In the Pools of Contemplation

Like some people I went to work this morning and got off at a decent time. Mostly I return to my parents place and relax a bit before falling back to sleep. Today was like any other except sleep did not come easy. Tossing and turning and even with the sound of water coming from my laptop speakers I was still unable to find that meditation of quiet solace to allow sleep for a few hours. So today I feel like doing something different since I am not at home to do my usual release of such built up troubles.

The game I am using as reference for my contemplation is from a called Tales of Symphonia. The song is titled Ymir Forest. Perhaps on another day I can talk about the track and why it appeals to me so much but if you would like to get an understanding of my emotions as you read on copy the link and type repeat in the tube location. Although it isn’t a seamless loop you can get the idea from the melody.

[If on yourepeat: Start-00:05 End-02:50]

This is the maze, many despise in the game, called Ymir Forest. I am going to walk through my maze of Ymir’s forest.

Here at the starting point I try to advance slowly but even at one point I have so many planks to choose from. Some life changing conditions, others a temporary fix and yet others, like many, lead to the unknown. If anyone has every told you their life has been a straight arrow they have woven you a string of lies. Nothing is ever as it seems and yet if it were as straight as we wished it to be we would cease becoming human. Our life is based on advancement, regression to an extent in order for us to pick ourselves up and move forward. Become stronger and better than before. Not doing so means giving up and letting others know you care not where you drift. Sometimes a choice is hard to make but you choose one and go on.

As I continue on a path I chose I notice despite the thriving foliage here the waters seem like poison. People I allowed into my inner sanctum sometimes cause me harm. The security I felt long ago no longer seems to exist. Why do I feel like I should be choking when yet I am steadily breathing. Poison is just that isn’t it? A toxin to cause illness to the body and mind? Yet here I feel nothing. More decisions more planks and yet some I know directly and take that path no questions asked. Others take more thought but the longer I linger the less time I feel I have.

At some point I am no longer walking but running. Some decisions have to be fast and others may have already been decided having my feet just go before my mind could question it. We never know which is the right choice at the time but we find out later in life that regardless of the choice it opened the doors to others with better benefits. As I begin slowing my pace after the years’ sprint the waters are starting to clear but the planks are 4 times more confusing. Stress has built up on the back burner and is now surfacing. Something I used to do I have not done in a long time and not having my release I have regressed into a mid life crisis many would state.

We all experience it after a series of events occur without you being able to release that built up tension, worry, ache, and such. I try to sit but my legs and mind won’t let me. So I choose something not laid out for me. I step into the waters not caring about the cold liquid nor if this was the poison or clean pools. I begin climbing over some roots and under others since the tree is called the Tree of Life. This path I know I am not walking alone but it is very hard for me to see my better half when they are so far ahead at the moment. I will catch up eventually but unsure when.

I come to a point where I feel a tug at my heart. I follow that through the thick of weeping leaves and come to a glade of sorts. No planks lead here at all and yet I found a secret area more than likely meant just for me alone. It is cool here and yet this light I see won’t seem to fade but I feel peace here. I have no idea where I lost myself but my feet and heart seemed to be chained into the waters preventing me from leaving this place as of right now.

(Son Goku and Hakuru from Saiyuki)

Soon the light begins to fade and I hear small splashes. I see the essence being wrapped around by my persona, inner being, and the guardian of my soul. The splashes continue but beneath the hardened shell I see a glowing vibrant blue many would call my trapped soul. My Persona just smirks at me as I try to figure out its thoughts. At times it appears male and others female. Today it took a form of a male and in a slightly unhuman form. Similar to a video game character race I play often. He says nothing and the Guardian moves slightly but stares at me intently. I have no idea why I am here but these chains are very heavy so I sit in this water.

Why am I here? Why am I restless? Uneasy? Confused? Stressed? Many events occurred in such a short span of time. It almost seems like time even wants to speed up my agony to see if I will give in the towel of defeat. I am not one to give in easily. I am a fighter, a mage, a punisher of sorts. Giving up is never an option even if my chances look slim. I will turn that impossible into a possible and prove that I will not be held back by anything nor anyone despite my trials. Then why am I here? My Guardian is one from mythology and my Persona is one many would see as a demon although it is nothing like the labels of evil.

