You can learn so much when you have a conversation with somebody. I was chatting with a colleague while we were working on something together yesterday. I enjoyed the conversation, and learned a lot about her. She talked about her interests and passions, which I had no idea about prior to this. Then she did me a favour: she asked me what my passion is.
The question made me pause – because I don’t think I’ve asked myself that question before.
It was interesting to see my response to the question. Because my colleague is very creative and her passions all revolve around performing arts, I found myself telling her that one of my passions was to improve my writing skills. At first, while talking about it, I thought I was making it up, and trying to come up with an equivalent creative passion so I wouldn’t look boring and unimaginative. I almost changed my mind and said, no it’s not, really, I’m into [insert some other topic here]. And then, as I talked, I realised that this is true.
It was very strange. I found myself saying that I:
- really want to improve my writing
- maintain a blog as one forum for writing
- am not interested in writing fiction
- read a lot of different things, to see how good writers write
- want my personal voice to come across in the papers and articles I write
It all rang true for me as I spoke.
It was interesting how I dismissed my lack of interest in writing fiction – do I really think the writing of fiction is somehow better? – and yay for colleague who said: writing is writing, and she enjoys it too, even writing selection criteria when applying for jobs (thank you colleague!).
I need to have more conversations. Heck, I need to write more. I need to get back into the habit of blogging.
I think I have at least one more passion, which I am still pondering. It is good to have finally articulated these passions to myself.
What is your passion?
Note to self: thank colleague for the conversation.
8 Comments
My passion is related to blogging, but not so much for the writing, but for the technologies that enable us to relate to people on so many levels. That means more than blogs, but blogs are a good start. I guess its a bonus that blogging helps with my writing.
For me it would be collecting and observing ways that people are able to creatively question assumptions about who they are and what they should be doing – stepping outside the mainstream, playing, creating and connecting with other people at a very local level. Local could mean geographic or it could be a small group of like minded people.
It’s what attracts me personally to unconfs and second life and tattoos and mardis gras and theatresports and the One Laptop Per Child movement. All are working outside “the rules” and involve risk and creativity – and aim to make things better in a way that enriches a community.
When I was younger, I wrote fiction all the time. One summer I (very nerdily) wrote an entire fanfic novel. I reread it recently and it was not that bad, borrowed characterisation aside. Yet in the last decade I haven’t really written much of anything other than blogs and journals and I so want to get back to that. I used to love it so much and it’s been gone from my life for a decade. Once I find the spark to get started again I think it will be the main passion in my life.
I’m also passionate about technology because of how it can enable learning, playing, and development.
My passion is a lot less intellectual! My passion is food, which draws together the 2 sub-passions of cooking and gardening. I love being able to go for a wander in the garden and come back with a bucket of whatever veg / herbs / fruit are growing at the time, and another of chooky eggs and thinking, hmmm, what shall I cook with this?
I am passionate about learning and information literacy.
But my other passions are less highbrow – food (like Jody) & cooking, scrapbooking and paper craft, fabric crafts.
This might sound a little weird, but I am passionate about cooking and photography. Unfortunately, I don’t have much chance to do both. But hope to do more of when I move over to Adelaide.
Thanks all – very interesting – and inspiring! 🙂
My passion is all about the small steps I’m trying to make to live a cleaner, greener more sustainable life. But then there is food, fresh air, family, friends, connecting people, books…