Passion Is Cultivated

You are hit with the initial inspiration to be, do, or achieve something and then after a short while your feelings are replaced with the realization that it will take work and grind to make it real. “What now?”. 

When I decided to learn illustration I had an initial feeling of positive excitement. “I want to do this. I want to do that!”. After my first week of beginning to learn my chosen craft, the inspired feelings disappeared and I landed back to reality – “This is gonna take a while to master, maybe even a few years.”

Each morning I struggled with feelings of inferiority, anxiety, and dread. My drawings looked like the work of a 5-year-old and they still do. I had told myself that I wanted to learn illustration come hell or high water, and so I continued despite the inner dialogue of negativity. 

I had to dial back my expectations and found a beginner’s course, the free drawabox.com. Which I highly recommend.

I didn’t have the motivation to learn for more than 10-15 minutes each day, and let me tell you – it was painful. This lasted for months. 

As the months flew by doing simple exercises I could see an improvement! And that improvement came wrapped in the feelings of competence and skill. My negative attitude towards drawing had been replaced by a burning passion for the craft. I naturally wanted to get even better, and at a faster rate than previously!

I learned some lessons.

• Motivation comes during and after the work
• Trust the process
• Commit to a set schedule or practicing and follow it no matter what
• A positive mental attitude is nurtured proactively by ourselves internally not externally 

As you grow and develop in your chosen field – you will naturally hit new plateaus of resistance and problems for you to solve. Trust the process and continue the grind.

Now it is important to mention that feelings such as frustration and motivation will still come and go, you won’t always feel like a champion while learning. But the negative emotions will be significantly reduced as the months go by, and you become familiar with your chosen field.

 You will slowly develop a positive feedback loop which in time will motivate you to work harder and longer.

 It is said that illustration requires between 5-10 years to become a proficient artist! An endeavor like that requires a solid foundation of habits. One of these habits is writing it down as a goal – writing down the skill you want to acquire. 

Write it down as a goal, and read your goal out loud every morning and before going to bed. This is self-development 101. Even better yet, is writing it down as an affirmation. 

The theory behind affirmations is too “woo-woo” for many people but is embraced by even the strictest no bullshit personalities. Take Dan Pena as an example. 

A proper affirmation sinks down into your subconscious and assists you in making it a reality.

The popular belief is to choose a field and work that one likes and then develop that into a livelihood. Anything can become your passion, even the most complicated subject!

I am here to tell you that you can choose whatever you want for any reason and have that after a certain time span becomes your new passion. Everything becomes enjoyable after a certain level of mastery. 

Until next time! 

Yours truly – Bogdan.