Sometimes we have to fight for our passions.
If you’re a working artist, you understand. If you believe in having a life outside of work, you understand. If you’re passionate about anything–the guitar, your Jack Russell Terrier, traveling, your children, basketball–you understand.
We are not our nine to five jobs. They are a part of us. Sometimes it is easy to lose sight of that. Sometimes it is easy to neglect outside life and become completely consumed by sales quotas and lesson plans and lunch meetings.
DON’T DO IT. Fight back.
This is a blog about my life’s passion: writing. But it is also about much more than that. It is about juggling two jobs, car payments, student loans, a social life, a dog, a boyfriend, German class, and living on a budget while still finding time to practice my craft. Whether you are a musician, a painter, a golfer, or a homebrewer we are speaking the same language. We know what it means to stay up late or get up early in order to dedicate a few minutes to our passion. We understand the sacrifice it takes to say, “Nope. I am flicking off the TV tonight and I’m going to spend some time practicing the piano.”
I struggle with these little distractions all the time. It is MUCH easier to pour myself a gin and tonic, flick on Game of Thrones, and zone out for several hours as I immerse myself in someone else’s world. It is MUCH easier to hop on Facebook or window shop on Etsy or plan my dream vacation using a series of Groupon deals. When I am faced with these distractions, it helps to look at the bigger picture. It helps to take a step back and say, “No. No, I will not curl up in front of my TV tonight. I will write.”
Then you have to do it.
I did. I decided I wanted to write a book, so I set about writing. And writing and writing and writing. One year, nine months, and four hundred-forty pages later, I had a book. It was difficult at times, but it is possible. If I can do it (working 55 hours/week, hanging out with friends on the weekend, and still having time to take care of annoying things like laundry), so can you. Believe me, SO CAN YOU.
I don’t mean to sound preachy, but I do mean to give you a kick in the pants!
Aside from the right amount of motivation, it helps to have a plan. I personally like to write out goals and map out how I’m going to reach them. Sort of like this (above):
I’m also a visual person, so sometimes I map out my goals in more artistic ways like this (left):
In a nutshell, keep reading. Use this blog as a tool or as inspiration or as a bit of entertainment when Desperate Housewives just isn’t cutting it.
And remember to be the “Catskill eagle” Herman Melville describes above. You’ll encounter both black gorges and sunny spaces in life. No matter what, it’s best to keep on soarin’.
Author: KateBitters
Kate Bitters is a Minneapolis-based author and freelance writer. She is the author of Elmer Left, Ten Thousand Lines, and He Found Me. One of her proudest/nerdiest moments was when Neil Gaiman read one of her short stories on stage at the Fitzgerald Theater.