exploring your own passion project and how your creativity (and business) can benefit

Do you have a yearning to try something new?

Something maybe a little out-of-the-box?

A little unexpected?

Something you may not have even mentioned out loud for fear of it seeming obscure, trivial or impractical. Or you don’t really have that much spare time. Or maybe you fear you might be rather terrible at it. But it’s something you feel burning a little light deep inside you?

Maybe you dream of learning how to lino-print tees (or re-learn - thank you, Grade 8 Art).

Perhaps it’s underwater photography.

Or just maybe you have a fiery desire to crochet bespoke berets for cats (no judgement here).

Introducing, the passion project: a phrase used to describe undertaking a hobby or interest that you find enlivening and intriguing, driven without purpose and embarked upon purely for your own delight and enjoyment. It can be anything that feeds curiosity and fuels a sense of personal fulfillment. And more specifically to artistic individuals, breeds creativity.

Even the most creative day job involves a certain level of administration and monotony, and a passion project allows exploration and artistic self-discovery outside the confines of your usual nine-to-five. It’s a way to develop a deeper sense of satisfaction and experiment with ideas that might usually be a hard no, or come bound by consequences and the fear of failure within your professional realm.

While the benefits of having a passion project (or two) as an individual are vast, there are plenty of positives that can be reflected within your creative business as well. Passion projects can provide new skillsets and the option for expanding services, open up fresh perspectives, and networking with new, often like-minded people. Creativity thrives in original environments, especially where the rules are lax, and the thing I’ve discovered about artists is, their creativity isn’t localised to just one outlet. Inspiration and drive are often found through multiple, overlapping sources which translates into prime passion project territory.

Stuck on what might be the right passion project for you? Try to consider your interests without censor. Write a list (I’m an avidlist-writer) and see where your curiosity leads. There is no right or wrong way to ‘do’ a passion project, but the fuel for motivation should be the passion itself.

No matter the direction you take, the overwhelming sense of gratification and reinvigorated levels of creativity are bound to make the project worthwhile.