The Passion Police

“But, like, what are you passionate about?” “That’s your job, but do you have a passion project?”

Questions that I’ve been asked (and many others), that I find so difficult to answer. When did a hobby have to engulf my whole personality? When did it stop being fun and have to be a means of monetization? I recall being 17 years old, being pressed to choose a major for college, and my mother stating I should major or minor in dance because I’d been dancing since I was three and was good at it. My response then was that I did not want my hobby to become my life and job. I did not want to risk losing the spark of joy it brought me for all these years because I decided to monetize it. That train of thought, that response has stuck with me, especially as we have moved into an age where it feels like everything and anything has a dollar sign next to it.

The pressures of turning hobbies into money-making machines. When did having fun, lose its fun?

There’s been pressure over the last few years where whatever new hobby you try or partake in, there is an underlying notion that it must be a cash cow to be worth it. It’s been driving me nuts! I’m stressed as it is, trying to do work that is '“impactful” because my millennial brain needs to do good in this world, why add more stress to a hobby that is supposed to allow me to escape those mind games?

That is where the idea of Passion Projekt came from — a place to celebrate hobbies, a safe space for being a beginner, learning, and just plain ol’ having fun. There is no time frame or crowdfunding goal needed here to have a good time and share the wonderful art that you create. I have so many dreams for Passion Projekt, but the biggest dream? A community of creatives who inspire each other to create and enjoy all this crazy little life has to offer.

So welcome! Tell us, what are you passionate about?