Sometimes, what we end up loving can creep up on us. We may take up a creative new hobby for a bit of fun or to see if we like it, and then the next thing we know, we have a full blown passion on our hands.
We eat, sleep, and breathe our newly found skills, and we’re also getting pretty good at it. So once you’ve suddenly realised that you have something that you love on your hands, what do you do next? Why, take it further of course. Travel deeper and see what other unknown pleasures your craft can throw up.
Get Involved With Local Groups
If you have a creative activity that you’re passionate about, then odds are there are others out there in your community who are similarly passionate about the same thing – especially if you live in a well populated area. You should connect with these people for a number of reasons. First, you’ll learn something new, and thus improve. Second,they might connect you with other people who can take you to a higher level. And third, it’s just fun to chat with people who are passionate about the same things as you are! If you don’t know where to look, try stores connected to passion (record shops/second hand book stores) or search on Meetup.com for any groups.
Making Money
If you’re fairly certain that you know what you’re doing with your passion, then you can always look at making extra money…just by doing the thing you love! For example, if you’re a guitarist then you could offer private lessons to budding guitarists; just put up a notice in local classified listings or in your local musical instrument store. Similarly, if you enjoy writing then take a look online to see if anybody needs writing or editing services. As you get more professional, you’ll notice your own talents are improving – purely because you’re practicing (in one way or another) all the time.
Share with the World
It gets no better than putting your time and event into a craft and then getting positive feedback. But before that happens, you’ll need some way for people to actually access the awesome stuff you’re doing. If you’re a musician, upload your music for all the world to hear; if you’re a writer, start a blog and showcase your best work. An artist can even host their own event in the community and let others see their work. By doing any of these things, you’ll also be giving your chance of getting noticed by the people who can help make your dreams become reality. And that’s when the fun really begins….
Show Initiative
It’s all good and well honing your craft, but if it’s not leading anywhere then it’ll one day be all too easy to give up the craft and start something new. That’s why it’s important that you show your own initiative and try to progress through purely your own determination. Getting in contact with the heavyweights of your industry and asking for an opportunity, self-funding your own shows and ebooks, and otherwise showing a high level of ambition is the best way to reach the top. If you don’t ask or do, you’ll never get. And it’s nearly always the ones with the most dogged determination habits that make it to the top.
Back to School
If you picked up your craft of your own accord and are largely self-taught, then there’s probably a lot of details that you’re missing out on – details that would make your passion all the more interesting and enjoyable. Don’t discount the idea of going back into education to learning more about the history or technical details of your craft. You’ll appreciate it much more than when you were forced to go to school (we hope), and you’ll become a more well rounded artist in the process. Whether it’s night school, community college, or a full blown university course doesn’t matter – you’ll be learning about what you love, and isn’t that great?
Get A Job
If you’re a wannabe musician, you don’t have to shoot a video or be on stage at Madison Square Garden to be “doing what you love”. The same goes for an artist and the Museum of Modern Art. Just being involved in these industries is a pleasure. So if you really love your craft, look at jobs in that industry and surround yourself in that world. It’ll make going to work all the more enjoyable if you love the very being of your industry!
