Anyone else torn between two (or more) passions?

[Kikazaru]

Hi all. I am a frequent lurker on these boards and I am in awe (and more than a little bit depressed) to see everyone's dedication to their craft. How do you do it? I love to write - I write something everyday - usually just short articles about everyday things and I am currently plugging (slowly - very, very slowly) away at a novel. However I also love to paint, draw, make jewellery and do home renovations. Does anyone else do other things or am I doomed to fail because I am a dilettante? If you do other things please tell me how you manage to fit it all in.

[Gala]

Well, I am a musician, play several instruments. Piano and guitar at my whim, the violin for orchestras and groups I perform with.

I'm into digital photography, hiking, playing around with computer software, desktop publishing, webmastering, reading several books a week... I won't bore you--it's a long list.

In my experience it's not unusual for artistic types, i.e. writers to enjoy a variety of pursuits.

I don't fit it all in. I sleep less than I should. Today I woke at 5, wanting to write, but knowing I really *should* sleep more. I got up and wrote.

My way is to spend time on pursuits that make me happy, and are useful to the world. I know I can't do it all, and god knows I've tried.

I ask myself, "Does this further what I want my life to represent? Does it actualize my life purpose?"

If it doesn't, out it goes.

As for writing, yes; I write every day, and most nights, and a bit in between. I can't not.

[Risseybug]

Um, well, let's see....
I sew, right now for money, b/c it's Ren Faire season and the money is good.

I make candles. If you want to see, go to www.freewebs.com/sweetiepeacandles . It's my own business, most of the time I work the craft fair circuit. I also make cigar box purses.

I scrapbook. I have a two year old, gotta do something with all those pictures.

I've been known to do other crafty things too. And did I mention I have a two year old?? Yeah, getting writing time is, well, just waiting for the nap and to sleep at night.
But it's progressing nicely. I find the time to think about the next part of the WIP while he eats lunch, or takes a bath, or whatever.

[Jamesaritchie]

It's been my experience that most creative people have more than one passion. I love to paint, I love to carve, etc. I have several strong interests outside of writing, outside of all creative fields.

But sometimes you have to make a choice. You have to decide what it is you want to do most, and make that a priority. You set time aside for that one thing each and every day, and you fit the other interests in whenever and wherever possible. But that one thing gets priority. That one things gets focus. That one thing gets done each and every day.

[Karen Ranney]

You can't serve two masters.

You either have a passion to write or you don't. I do. I wake up every morning at 2:00 AM and write. I write when I'm sick. I write when I'm grouchy, happy, depressed, nauseated, angry, and goofy. I write because I'm a writer.

Sorry, it really is that simple.

[cluelessspicycinnamon]

I love to write and I do it probably every day, although it takes real dedication to actually spend a good amount of time on the various novels I've started. Now that I have an agent, though, it inspires me to get work done a little faster.

So yeah. I love to write. I don't, however, enjoy school very much, but I still have almost 3 years of high school left before I can decide whether to take a year off before college to write and work and travel, or to go straight to another 8 or so years of school. I also spend about 6 hours a week dancing, I just got a part in the school play, and I play the piano. It's hard juggling it all, but when it's your passion, taht's just what you do.

[Kikazaru]

Thanks everyone, you've made me feel somewhat better. I think that perhaps being the way I am will help me somewhat when I do write (my main character in my novel is a portrait artist) because I think life experiences are reflected in writing.

Karen I think that you are correct also - if you want to be the best in anything, then absolute dedication is the key. However, being the best has never been my goal, I just want to have a modicum of success. I think that I will have to dedicate a set time to write, use it and then not feel so torn when other things call to me.

I'm so glad to read that most have other interests - thanks for your responses.

[Vanessa99]

You are not alone, I have plenty of other passions. I write piano music on top of the novels. I have school 8 hours a day five days a week. Resulting in a dedication to my two hour pile of homework. I have a passion for science so i volunteer at my local science centre. I stupidly decided to busy myslef with the yearbook committe, student council, and the school newsletter. I don't know if passion is the right word, but i like to get my daily dose of cardio and pilates. I also take piano and voice lessons. I love to do art and sew. I like to read. I also am learning some university psych and bio courses through my brothers text books, which i know is silly because im supposed to be concentrating on my grade 12 year. (I've noticed learning about psychology has given me a better understanding of how to make my readers react to my wrtiting in the way i want them to. If you can take a psych course or gets your hands on some text books you should. It's very interesting and has helped me write better). I think you can have dedicate yourself to more than one passion and succeed. It just depends on the amount of time those passions demand. Multi-tasking always helps. I can stretch, draw, sing, and watch tv all at the same time giving me more time to write or study. The annoying thing about writing is its hard to multi-task it. I usually write the most on my summer vacations and winter break, and by then the ideas have built up in my mind to the point where things like writer's block are completely foreign to me. So when i do get the time to really sit down and just write I get really into it. No matter what i choose to do with my life i will always write. I was telling stories before i learned how to write and while it has never been the center of my life, it will always be a part of it.

