Friday, September 5, 2014

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.treasure-395994_640
  • 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!

14 comments:

  1. If I hadn't broadened my horizons and tried writing, I wouldn't have met all my lovely writing buddies, you included! It has been such a blessing to develop my new passion with everyone's help and encouragement.
    Thank you for writing this post!

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    1. Aw, this makes me happy! I'm glad you broadened your horizons, too! What other ways do you use your creativity?

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  2. I completely agree with this post! If you let it, writing can consume your life. That's not healthy long term. One thing I really enjoy is fashion. Some people would argue that it's not a creative outlet, but I disagree. If allowed, I'll spend a lot of time at Goodwill, only to fall in love with something that doesn't fit, lug it home, and then alter it so I love it even more.
    Great post! I'm a new follower.

    ~Sarah Faulkner

    Inklined

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    1. Thanks so much for commenting and following, Sarah! I really appreciate it! :)

      Exactly! Letting anything but Jesus truly consume your life is a problem. Now, that's a delicate line, since I believe God gives us passions that are supposed to be pursued. If your life's work is writing, then it should definitely be important and a large part of your life. But it should never be the only thing you think about/spend time on. Ha, fashion not a creative outlet? I disagree with that statement! I think it's neat that you have fashion design as an outlet; that's a cool talent. :) I like clothes, but I'm not patient enough as of yet to make a go of altering and the like... :D

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  3. I think it's really important to develop multimple interests...for so many reasons! For one, because having multiple passions ads to your other interests. For example, I love music and art, and it sometimes ends up inspiring writing!

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    1. Very true, Laura! There is so much content in other avenues that can inspire your primary passions. Thanks for commenting!

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  4. All good points! I didn't know you enjoyed graphic design! Very cool.

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    1. *grin* Yeah, it's not necessarily something people would associate with me right off the bat. Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. Besides writing, I've recently found that photography is really pretty cool. I also find making small photoslides/movie clips in Movie Maker is interesting. Maybe someday I'll get something more advanced... I'm going to try acting this year -kind of scary, but I'm glad I'm going to do it. Soccer is like the best sport ever and I love it. Thanks for the post!

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    1. Thanks for commenting, Sofia! Ah, yes, photography is pretty awesome. And I love making photo slideshows! I can spend hours on that! Hey, that's awesome that you're trying acting! I wish you the absolute best! I love drama, but I haven't had much of an opportunity to indulge that particular passion. Oh well. Sometimes that's how life goes. And soccer... I'm not a great sports player, but I know it can be a huge outlet for some people. Like you! :)

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    2. Yeah, photography and slideshow-making is awesome. I've started a small movie with a bunch of pics from camp. A couple people already made movies on the camp, so I decided to make it for a specific team. And then maybe later for the other teams and the helpers and all. Anyway, it's an interesting hobby. :) Thanks! The first meeting will be this Tuesday.I do hope it goes well... I don't play soccer all that much, but usually enjoy it when I do. It's pretty cool how many different things a person can like, isn't it? :)

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    3. It is pretty cool! God gifted us with so much love for fun and; it's neat to see how He lets us use it!

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    4. Yeah, and we're all so different and unique too. So if you take a church, class or basically any group of people you can find so many different interests, hobbys, talents...

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