Last semester, in a class called Drama and Play in the Human Experience, the class was assigned a TED talk to watch. The talk was “How Schools Kill Creativity” by renowned educator and speaker, Sir Ken Robinson.
The lecture was inspiring, but in one part in particular Robinson said that creative people are often told not to pursue their passion, the things they are good at, because they won’t get jobs in those fields.
My two greatest passions in life are music and theater, so this was distressing news. But it was also inspiring. After watching this talk, I had a discussion with my parents, and radically changed the route I was taking at school.
Other students may not have an understanding family like mine, but that still shouldn’t get you discouraged. There are ways to still do what you love even if your main stream of income is completely different from your passion.
There are ways to pursue your passions and make them more than hobbies. Not only will we be doing something that you love, but it will change our outlook on other things in your life.
So how do you do this? For people who have no idea what they are passionate about, college is one of the best places to discover and experiment. Look through course catalogs and pick out courses that look so exciting you can’t wait to take them. One course may change your whole idea about what you want to do. Even once you’re out in the real world, switching careers is not unusual.
“Follow the road you’re on as long as it will take you, and then find another one,” said drama and play professor Jenny Koppera. Reinventing ourselves can be hard, but in order to be fulfilled it's sometimes necessary.
If you have something that you love and want to do, finding a community of people that are as interested in it as you are can be a great support. Look up groups on MeetUp.com, put up posters around campus to start a group, find people on social media who share your interests — the possibilities are endless.
Sir Ken Robinson wrote, “Being in your element gives you energy. Not being in it takes it from you.” I believe we will thrive as we seek and find the balance between making a life and making a living. I wish us all well in the search for our passions!
Finding a mentor is also an extremely helpful and important step. If there’s someone out there who’s already been doing what you want to do, contact him or her. Chances are, they’ll be happy to at least give you advice, and maybe even strike up a longer correspondence or friendship.
If you can intern or apprentice with someone who knows the field you want to go into, not only will you learn a lot about what it takes to do it, but he or she will likely know people in the business who could hire you, and these connections can potentially make a huge difference later. If you can do a research project with a professor who inspires you, it can lead to a future in your field as well.
Robinson wrote in a recent book, "Finding Your Element: How to Discover Your Talents and Passions and Transform Your Life," the text says, “If you take the trouble to find your talents and the things that excite you, new opportunities open up that you hadn’t even considered were there.”