[maestrowork]

I act professionally and sing semi-professionally. But I must say, writing is probably at the very top of my "passion" chart at this point.

I write every day (yes, I do consider posting on a message board, blogging or writing email as writing. :b )

[SpeedRacist]

well, the writin is no#1 with me, but I also love to play the blues on my guitar.

[arainsb123]

"I love to write and I do it probably every day, although it takes real dedication to actually spend a good amount of time on the various novels I've started. Now that I have an agent, though, it inspires me to get work done a little faster."

Wow! And you still have three years of high school left! That's a big inspiration to me, since I'm in middle school

[stormie267]

My two passions: write and sleep. Seriously, I'm a rarity in that I need--crave--nine hours of sleep each night. Maybe, though, that's good. I get some really great ideas when I'm dreaming. Of course, squished in between all that sleep and writing is reading whatever book I can get my hands on. I'll read just about anything. So, hmmm....I guess I have three passions.

[sc211]

This has been a major issue with me since I'm torn between writing and photography.

I cut out songwriting and recording a few years ago, since I knew I couldn't make anything at it, but now I see just how much it helped me work through emotions and stay out of my head.

In fact, here's part of a venting I did on the subject, in a vicious acoustic song called "Three Times Blessed."

Sound or silver,
which will I pawn for
time for the other
voice to respond more

to all of these visions
of futures written
in other lives
I'm not even living?

Three times blessed
is two times cursed.
Wishes kill each other
like babies nursed

on the blood of their brothers,
the poison round,
sailing with three masts
with the ship aground.

Gordon Parks is a photographer, novelist, screenwriter, and composer, and there's plenty of writer-director-actors like Woody Allen, and Tony Bennet paints and Stephen King and Dave Barry jam for kicks, but I tell ya, I don't know how they do it.

It feels like riding across the country on three bikes. You take one ahead so far, and then have to run back and get the others. Everyone else is now miles ahead of you.

[sc211]

P.S. James and Karen got it down. Which is why they're among the most successful of us in what they've chosen to do (and have done).

[HConn]

I have many passions other than writing: beer, Cartoon Network, The Daily Show, scrambled eggs with cheese...

Lots of things.

[Writing Again]

The great thing about writing is that no passion, curiosity, interest, or even passing fancy, detracts from it.

No matter how passionate you are about something, or how fleeting your interest in it, it will contribute to your future writing.

[Jamesaritchie]

I think passions away from writing can be good, and the more you do, the more you have to write about. But this only applies if you actually write about them. Future writing is much like a future lottery. Don't count on either one.

The writing that matters is the writing you do today.

[tfdswift]

I do crafts, sewing, lots of reading (which helps with writing), I help my son with his homeschooling part of his school work and volunteer at his private school, I help run our farm and dog kennel (have I mentioned I have cocker spaniels for sell if anyone is interested):grin (just kidding), I write, I study and practice wilderness survival and emergency preparedness and help others with those subjects including speaking to small groups at times or giving demonstrations, I babysit a great deal for my three and four year old nieces, I spend a good deal of time with my mom in the hospital and soon she will be in the nursing home so I will spend some of my time there, I have a huge garden and fruit orchard and do alot of canning and preserving of our veggies and fruits, I do some crocheting and a little quilting, and I do church work.

So I guess I do have a few interests outside of writing, but I always write everyday, no matter what - ever since Uncle Jim's thread saying I should:nerd . Writing is my number one passion and always will be. Even when I am running around doing a hundred other things, I am constantly thinking about writing and carry a notebook everywhere I go to jot down ideas and notes.

Life is a balancing act. Each of us has to decide how much weight each thing in our lives gets on the scale.

~~Tammy:thumbs

“Today is the best day. Yesterday is gone forever. Tomorrow will never arrive.” ~ David Wolfe

[Debra Lauman]

Hi everybody...

