Not everyone have the luxury of knowing, like I did from a young age, what they want for themselves. Some struggle to grasp their calling and some never find it at all. Equally some might not feel the need to find their passion in life as long as they can have some of their values fulfilled, having a family, getting a nice house, having fun or perhaps travelling all the time.
Having a goal, a passion, knowing what I want to do in life is something I am immensely grateful for.
Even though I have many interests having a dream has given me a real sense of purpose and at times it has helped me get through periods where I felt stuck and frustrated. It is like having a guiding light, and for me personally it has been at the heart of most of my decisions for as long as I can remember.
And it is interesting how it works, having or not having this passion. Those without it might feel like they are going through life aimlessly or more likely just overall not be particularly excited about anything, feeling like they don’t care deeply about anything and don’t have any hidden talents. I know a few people who have spoken to me about this and they express how they would love to find that one thing that brings them joy. It becomes almost as if, the quest to find your passion becomes a new source of stress and anxiety.
Those lucky enough to have goals in life don’t have to contend with those struggles… or do they? Flip the coin and you can easily have times where the stress is just as real. When your goal is something more distant like becoming a self sufficient artist, whether your trade is painting, acting, writing or any other creative profession, there will be times when there is no proof you are progressing towards that. Times when you are working hard and have been for a long time and yet cant say for sure that the choices you made were the right ones. That uncertainty is surprisingly, not as different as you might think from the person still working on finding themselves.
A long time ago I read somewhere that the difference between those who make it (in a creative vocation) and those who don’t is that those who do, persevere through that lengthy grey area of uncertainty. I can’t remember the exact words but you get the general meaning. This is something I have been a strong believer of. I have now gotten to a point in my art career where I feel like can finally start to make out the light that is my goal, through the fog of uncertainty. And what a great feeling it is, moving towards a new chapter! I can’t say for sure that the new chapter will take place outside of the grey zone fog, but at least it will be closer to the edge! Onward and forward 🙂
-Jeanie