“It was a feast of ideas and buckets of encouragement.” That’s what I had to say about the 5-day livestream event that I attended this past week. Of the various artists I follow (stalk) on social media, this past week one of those kind souls, Lauren Hom of HomSweetHom, generously opened up for 5 one-hour livestreams to share about various Passion Projects she has done over the years.
What’s a Passion Project you may ask? It’s an idea you invest time and resources into creating, not because you have to or because anyone is paying you, but out of the sheer enjoyment of the work itself.
Of course the savvy ones out there learn how to leverage those Passion Projects into paying gigs or leapfrog into other types of projects. And Lauren definitely has some experience with that.
While I’m currently in the second year of creating and posting every day, I found her behind-the-scenes and nitty-gritty details of the various Passion Projects she has worked on extremely helpful. I thought I’d share a couple of my takeaways.
Passion Projects Don’t Need to Require a Lot of Resources
We sometimes get focused on what we don’t have or can’t do, and think those resources are the key to us reaching our dreams. I absolutely have been guilty of doing this at times. Thinking that my deficit in knowledge or lack of money is the real problem in not being able to get movement on my ideas.
While I don’t want to minimize that it can be challenging when resources are lacking, it’s a mistake to allow that obstacle to stop you from putting a project into motion.
You may need to get creative about how you do something or possibly pare down some of the initial plans, but don’t let it stop you entirely.
Passion Projects Help You as an Artist
It’s the classic Cinderella-story; brilliant unknown artist toiling away at their craft is approached by a high-profile company who hires them for a fantastic project, which includes flying them to exotic locations for a photo shoots of their product. (I added that last part because this Chicago winter really needs to be finished.)
While that story definitely has appeal, it’s probably not going to be the narrative of most Passion Projects. That’s not to say that great things can’t happen, but there are benefits to reap regardless of whether or not your project is “discovered.”
Passion Projects can help you strengthen your skills. It may sound overly simplistic, but you will get better at something that you work at every day. There is no shortcut to improvement; you just have to do the work.
However, a benefit of investing that time has the potential to grow your confidence. The gist is that while you are doing something that you love doing, you are also strengthening your skill and growing your confidence…umm… yes, please!!
Passion Projects Help You Find Your Audience
The internet is a huge place and the truth is not everyone is going to be into what you do. But, that’s OK. You don’t need EVERYONE to love your work. You want the RIGHT PEOPLE to find your work. The kind of people who are totally into your vibe and look forward to the next thing you create.
Lauren shared this funny idea about identifying your audience. You know the old saying about pets that sometimes owners and pets start to look alike? Well, she said that it’s a similar thing in attracting your audience. Chances are that the people who like your stuff are going to be drawn to you because of their similarity of interests or personalities.
Maybe it’s your humor or fiery perspective on certain topics; whatever it is, people seek tend to seek out similar voices. So don’t be disheartened if someone unfollows you; it just means they aren’t your audience. (SIDENOTE: as the owner of a pet rat I do find some of this “owner/pet looking-alike” idea disconcerting. Regardless, I do see some value in the analogy.)
I’m hoping to apply what I learned last week to some upcoming Passion Projects and look forward to seeing what fruit it will reap. Leave a comment if you are feeling any stirring on starting a Passion Project of your own. As alway, we would love to hear from you!
Leave a Reply