It's been a while since I've been around these boards, but I've been looking for a chance to jump back in, and this seemed like a good thread to jump into.

Anyhow...

I think that a writer with multiple interests has a better shot at being a good writer than a writer who's just interested in writing. (How's that for a sentence?) We don't live -- or write -- in a bubble.

For me, backpacking (a/k/a hiking, trail-walking, shlepping) is a pasttime and a passion that I find to be a great companion to my writing, though it takes me away from my friend, the computer, for hours or days -- sometimes weeks or months -- on end. Being out on a trail really gets my creative brain-cells going. Frees my mind up when it's gotten clogged with the mundane, everyday stuff. It may take a while to walk off what might have been irking me lately, but then I find myself off in la-la imagination land. My writing is much better after a good hike than it is when I've been sitting on my keester for a long time. (Which I guess means that I'd better go for a hike.)

Sushi is another passion of mine. But that doesn't cut into my writing time all that much; it's too expensive.

Deb Lauman
Author of "I. Joseph Kellerman"
www.debralauman.com (http://www.debralauman.com)

[Kikazaru]

Debra you are absolutely right. I swim for excercise and I've lost count the number of times I've been grateful for the fact that I could blame the water for the wetness on my face - rather than the tears brought on by thinking of the plight of my characters. It is like after a few minutes of hard exercise, the endorphins shift my brain into creative mode, and I am bombarded with thoughts about my characters and plot lines. My local pool has been closed for renovations lately, but I've noticed the same thing when I walk - harder to hide the tears though.


Thanks for your input.

PS I've achieved the same mental plane when knitting - the soothing repetition, the clack of the needles frees the mind.

[arrowqueen]

I'm rotten with the cold just now; didn't get to sleep till after three and got blasted out of bed at half seven by the postman.

I made the fatal mistake of lying down again and woke up at half ten, feeling like something you scrape off your shoe - but I washed, flung on my clothes, plonked my bum in front of the WP and still churned out a 1,200 word short.

As I've quoted elsewhere here (I think): 'An amateur writes when he feels like it. A professional writes when he doean't.'

Good luck - and work hard!

Cheers,
aq

[Mbwana Ngori]

Hi Kikarazu !
I've always been torn by music on the one side and writing on the other side. I really love to do anything in both fields which of course leads to the fact that I'm not really successful in any of it...
Thus I'm glad I don't have to live off one of those passions (I studied business law instead...) - but I can practice them (after 5 p.m.) any way I like.

The only thing that CAN be really bad about this two-souls-in-me-thing is that you can distract yourself easily with playing music when you're stuck in writing a story. There you need some discipline to keep on writing nevertheless, since if you don't you ain't never gonna complete anything.

Keep up the good work !

[Yeshanu]

I think that a writer with multiple interests has a better shot at being a good writer than a writer who's just interested in writing. (How's that for a sentence?) We don't live -- or write -- in a bubble.

Hear! Hear!

I find it interesting that there are a number of musician/writers...

I play viola (not very well) and sing. I'm also a pastor at a small two-point charge, and am passionate about my job. I find they all work together to produce an integrated whole, and what I do in my non-writing time does influence what I write.

[Jamesaritchie]

The biggest danger may not be that no writing gets done when there are other passions, but that not enough writing gets done to get the million words of garbage out of the system.

There's a real danger for most of us, and that's becoming a Jack of all trades, master of none.

There are those with so much natural talent, so much genius, and such a strong work ethic, that they can do two or three or four things, and do them all as werll as anyone.

But I don't think many fall into this category. Most of use can concentrate on one thing and stand a real chance of succeeding, or we can spread ourselves too thin and fail.

There's a poem I always keep in mind whenever I find myself not concentrating enough on one area.

For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these: “It might have been!”

--John Greenleaf Whittier

[Writing Again]

But I don't think many fall into this category. Most of use can concentrate on one thing and stand a real chance of succeeding, or we can spread ourselves too thin and fail.

You can't fail so long as you enjoy the life you are living. Success is such a tranistory thing. You can't do it just once, you have to keep doing it over and over again and the pressure is always on to do better or at least keep up with your last success.

But lack of failure is wonderful. You can do it once and just keep doing it forever.

[Jamesaritchie]

I'm of the opinion that if failure is impossible, so is success. You can't have success without the possibility of failure.

I think most writers, most creative people, know what they really want to accomplish, at least they know down deep inside, even if they never voice it.

