Why Passion and Profession Don't Have to Mix
Sunday, September 09, 2018
Sweater - Glassons
Pants - ASOS
Shoes - Lipstik Shoes
Bags - Cellini
Earrings - Lovisa
Inspiration - Whistles Fall 2018 Ready-to-Wear
School-leavers, fresh university graduates, and twenty-somethings navigating a quarter life crises have all heard the following words of wisdom from a smart Alec at one stage or another: "Find your passion!".
The idea is drilled into our brains that when the all important question of where to go in life presents itself, we must leave all logic aside and head out in search of the ever-elusive "Passion". Coffee mugs, pinterest boards and even career counselors tell us that passion and career MUST intersect to make a happy life.
This is simply not true.
When profit margins, bottom lines and bills waiting to be paid are thrown into the mix, even the most burning passion can fizzle. Perhaps, this is the reason that, "Follow your passion," is not so commonly handed out as advice in countries like India and China. The reality is, you may be passionate about something but your love alone is no guarantee for a job, or more importantly a job that you love.
You may love painting, you may be really good at it too. But painting professionally requires more -- time and energy spent on navigating the industry, marketing strategies, balancing costs and profits and paying the bills. And this mix of business and passion can make a dangerous cocktail -- one which means that you no longer love what you do because the mundane tasks overshadow it.
As someone who grew up in India, and then spent my senior high school, university and work years in Australia, I have been the recipient of both kinds of advice. Personally, I can safely say that the path to happiness isn't always through the things you're passionate about, it can be through those skills that you excel at as well. And it's perfectly okay for the two to not intersect. Your passion doesn't have to be your 9-5, it can be the art class you unwind with after work or the Saturday sport you play every week. I love blogging, fashion and photography but to excel and pursue this full time would mean putting a lot of time in promotional tactics, social media, trends, algorithms and all the things that take the fun out it.
The reality is, as much as we'd like to put our passion in a nicely defined box and stick to it, like I'm an "art" person or a "muso" and that one love has to be our entire personality. In reality your love for things can bleed across territories, you can be multifaceted. I'm passionate about chasing deadlines in the workplace and solving complex problems but love fashion and travel outside of it. The two absolutely do not have to mingle but they can happily co-exist.
So find your passion, chase it to the end of the earth but don't fall into the trap that it can't be meaningful unless you've added it to your LinkedIn profile.
8 comments
This!! I love painting, but would never want to make my job out of it. The insecurity, the loneliness, the networking... Nope, I would never be able to do that.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think I would easily lose the reason why I love it as well.
Love your outfit BTW!
xo Noor
www.nonstopnoor.com
Interesting point you have here dear, and I couldn't agree more. When reality kicks in, you have to be practical. It's good to follow your passion, but you should also never forget to be objective. Thanks for the good read dear.
ReplyDeleteJessica | notjessfashion.com
Jessica | notjessfashion.com
That's a good way to look at things, but it's still important to find something you like doing. This is something I know from experience as someone who has spent quite a while in fields I hated because they were practical.
ReplyDeleteKathrin | Polar Bear Style
That is a fresh perspective to following your passion and earning a living. I struggle with this at times and it's good to hear a fresh way to think about it.
ReplyDeletexx,
Tania
https://inspiremyfancy.com
Totally agree with this! Pressure can totally eradicate passion. Great post hunny xx
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thatnewdress.com
I couldn’t agree more! As someone who has been blogging for about half my life now, I’ve seen the industry absolutely explode and am now more sure than ever that I don’t want blogging to turn into my job. I’ve also been though a few emotional crises where I wonder what I’m doing with my life, and I know many friends and my partner have all felt (or still feel) the same.
ReplyDeleteI was born & raised in Australia and it’s so true that we get told “you can be anything you want” but no one tells you that following your dreams doesn’t always (in fact, often doesn’t) lead to a career that earns you enough money to sustain the kind of life that you want to lead. Of course money isn’t the only important thing in life, but there are only so many creative/passion-led jobs around and there are a tonne of other jobs that no-one will ever be super passionate about, but that still need to get done. So we can’t all follow our dreams and become painters or bloggers because who will stack grocery shelves or work in local government? It’s just not realistic and in a way I wish that narrative wasn’t pushed on us from such a young age because that’s not how things work in the real world. Often we will have to choose between passion and practicality and just because you don’t do something you absolutely live for doesn’t mean that you’re boring. Not everyone lives to work, for some people work is a way to earn money that they can use to fulfil their passions on their own time and that’s not the terrible thing it’s been made to seem like it is!
littlehenrylee.net
Nicely put dear! Sometimes you just need a 9-5 job to pay for your passions! I think the key is to find a balance. Have a great week! xx
ReplyDeletehttp://www.crystalchiffon.com/
HUMMM, this is a reminder, thats an interesting point you have
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https://www.melodyjacob.com/2018/09/what-to-wear-to-fashion-show-color.html