse them into my stories, as well. Acting can do the same thing. What gems might you discover through a different form of expression?
•  Ability to relate – Human beings are not carbon copies of each other. We all have different tastes, goals, abilities, and passions. How hard would it be to relate to someone when they only get involved in acting if you have no interest in drama? Or what about writers? How to do you relate to a writer if you’ve never tried writing? How does a writer relate to you when they’ve never attempted any of your passions? I’m not really a computer geek or an artist, but I can relate to both fields (in basic forms, anyway) because of my interest in graphics. Getting involved in more than one form of expression opens your world to the experiences of other people and gives you points of contact with more than just your tight circle. I’m not a huge sports person, but I enjoy watching football, hockey, and Nascar. Thus, I can converse intelligently on those subjects. Maybe you’re a poet. Have you ever tried drawing or ice skating? Expand your horizons and you will find new people to impact.

Now, of course you can’t do everything. But don’t limit yourself to one passion. You have an immense amount of passion inside of you; set it free through more than one avenue. What do you love? Expand it! How do you explore your passions? Let me know in the comments!