Enjoying the life you're living is a good thing, but if that's all there was to it I'd probably spend 365 days a year fishing. I think, far more often than not, claiming success for enjoying life is what people do who don't succeed.

As the saying goes, Success is easy. . .just set your goals so low that failure is impossible.

[sc211]

On success...

If you haven’t crossed over, you think the people that are well known have got something you want. And then when you get over there, you realize the things that give you pleasure are still all back there on the other side. - Sebastian Junger

In a world where you always feel as though you have to produce, what happens is that you can start repeating yourself or playing it safe, because that’s what asked of you. Required of you. That’s restricting. Growth is hard to have happen there. So you have to find a way to experiment, to get a perspective that isn’t just about success or failure. Just something you’re doing because you have a connection to it. - Al Pacino

[maestrowork]

To be creative and productive is itself a success, and is not measurable by money or fame or anything external and fleeting.

Who says an artist must focus on one and only one discipline? Sure, time management and concentration can be a big problem. If you have the passion for more than one thing, NEVER extinguish the other flames so that one can burn brighter. To me, that's a waste of God's gifts. You can do many things and still "succeed" in them -- you just have to work hard and faster, if such "success" (and a short time line) is important to you.

E.g. Viggo Mortensen is an accomplished actor, but he's also a very talented (and well known in his circle) painter and poet. I doubt that he would EVER give up his passion for writing and painting to be an actor and an actor only.

Edit: I think developing and pursuing your other passions would help you as a rounded person, and also enrich your experiences, which could only help with your writing. I know my experiences as an actor/filmmaker/singer/artist have helped me create better characters, scenes and using all the senses in my writing. Techniques that are used in the other disciplines can be applied to writing. Conversely, my experience as a writer helps with my other endeavors as well.

[evanaharris]

I've recently put up my electric guitar and amp (acoustic's still out, though), because I've found that it's been distracting me (or, more to the point, I've been allowing it to distract me) from my writing.

This is a personal thing. Some people can handle a wide variety of interests, and I feel like I'm still participating in my two main interests, writing and music, because not only do I write for myself, I also get to write for a music magazine, and I get to listen to great music *while* I write. That's the good thing about writing and music. They're a good pair.

You do have to prioritize these things. I couldn't let my rockstar fantasies get the best of me. I wasn't even practicing on my guitar, really, wasn't trying to advance my skills in that area. No reason to do *two* things half-assed. Then you're really screwed.

If my writing ever led to any amount of success, then I could make more time for the guitar-learning and rockstar fantasies. But when time is short (I'm taking 16 hours of school this semester, and I'm about to get a part-time job,) then you DO have to make sacrifices.

I think I've made the right choice; your mileage may vary.

[maestrowork]

There are passions that take a lot of time: learning a musical instrument, forming a band, doing gigs, being good in a sports, learn how to fly, etc. Some also are dependent on other people's time (forming a band, for example). If you pursue those, chances are you'll probably find yourself having to give up something.

Writing, on the other hand, seems like something you can do any chance you have -- you can write, if you want, when you're not doing other things. You can write when you're doing laundry. You can write when it's 2 in the morning and only you are awake. You can write when you're waiting for your gig or audition to start. You can write when you're in the bathroom :grin ...

[evanaharris]

Very true, Maestro. Some things just take longer to do well.

You can write when you're in the bathroom

Jimi Hendrix is rumored to have taken an acoustic guitar with him into the bathroom for the more extended...erm...tours...

[Yeshanu]

evan,

You're not just talking two passions here, you're talking at least four -- writing, music, school and job. Sure, you might not be thrilled about school and job as they are, but you're probably passionate about what they'll accomplish for you... i.e. food on the table, a better job eventually or some kind of "expert credentials" for your writing... Whatever.

What James says is true to a point. I don't think anyone should be just a one-channel T.V., but try and do too much and you'll end up breaking down and doing nothing. This from experience... :b

In my own life, I've had to give up the dream of becoming a really good musician. I'm a mother of three teens (two of whom are really good musicians), I have a half-time job, I'm back in school full time :ack , I'm on the board of directors for my co-op (hope to be out of this job by next month), and I'm trying to write. My writing isn't going very far, so I guess that says it all...

Each person has to determine his or her own limits. I find it very hard to "shift gears" from one activity into another. I don't like doing more than one thing at once. For example, if I'm listening to music, I can't talk on the phone or write anything requiring more thought than a post like this. This severely limits what I can do in a day. Others might have more tolerance for doing five different things at once or ten different things in a day, and be able to pursue even more passions.