“There’s prudence in simplicity.”
Passion is something I wish more people talked about… it’s a conversation I like to initiate as often as possible. But I’m often surprised at how many people are stifled by this question.
For me it’s a pretty quick top three. The ocean, music and entrepreneurship. I can easily start adding more, but within these few topics I can find room for just about everything I would ever want from life.
Photo by Michelle Amorin
What are your passions? Are you like me and have a solid few that sort of encompass all others and keep you more than busy? Or do you struggle to feel real passion for anything so specific?
Music is often a passion for many people. For me personally it’s on many levels. I was born into rock and roll but the study of classical music in the 4th grade, at Waldorf School, is what set my soul ablaze for the auditory arts.
I began to learn melody and instrumental technique with a recorder and violin. There was always an acoustic guitar around for song writing. But It wasn’t until around 6th grade that my father bought me an electric bass and amplifier.
After a couple of years not really knowing what to do with the thing, I started falling in love with the low-end vibrations and natural rhythms of the subsonic pulses. I would just leave the bass in the stand, plug-in, strum a note and start playing with the knobs. I tried to sustain the notes in various ways by manipulating the volume and tone of the amp. It was memorizing and calmed my young troubled mind.
Shortly after, I stared actually learning to play and put many hours into practicing. For one year it was 8 hours a day or more. That’s when I started to know what I was doing a bit. Still very technical but I could get along in just about any setting.
The true transformation for me came later in high school. I was lucky enough to have a legendary music teacher, (the late, great Perry Smith), that knew how to inspire, educate and engage those with the drive for being a professional musician.
One of the first heart-felt lessons I gained from him was the knowledge of how hard a path it would be. And that it better be a choice “for the love of” because most likely the money is gonna stink. However the most important lesson was from a strange little saying he always came back to.
“Dynamics are what separate the men from boys. And I don’t just mean volume! But real dynamics in everything you do. Making every note count. Like it was the last note you’ll ever play… Always play it with this feeling.”
I try. It’s hard. Hard not to get distracted by thought. Misleading ideas that come to trick you. Real music starts to happen when you don’t think.
This immediately makes me think of another of my greatest passions in life. The ocean! Everything about it. It’s another planet right here on earth. A planet where time slows down and I can literally fly and walk on water like Jesus. I don’t have to think. Just feel.
Do I believe in God? Yes! Many of them. And Goddesses too. Poseidon, Neptune, Salacia, Triton, Ikatere, Tiamat to name a few of the great ocean deities from various cultures I believe in. (Mythology is another sideline passion of mine.)
I digress… Trickery, the ocean, the gods, must be the swift, winged footed one at work. For now I leave you with this thought:
Are you living your life doing the things you love? Nurturing your passions? Achieving your goals?
I sincerely want to know! Please join the conversation here by leaving a comment below. Tell us about your passions in life and a little of the stories that led you to them. And I’ll share more of mine as well, but for now, it’s late and time to sleep! ?Zzzzzzzzz…