The red pill or the blue pill? Deeper down the rabbit hole we go.

If you know me personally from when I was younger,

then you definitely know the artistic side of me. Whether it was drawing on my chuck taylors, decorating the most unnecessarily elaborate green back pack, drawing “sharpie beards” on my friends, or creating front covers to football programs, I have always been addicted to being expressive artistically. It’s definitely something I can never escape, but the weird part is that I don’t even know why I love it so much. It’s simply just a passion. And just what is it exactly that dictates what a person’s passion is? Is that a destiny thing? A God thing?

I don’t really have the answers to all these questions but I do have some theories.

If I wanted to dig deep (and I do) and try to answer why I love to design, then at the same time I have to answer why anyone loves to do anything. Why a mail man loves to deliver the mail. Why a bus driver drives the bus. Even why you do what you do. Now first we must put into place before this theory kicks off that I am trying to answer why people have passions, therefore it is the passion that I am addressing and not the occupation. If you love to play guitar but you’re a janitor at a daycare, then obviously I can’t really say “why” you are a janitor. However, I would probably guess that it’s because you need a job to pay bills, and it’s not like playing guitar is very …profitable.

The Theory

Getting back on subject with prerequisites in place, let me try to explain this “theory”. A passion for something stems from the act of repetitively accomplishing something. When I say accomplishing something, I mean when someone does something or creates something they are proud of. That accomplishment can be anything, but there is a certain feeling you get makes it more special because “you” accomplished it, and not anyone else. Ever done something where you said, “yeah it’s awesome huh? I did that!” I think this feeling is magnified when you create something special from nothing special at all. Here’s an example: When I was younger I used to love to mow the grass. Hopping on the riding mower with a full tank of gas and staring into a yard filled with weeds and plants you never knew existed. Crank up the mower and an hour later, viola! Looking over a clean cut lawn you feel a sense of accomplishment that you just made an ugly yard look nice and clean. You only have a small feeling of pride, but a feeling nonetheless.

I think everyone’s passion comes from feelings they have felt when they made something from nothing, and just subconsciously decided to keep doing it. I love to take a white canvas and make it into a beautiful piece of art, and so at some point I realized that this feeling is something that I want to continually repeat. Anyone can have that triggering moment that ignites their true “passion”. Others may like taking someone ill or injured and making them well. Some may take pride in taking people’s money and making them richer. Or how about people that take instruments and create an amazing song that brings people together? All these things are “acts of creation”. If I were to take a poll and ask what the greatest moment of your entire life was, I guarantee the vast majority answer with the witnessing the birth of their own child. To me this is the ultimate feeling of accomplishment and worth, and having a child is the most ultimate experience that reminds us just how beautiful life actually is. So much so that I believe it is my reason of being here on Earth. To create. To accomplish. To change. To teach. To make a difference.