Does your passion for your work (or your product) put others off? By this I mean, are you so passionate and in love with what you do that you overwhelm some people? Do your loved ones think you have a bit of a fetish for felt? Do you raving fans love that you go giddy for glitter or wax poetic about patina?
Danielle’s Answer:
Thankfully I think most of my friends are kind and understanding enough to not mention it if they think I have an obsession. However, I know for a fact that my closest family members think I have a little bit of a hoarding tendency when it comes to supplies. I never really have a plan for my materials I just buy up whatever looks good or feels inspiring. But then every now and then I purge everything and start over almost completely so… Yeah I am definitely a little weird with work related materials. Also they creep into every corner of the house which I assume annoys my husband just a tad.
Stacie’s Answer:
I do worry a lot about putting other’s off because I talk about my work so much. But the truth is that I am so entwined with my work that I don’t know how to separate the two! Really I think that my love for illustration comes from an authentic place. And if I seem overly enthusiastic it is because I am so very fortunate to be doing what I love for a living. So hopefully people will indulge me when the topic of my conversations for the day are about Pantone colors, different types of chickens, and my ever increasing love of hand-lettering and paper goods 🙂
Kat’s Answer:
Most people in my world are inspired by passion (gimme some of what she is having!) – a rising tide definitely lifts all ships and people living their passion create the space for more people to live their passion. Maybe if someone is in a negative space and isn’t really connecting with their own self worth or is feeling like they are standing on shifting sand, it might be off-putting when someone gets all rah-rah about their latest project. But, if we are connecting with the real truth – that we are all here for different things – we will always be inspired by someone’s love of whatever it is they are loving .. except brussel sprouts, I’m not sure I can get behind someone’s love of them!
Megan’s Answer:
In general, I share half of my passions with my online audience. I geek out on things that don’t always align with the purpose of my business and thus I keep those things to myself. My partner gets the brunt of those geeking out periods and he’s learned to nod and smile when I rant about Edwardian inventions or silly cats (just as I have learned to nod and smile when he talks about modern photographers and beatnik poets). I want to keep my readers engaged within my brand and that’s why I try to rein myself in. However, when I’m in public meeting new makers, I tend to gush about everything that interests me which is probably why I’ve been told that I’m a wonderful source of interesting tidbits after I’ve had a drink.
Eleanor’s Answer:
I don’t think my passion for my work or my product puts others off, but rather sometimes my setting time boundaries. When you work for yourself and/or at home people often think that you’re available for chats or socializing during the week day. It can be hard to get people to understand that you can’t take a two hour lunch, go shopping, or chat on the phone just because your your own boss!
Having said that, I can get nutty talking about digital commerce, but most ‘non-industry’ people are too removed from the topic that I don’t even try and talk shop (pun intended!)
Jess’s Answer:
I don’t think I have ever felt this, thankfully. Then again, I tend to suffer from under-talking up my work in a social setting. I’m more than happy to chat about it for hours if someone shows interest, but I usually introduce myself simply as ‘a silversmith’. Thankfully, my family are all super-supportive, and always keen to listen to me chatter about my work!
How do you handle expressing those topics you’re most passionate about with your friends, family, and fans?
Got a question for the makers? Email it to megan@createandthrive.com so I can get it answered for you.
