following your passion is welcome “labour”
Today is Labour Day in Canada. A day we enjoy a national statutory holiday in honour of the contributions labourers and the working class have made to the success of our great country. The same holiday is also celebrated today (the first Monday of September) in the US. Happy Labour/Labor Day to everyone who is enjoying the day off to pursue one of your passions.
Being a freelance writer means that I never get a formal day off, but the good thing is that I am indeed free to follow my passions on any given day. And it’s been that way since April, 1993, when I accepted a buy-out package from my employer and welcomed the opportunity to follow my passion and write about things that mattered to me. Nearly 19 years later, I’m still enjoying the life of a freelance writer and taking every opportunity I can to write about things that interest me and enrich my life: volunteerism, entrepreneurship, travel, feng shui, global culture, and more recently … chocolate.
I am deeply inspired by people who continue to follow their passions even late into life. Leigh Isberg is one of those people. She only recently learned to play the accordion, and hats off to her for having the guts and gumption to entertain us recently at the Matlock Festival of Music, Art and Nature. This picture of Leigh (left) with her teacher, Luciano Armanti of the LA School of Music in Selkirk, Manitoba shows the passion that Leigh feels for her music.
I’m fortunate to live in an area where there are many creative people of all ages. Betty Jackson of nearby Ponemah has a passion for quilting, the visual arts, and creative writing, and only recently began taking it seriously enough to form a writer’s critique group in which she and a few select others share their writing with one another and continue polishing the words until they are pleased with the results.
Bobbi Graham of Gatineau, Quebec has been working with others to help them uncover and nurture the innate creativity that lies within. If you are interested in having Bobbi coach your creativity into reality, you can find her here: http://www.simonteakettle.com/biobfg.htm.
When you happen to be passionate about what you do, your work is never truly “labour” (which, in the truest sense, translates most closely to the word ‘work.’) Doing work or activities for which you are passionate is fulfilling, fun, and enables us to connect with an innate part of who we really are. We freelance writers are so fortunate in that so many of us truly do follow our passions and turn those passions into paying work.
Where do you see yourself fitting into this philosophy? Are you living your passions right now, or do you have a concrete plan that you are working towards to help you be able to free yourself from the mundaneness of true “labour” and follow your passions? Or are you someone who completely separates work from passion?
Absolutely, Nancy. The most vibrant "seasoned" people I know have kept their passions alive – or have found new ones to keep challenging and nourishing themselves. If we don't continue to stretch our abilities, our capacity to learn becomes diminished, as does our zest for life.
Thanks for visiting the blog. I hope you'll return again soon.
Love the post. Loving what you do never seems like labor. I know quite a few older folks who continue with their passion. I think it keeps them young.
Thank you, Doreen. We are indeed lucky!
The thing about blogs that amazes me is the wide range of blogging styles. Your blog is such a cozy, friendly site which invites conversation. The blog 'West End Dumplings' is like a news magazine.
Blogging is an amazing vehicle!
Thanks so much for your comments, Suzanne and Marg.
You both raise the same point: our writing really IS a labour of love and it enriches our lives by being able to touch others. We are lucky indeed!
Congrats on your monumentous achievements, Marg! Blogging is such a wonderful vehicle. It's a free and easy instantaneous way to reach others around the world. Rock on!
Thank you for reminding us to stop and think about why we do what we do.
Congratulations on reaching # 128, Doreen!!
On Sept 10 I reached my 1000th post on my Winnipeg is Better Than Chocolate blog (started Sept. 17, 2009 as a continuation of my CKUW radio show). I couldn't believe it. It's truly been a labor of love and the time has just flown. I understand when you said, "Hard to believe!"
My younger child – I'm Turning 60 – was started on October 20, 2009. Last weekend I posted # 312. That blog orginally was something I just felt like doing after my Ma and our dog passed away. A few months after I started it, I began posting my Ma's Maltese recipes. I don't know what she would've thought of it, but it's been a comfort to do that blog and I've connected with other Maltese people around the world.
I'm still amazed by this new development in following a writing path!
Great turn of a topic into something so cool.
Years ago I went to a creative writing group session and the facilitator handed around a basket and asked us to pull a note from it. Mine said:
"To be successful, the first thing to is to fall in love with your work." Sister Mary Lauretta
I still have that note on a bulletin board in my office. I feel fortunate to love my job. For me it's also a labor of love.
Thanks for your comments, Jennifer and Molly.
Always great to hear from you, Molly. And Jennifer … if you enjoy the writing life and its challenges, please join the "tribe" and follow along with us. We have some pretty great conversations here.
My hat is off to Leigh! As the wife of an accordion player, however, I must also send my sympathies to Leigh's husband…what a wonderful post! My love to you!
Thanks for sharing this thoughtful post. Writing is a labor of love for me, one that I enjoy so much. In other kinds of (paid) work, I always make it a habbit to do what I like, and like what I do – and if "work" becomes less interesting, I do move on to another kind of work. I find it is best to keep flowing, even if it means flowing around obstacles at times instead of working them out fully. Happy writing!
I know what you mean, Christine. I love blogging, too.
I started this blog back in Feb/09. This is my 128th post. Hard to believe!
I truly appreciate the tribe we have created here. It is a highly creative group of people who love to chat about life, virtues and how we can make the world a better place. Thanks for being a part of that.
I was watching a rerun of "Criminal Minds" the other night and as they often do, they ended the show with a quote–this time from a writer. I don't remember the writer's name, but I remember the quote: "Better to write for yourself and have no public than to write for the public and lose yourself." That's how I feel about my work. It doesn't always pay the best but I'm always happy with the kind of writing and teaching work I do. It truly is a "labour of love"—well maybe not so much with some of the writing, but I still enjoy the articles because of the interesting people I get to talk to.
This inspires me to post on my blog more–that is truly my labour of love writing.
Right on, Bobbi!
Yes, I was specifically tipping my hat to the more "seasoned" among us, as I believe that you, Betty and Leigh are all in the same age group and still doing amazingly creative things. Thanks for being an inspiration to us all.
I'm delighted to be mentioned as someone who fosters creativity in others. I really think that one of the secrets to aging "gracefully" is to have a creative outlet, preferably something you can do on your own. I know too many seniors whose primary leisure activity is left behind when they lose a partner. And recent research reveals that learning something new, especially a musical instrument or something else in the arts, is effective for keeping brain cells active.
Thanks for getting the conversation going!
Good quote. Writing is indeed, a full-time job, no matter how many hours you actually work at it. It is something that is with you always.
Dedication, perseverance and talent are needed to help translate the writing from a hobby/peripheral activity into a career. Stick with it, and it will happen.
Thank you for the timely post. Happy Labour/Labor Day to you as well! As I was reading your blog entry, I was reminded of the quote:
Being a writer is like having homework every night for the rest of your life. ~ Lawrence Kasdan
It is a good homework though. I got up at 3 something this morning to write my blog entry. I've been trying to follow the journal discipline. I'm not so disciplined to really journal everyday but I try to make myself wake up when inspiration hits. Last night – well this morning was one of those times. I'm sleepy now but grateful that I wrote today.
I'm not there yet as far as being paid for my work but I'm happy because its a work in progress and I know its going to happen for me. I have a few projects that I'm juggling and I'm networking to get some paid jobs. I am inspired by others who have made it and those in my same position. My writing is truly a labor of love!