“Write what you love.” It seems like simple advice. It probably is, but people have a way of complicating the simplest things.
Some people know what they love and immediately pursue it, but an equal number of people know what they love, then forget. They have to have that love brought to remembrance. Others simply struggle to discover what they love. They might enjoy the thrill of chasing a thing, or they might be afraid of committing to a thing. The end result almost always is the same regardless of the motivation; they become weary because they have little to no sense of direction. They find themselves wandering aimlessly.
Of course, not all who wander are lost.¹ Wandering sometimes can lead to finding. For me, it took wandering through the lands of writing about subjects that held little interest to me (except, perhaps, in my ability to enter almost any conversation and to surprise people with my knowledge of the housing market or computer viruses) to find one of my loves, which is writing about being a writer and the writing life. It took taking a detour into social media land in order to know that social media wasn’t and isn’t one of my loves. Do I enjoy talking about it? Certainly, but I don’t like having to worry about testing the latest social network or trying to get ahead of the social media curve. It took completing a silly drawing project (Bacon badges, anyone?) to remember that the visual arts play a vital role in my understanding of what it means to be a communicator. Could I have found those loves without the wandering? Maybe, but I don’t know that I would recognize how dear those things are to me. I don’t know if I would hear the call to write about those things quite as loudly.
That being said, I also know it’s easy to get lost in that wandering. I didn’t come to the end of my wandering without some help. I had professors who guided me. I spoke with a business consultant who helped me to define what it is that I love and want to do. I talked with a friend who helped me to see my art as an essential piece of my communications. I talked with another friend who suggested I showcase rather than hide my poetry roots. I’m certain I subconsciously knew those things were and are my loves, but I still needed help in realizing that I needed to pursue and write about those things.
What are your loves? Do you have someone who helps you to remember those loves when you forget them or become distracted by other things?
¹ If you haven’t realized this fact already, you now know: I’m a little bit of a Tolkien fan.
Erin, for me, you’ve hit the nail on the head: write what you love, And in a broader context, and the title of the book by Marsha Sinetar, “Do what you love, the money will follow.
It’s been wonderful to watch your growth and transition to this lovely site, and the content that you are able to so prolifically produce. Kudos to you for searching your soul and carving your own path. And thanks so much for that lovely tip of the hat. It was my pleasure to play a small part in your journey. Cheers! Kaarina
@KDillabough Livefyre seems to be acting silly. I didn’t receive a notification that you had commented on the post!
Thank you for the kind words and support. I shall now return to working on being patient…
Great post! I’m graduating college next year and still the worst question that anyone can ask me is, “So what are your future plans?” I’m definitely still on that “wondering” track to figure out which of my many and diverse loves are to stick around and I’ve decided I’m just going to have to try them all! I don’t think you’re ever too old to begin a new career or dive into a new hobby- or at least you should never feel stuck doing something that you realize you don’t love.
It certainly doesn’t hurt to try them all! It’s been quite the journey to get to this point. It took a lot of trying and failing and trying and succeeding (and then realizing that that success wasn’t all that satisfying) before I remembered my loves.
I always hated the “What are your future plans?” question, too. It puts quite a bit of pressure on a person. I now despise the “What do you do?” question. It seems to be a reiteration of the future plans question. Both are…confining, I suppose. I always tell people I’m too eclectic (hat tip to my mom for that word) to be labeled as one thing or another.
Good luck with your final year of college, and thanks for stopping by Write Right. I enjoyed your comment.
Great post, Erin. I was getting the sense that you are a Tolkein fan. But that line just solidified it. I just love the Tolkein reference.
@richescorner Thank you!
I’m actually working my way through Lord of the Rings again. It’s a little bit of a challenge when I have many other things requiring attention. 🙂