The world of passions is a strange one and is not easy to navigate by any means. There are days where you feel that intense focus, – you’re prepared for anything, excitement flowing abundantly throughout your body – and days where you feel absolutely nothing at all – uninspired, and left feeling like a dull pencil in need of a good sharpening. This is how I felt at the beginning of this year, and even some right now when it comes to my art. When your passion becomes a chore and some monotonous task that has to be completed it can feel like the end of the world. 

As someone who has been creating art since pre-k, what has become my passion has also slowly grown into an extension of my character; it’s become something I am, rather than something I just “had” or “wanted” to do. When I started to have my wobble, if you will, I felt overwhelmed and as if a part of me was in jeopardy. What was I to do when my passion, something I had made a part of my identity and something I had poured immense amounts of energy and time into, no longer served me and felt like a drag? At the moment, despite the months I’ve had to think about possible solutions, the only thing I’ve been able to do is give myself grace and remind myself that taking a step back from your passion does not mean walking away from it completely. 

Having time away and changing your activities will allow you to have some necessary breathing room in order to look at your true passion with a fresh perspective. Though I haven’t completely regained my drive and motivation to get back to my preferred medium in art, I‘ve still decided to create in different ways to grow and “ignite” my passion – even if it’s not in the way it’s used to being ignited. Losing touch with your passion is an incredibly isolating feeling, but it is important to note, however, that there are few unchanging things in life. Doing what you love is not always loving what you do, and nothing worthwhile should come easy.

Image courtesy of Kaitlyn Sweder ’22.