CREATIVITY & WELLNESS

Creative Benefits of a Passion Project

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{ Book extract from Tonics For Your Creative Spirit }

What is a Passion Project?

A passion project is anything you do for the sheer pleasure of doing it.

It’s a project that’s inspired by your unique interests and creative self.

Maybe it’s a blog, a memoir or a dream home.

Or it could be a study project, a new business idea, a whole new wardrobe, or a wellness regime.

The Benefits of a Passion Project

Your passion project may or may not be related to work or earning a living – it doesn’t matter.

Its value is in providing you with an outlet for your creative energy and your unique way of expressing it.

Working on your passion project doesn’t feel like work, it feels like play.

The hours can slip by in a happy haze of creativity and concentrated focus, leaving you feeling energised and alive.

This is the state known as flow, and not only is it a pleasure to experience, it also has beneficial side-effects for your health, happiness and wellbeing.

When you regularly spend time on a project that excites and fulfils you, you enjoy more contentment and peace of mind. You also strengthen your self-image and self-esteem.

So, if a passion project is such a great life asset – why aren’t we all already busy with our creative happy times?

In the modern world, many of us have so much that must be done, there can be little time or energy left for ‘non-essential’ playtime.

We often don’t prioritise what would simply be fun and enjoyable.

But there are so many benefits of a passion project, that it’s worth exploring ways to find room for it in your schedule.

To help you create the space in your routine for your life-enhancing passion project, here are some tips and suggestions…

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How to create space for your Passion Project

1. Discover how you work best

What are your natural creative rhythms?

Do you love to dip in and out – to have a project on the go all the time, so that you can play during any free time?

Or do you love to work in longer, focused sessions?

Would you prefer to carve out a heavenly afternoon every weekend and look forward to it all week?

Maybe a combination of both methods is the most viable, or switching between the two as life demands.

You may need to experiment with this, but that’s okay. It’s valuable information that will help you in many aspects of life, so it’s worth a little research.

{ Creating online courses is one of my many passion projects 🙂 }

2. Get clear on your intention

A passion project can be just for fun – something separate from work, without commercial pressures. But it can also be a clue to your dream job or life purpose.

To begin with, get clear on your intention for your project.

Would you prefer your passion project to be pure play and freedom?

Or is this something you’d like to move your career towards?

See which option appeals to you the most, but stay flexible.

Things change, people change, and projects can go off in surprising directions – especially when passion is involved!

“Your passions are your road to happy.”

Janet Atwood

3. Picture your ideal scenario

How would you love to incorporate this into your life? In an ideal world, what would you do?

Try to imagine the ultimate schedule, one that includes plenty of time and energy for your passion project.

Don’t feel you have to create this scenario straight away.

It can – and will – evolve over time, just as you do.

But having your ideal picture can be inspiring, and it can also give you some clues about where to begin.

Make a list of three small or simple steps from your Ideal Scenario that you could begin to incorporate this week or this month.

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4. Get creative!

Pose some suggestions or questions to your creative mind – it loves a challenge!

You could set the intention: I intend to do more of my favourite activity.

You can ask questions: How can I find more time to do the creative work I love?

You can use an affirmation: I love the idea of having a passion project in my life!

To make space in your life for your passion project, just ponder these ideas.

Brainstorm, mind map or make notes in your journal – whichever technique you love to use – then let your creative mind get busy behind the scenes.

• • •

If you keep asking these questions and giving attention to your passion project, you’ll find that the pieces soon begin to line up – often all by themselves.

Such is the power of your creative mind when you put it to work.

So, why not show your creative spirit some love by exploring the idea of a Passion Project?

And don’t forget to look out for the ways those magical side-effects begin to appear in your life.

danielle raine creativity coach writer designer

Hi! I'm Danielle.

creative coach danielle raine

OBSESSED WITH THE CREATIVE PROCESS SINCE 1993

TOPICS

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Dive deeper…

If you’d like more simple ways to enjoy more creativity (and its lovely benefits!) into your life, my Starter Kit is for you.

It’s a series of the holistic principles that I’ve discovered and developed from almost a decade of holistic creativity coaching, supporting passionate and soul-driven creatives just like you.

This is for you if;