Pursuing your Passions
Begin with Curiosity

I stole much of this thinking from the writer Elizabeth Gilbert’s handbook, but this ideal of pursuing passions is not only hard to maintain, but unrealistic for most. Sure, for some of us, we were awakened to our passions early in our lives. As far back as I can remember, I was obsessed with drawing and nothing invigorated me like writing a meaningful story. I knew that I was meant for a creative life. But most of you won’t find a professional home in the arts. You will perform other occupations we need for a functioning society. Yet, you’re often challenged with this message that you aren’t fulfilling your purpose unless you’re doing what you love or are passionate about. I doubt many accountants desired to do their parents’ taxes as children. How many dental technicians longed to scrape tartar?

So, first, we have to address this misleading notion of a passion-filled career. Even if you do achieve this, like I have, keeping the fire burning is exhausting, if not impossible. Therefore, don’t think about being led by a theoretical passion. Instead, you have to get to the root and identify your curiosities. What intrigues you, what makes you wonder?

When I was first starting out, I knew I was passionate about art and design, but the truth was that without training or mentorship, I wasn’t that sophisticated of a creator. However, I was deeply curious about street culture and inspired by the pioneering brands and designers in the burgeoning street fashion space. I started picking at that thread, discovering incredible stories and attitudes regarding a very specific cultural movement. Almost two decades later, the thing that drives me most is I never lost that fascination with the people and their processes.

If you told the 23-year-old me all of the things that I’d be head-over-heels in love with in my job today (texting my community, speaking to large crowds, doing podcasts), I’d be confused. My entire young life I thought I was going to be an artist. I was passionate about drawing cartoons and painting and later on in my career, designing technical outerwear and devising collaborations. In fact, I still am impassioned by those things. However, I built my career off of a foundation of curiosities. I will forever be interested in the human side of the business. What keeps me going, what continues to stoke my passions, is my undying infatuation with meeting new people and learning their stories.

Don’t beat yourself up if you’re having trouble identifying your passions or finding it difficult to maintain your interest. Instead, listen to – and cultivate – your curiosities. Sometimes flirtations can lead to romances.