Here's a hangup question that comes up every now and then in life... Getting to know somebody new, job interviews, highly intrusive small talk... but have you ever really thought about it?
What Are You Passionate About?
This is a question that's baffled my mind working with musicians for the past 5 years.
Here's why:
There are more musicians that I've worked with that seem to work harder to come up with excuses as to why they're not making music than making music.
Therefore, if they were to ever use the phrase "I'm passionate about music"... I'd immediately come back with a "prove it" type of answer. "Awesome, what's your latest song sound like?" "Cool! What are you currently working on?" "In what stage is your current project?"
To my frustration, I was met with a response like "oh I haven't written anything in the past several months" or "I'm not working on anything right now... If only I had a band" or "I'm taking a break right now" or "I wrote a bunch of stuff in high school" (high school was 10 years ago for this hypothetical person).
Why does it matter?
A musician that doesn't make music isn't actually passionate about music.
A writer that doesn't write isn't actually passionate about writing.
A chef that doesn't cook isn't actually passionate about cooking.
So, what are you passionate about?
I can't tell you what YOU'RE passionate about, but I can tell you what I'm passionate about.
I'm passionate about things that I'm learning and things that I know how to do.
We can talk about music... but I can't emphasize enough that I'm NOT passionate about music alone...
I'm passionate about the process of recording music and editing audio -because I practice it and utilize that skill multiple times during the week. It's something I'm good at and something that makes me feel alive.
I'm passionate about performing music because when I'm not doing small tours with my piano show, I can't seem to stay out of karaoke taverns. I have a need I have to exercise my voice by singing a few songs and entertaining others.
Getting away from music...
I'm passionate about learning new processes.
I'm passionate about the thrill of making familiar processes more efficient.
I'm passionate about teaching others about knowledge I've obtained.
Whatever the task, I'm capable of being passionate about anything I'm taught.
If I'm faced with a problem and I'm able to find the solution because I picked up a bit of knowledge from somewhere along the way, I guess I can say I'm passionate about recounting random tidbits of information in order to solve a task at hand.
After a lot of thought, my ultimate passions come down to this:
1. I'm passionate about what I know.
2. I'm passionate about learning things that I'll actively use.
3. I'm passionate about sharing what I know with others.
I feel pretty confident that these 3 things are universal with the human experience.
Let's try them on:
1. People are passionate about what they know.
2. People are passionate about learning things they'll actively use.
3. People are passionate about sharing what they know what others.
I can dig it. What do you think?
If anything, perhaps this will help you navigate the ominous question of "What Are You Passionate About" whenever it comes up. Remember those 3 things, and you'll be golden!
Mucho, Macho, Muchacho Love,
-T.