Comments on: Why I Never Advise You To Follow Your Passion

By: nancy curran

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 19:43:14 +0000

If you only work when you’re inspired or feeling passionate you won’t be the artist walking the walk.
no one says to a tax lawyer, you must really be passionate about taxes or the law
or no one says to a grocery store manager you must be passionate about food. someone could be blissfully happy or miserable in either of those professions. in art we seem to discuss this passion thing endlessly
as though artists are always loving each and every minute …or they are deceptive. If someone finds out we use rulers or t squares somehow the mystery is reduced and people are disappointed.
Watching a pro golfer play on TV in a major tournament might make someone say “doesn’t he have the life?” But what about what he goes through to be there. (any athlete)
and how he plays in bad weather, always traveling and the not so glamourous sides. Its human nature to think somewhere someone has it all…. learn the piano in 5 days etc. there are no shortcuts!

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By: Alyson Stanfield

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 04:20:23 +0000

In reply to Katy DeBra.

Thanks, Katy!

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By: Katy DeBra

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 19:45:58 +0000

Hi Alyson, thank you for an excellent article. I agree that that advice has been bandied about far too loosely. It’s a starting point located in the right brain and the heart, and one needs the whole brain, heart, body and soul to successfully turn a passion into a business. One of the things I’ve always liked about it, is the idea that the passion for something can provide energy to carry us through all the other activities that may be required to support the passion as a biz. I also like your point of staying open and trying new things for they may become passions. That has been the case for me doing body art at events the last 10 years. What started out as a side source of income that seemed fun, turned into the most incredible journey that changed my whole artistic style, became the main source of income in my business, totally leveraged my time and income, expanded me as a person and artist in countless ways. I notice also that it’s a confluence of many passions (art, design, creating experiences for people, holding a good energetic space for people, joy, sharing joy, costuming, use of my Intuitive abilities, medicinal plants [henna, jagua,] etc.) Noticing these points of intersection among greatest numbers of my passions and coming into a deep understanding of the common thread & gift I offer no matter what I’m doing, has enabled me to finally get into Step #2 with peace and wholeness.
Yes I am an artist who successfully does many things, and yes there are only 24 hours in a day. I understand in my left brain that in order to be productive and move forward more effectively, I must focus on a few at a time. Yet my right brain continually joyfully bubbles over. Focus brings grief which then blocks everything. Passion functions best as a healthy guide and dance partner through this process.
Thank you for your excellent work Alyson!

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By: In Conversation: You Must Love Children! | Ruth de Vos: Textile Art

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 02:28:39 +0000

[…] love how art business coach Alyson B. Stanfield wrote in a recent blog post that she never advises artists to simply ‘following your passion’. She pointed out that […]

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By: Chris Brown

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 21:31:00 +0000

Ansel Adams said: “Art/Photography is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.”
That about sums it up.

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By: Roger K. Lawrence

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 21:04:56 +0000

As a young industrial electronics engineer my first awareness of passion with my work occured in a photograpy studio. I had created a new motor speed control and packaged it in a dark gray box with an aluminum front cover. Knob & switches on the front. Boring you say? I kept telling the photographer how I wanted the product to look in the photograph. The photographer upset me when he said not to get so excited. He said “This is only a photograph”! The photo of the product appeared on the front cover of my instruction manual. I thought I had created the Mona Lisa. I have felt sorry for that photographer ever since. I never went back to him. If you get up every day and dread another day in the studio. Do something else. Your work will convey to the viewer how you really feel about what you are doing. A successful gallery owner told me not to bring her paintings created to sell. She said “Bring to the gallery work that I feel really passionate about”. Thanks Alyson for this topic.

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By: Eileen

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 13:11:41 +0000

Wow! I feel like someone just turned on the light. Reading all of the comments about art, artists, and “passion” has really struck a nerve(lots of them). I painted all my life, just for fun, while doing the things I had to do to live. When I retired I started painting to sell. That’s when all the “passion” started going out of art for me. In place of passion I have confusion, frustration, sadness and a sense of rejection. I have art, what I need is clarity, organization and direction.

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By: Karen Thumm

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 21:39:31 +0000

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to this discussion and your personal views as well as all the artists who have contributed. It’s helped me to burst the bubble of yet another myth about art and artists.
For years I’ve beaten myself up because I don’t have this burning desire to create every day nor have I felt the passion to create in a very long time, even of my favorite subject; horses. How can I call myself an artist without either of these, I tell myself, and that makes it easier to just not bother to go into the studio. After all, I’m not a REAL artist anyway.
Now that I have a new perspective on passion for art, it will be easier for me to reconcile my personal feelings toward my art and stop obsessing about whether or not I have the right to call myself a professional artist. Maybe it’s just okay to be a hobbyist for now while I get myself back on track and THEN see how I feel and what happens.
Thank you so much, Alyson, for stimulating this discussion.

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By: Lori Woodward

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 17:00:23 +0000

Alyson, this post has given me new clarity. I live in a state of inner torment because my career has taken on many forms… Making me wonder which one I should focus on. I have passion for writing, teaching, painting, and helping others, but I can’t possibly do all at the same time, obviously.
So I’ve focused on one or more of the above items ‘for a time’, and do them serially.
Your words of wisdom here have given me new insight, in that, I don’t have to find out which one I love the best. I’ve wasted years trying to answer this question about my main passion. Maybe it’s not the important question; instead, I’ll move forward in whatever makes sense for now and see where it me. I enjoy it all.
Thanks so much!

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By: Patricia C Vener

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 16:20:02 +0000

The advice to “follow your passion” to me is simply a way of saying “don’t go into a profession just because your parents want you to.” I can imagine little worse than working doggedly at something I loathe or that offers nothing in the way of reward other than a (possibly low) paycheck. At least not in this country! It’s all different when your choices are starvation or labor.
Of course we can have more than one passion and I have no qualms about asking for money in doing work that I’m passionate about. The same seems true for scientists in my experience. I’ve yet to meet an astronomer (my other field) who was not in some way passionate about his work (research, teaching, or another aspect). My sister is passionate about education – she is a reading specialist. You see? Passion isn’t just for artists.

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