Making Passions Practical

Jezebel by Iain Andrews

Actor Carson Charles Butcher just released an independently made pilot episode for his original TV show, "Bleach." He had no funding, no production team, and no studio. The episode, however, is fantastic. It is half an hour of humor, intrigue, and relatability, with an underdog main character who is stuck working at his looming father's pawn shop.

I surely hope that Butcher receives funding so that he can create a full season, but I bring him up as an interesting example. In one video, Butcher shares how he got to this point. He has a dream of being an actor and has appeared in a few films and TV shows, but he also has a family to support. The biggest challenge that he mentions is finding a way to both do what he loves and put dinner on the table. To film a pilot episode, Butcher called in favors, took out loans, and worked multiple jobs. 

While it's not guaranteed that he will succeed, he has a better chance than everyone out there who gave up on their dream. 

Carson Butcher on the set of "Bleach"

There is a statistic that floats around frequently in writing circles, allegedly stemming from a Writer's Digest survey. 81% of people want to write a book. 3% of those finish writing it. Only 1% publish it. I don't know if those numbers are perfect, but they do paint a picture of the creative reality. 

All of us, at some point in our lives, had a dream. We were going to be an actor, or an author, an astronaut, a princess, an engineer, a mother, a teacher, an artist. Almost all of us, at some point in our lives, gave up on that dream. 

My dream was to be a professional ballerina. When I realized how competitive that world was and decided I wasn't good enough, I gave up on that dream. My next dream was to be in the Air Force. I wanted to be a flight nurse, to perform CPR in the belly of a helicopter and keep people alive. I gave up on that one too. Then I dreamed of being an author. In part, I've reached this dream. I am able to independently write and distribute my essays every week. I've written one book that is being queried to literary agents, and am starting to write a second one. While I still plan to get a book published and am taking all the steps within my means towards doing that, I have given up on the vision of writing full-time. 

Partially, I have realized that I do not want to be completely dependent on my writing to produce income. I want the freedom to write without fear of failure. And partially, I recognize that it is beyond difficult to become a full-time writer. 

I suspect that many of us have a dream that we never accomplished, simply because we decided it was unrealistic. In some cases, like becoming a princess, it may be unrealistic. For others of us, however, we've sacrificed our passions to the altar of safety. There is nothing wrong with changing our dreams, but there is reason for concern in abandoning them altogether. 

"Working hard for something we don't care about is called stress.
Working hard for something we love is called passion." 
- Simon Sinek's Together is Better

Many people in this world feel drained, burnt out, tired, or empty because they do not enjoy the thing they do for forty hours a week. Many people choose a college major and a career path not for passion, but for finances. Just to be clear, there is nothing wrong with desiring job security and enough money for rent. That is normal and practical. I am not claiming that we should all quit our jobs and frolic in the fields. I am suggesting, however, that we bring the same light, joy, and excitement of our passions into our workplaces. 

For those who wish they were writers, this may look like slightly more eloquent emails. For those who wish they were bakers, this may look like leaving a tray of cookies in the staff lounge. For those who wish they were Olympic athletes, this may look like an impromptu soccer game in the parking lot. Loving our coworkers and creating meaningful relationships with them may foster greater community and scratch our itch to do work we feel proud of. Sinek makes a point that if we do not like going to work, we do not have to quit, but we should make an effort to ensure our coworkers like going to work. The more we pour into our communities, the more abundance they give back. 

There is immense beauty to be praised in following our passions, be it directly or by weaving them into our everyday lives. Instead of seeing dreams as impractical or foolish, let us admire them as gems to be set in the luster of reality.