At some point the splashes stop and everything becomes suspended in animation. Fireflies still the splashes on pause and the sounds of nature cease but the music continues. The pulsing vibrant orb is dim at the moment and my Persona lets go. He walks up to me and yet I can not move. Without a word he flicks my forehead and tilts my head up. The chains are loud as they move but I get the feeling I am causing this harm to myself. As if I brought myself to this supposed dead end and I am crying over nothing. As I look up the once green tree is decaying a bit. Patches of brown can be seen and falling leaves are stilled.

Why show me this? Why can’t I speak. Why can’t he speak for that matter? Thoughts run through my head on events from this year and I find myself being flicked on the forehead once more. Okay maybe it is me over thinking which is zapping me from my vibrant life. So I begin to do what I have done in the past. Avoid contact with others and meditate. Everything happens for a reason. I will never understand it now but I will learn in due time. Finances everyone struggles with. It has become the common mark of society but why worry when everything is being taken care of? It is being handled and yet I worry still. How foolish and inconsiderate of me when I should see this as a blessing of sorts. No one likes a grueling job where they are nothing but a number. But it brings in much needed cash even if a little. It is better than nothing. So why let them stress you out? They can’t help you live your life. Sure they may assist you in somethings and that is nice. But no company is ever worth you losing your health and stressing over. Do what needs to be done there and over time you will be able to free yourself from such bonds to start living your life fully. Frictions will occur in friendships, family relations and even with significant others. But why cause more chaos when you should aim for a neutral ground. Soon you can figure out the problem of the chaos and correct it. Stop forcing thing to move and just let it move naturally.

Suddenly my mind becomes clearer and the chains I had on me begin to crumble. My heart is not aching as much and a weight seems to be off my shoulders.The air was cool before but now it is at a comfortable level. As I open my eyes my persona is in front of me smiling happily. I swear if he had a tail it would wag a mile a minute. He helps me up and gives me a hug. This warmth is very familiar and in an instant I feel relief wash over me. He snaps his fingers and everything continues. The hardened shell just falls off and he goes back to resting around it. His nails graze the surface of this beautiful orb as he smiles at me. I feel much better knowing that I am protected. That my family is protected. That my friends are protected. No matter what we go through in life we are watched over and cared for. This mid life crisis could have been avoided if I would have done what I normally do. Forgetting to do the simple things that has helped me in the past is never a good thing. Then again my persona and guardian probably needed me to see how bad I was torturing myself if I allowed this to continue.

I see a glimpse of my other half walking ahead and before I knew it my feet were catching up to him so we can walk together. I believe taking the time to ourselves and releasing such built up stress, emotions and other things that weigh us down is important. I have never written this out before but now at the end of my once restless self I am glad I did and I was able to share. I know it is very deep and to some people it may seem a bit too personal. I just want to remind you that I am a person of creativity. I unleash stress differently and this is a creative outlet that I even allowed you to walk through with me. Without even knowing it I believe I have helped you out some too. Thank you for reading and sharing my experience.

Unlocking Passion (Part 5)

The Key to the Hidden Lock

This is the final segment of the Unlocking Passion. If you have never read the series but it would be best to do so. I am just an ordinary person just like you and trying to help others find their passions and turn them into Careers. Unlocking Passion 1, 2, 3, and 4. Try the system and you may just discover things about yourself you never knew existed.

So finally we made it to your hidden lock and you want to open that giant door but you have no keys.You went through so many trials and you tried to do so many things to find your passion to change into a career. So what’s the key? I want you to take 3 guesses as to what the key is. Figure it out yet? It’s you! Now I am sure you are looking pretty confused. Sit real fast before I let you walk through your personal door.

We have the most important and at times the most dangerous tool within our bodies which is the brain. A good majority of the time we tend to hold ourselves back with just about everything. This goes with our passions and even our learning abilities. When we want to move into something not common to society thoughts ruin our chances of chasing the dream. Society is another major influence that bends our keys to believe that it is not the “in” thing for the moment. We always listen to the outsides instead of being happy for ourselves so when we come to our many doors our keys don’t look like keys at all.

Only you hold the inner keys to your unlimited potential and only you can unlock your own doors. Nothing is ever easy but if we determine to find more about ourselves and uncover more potential then I hope this program helped you a bit. Now keep in mind it is never too late to go to school. It is never to late to chase a dream. You live your life for you and no one else. Now Imagine your door and imagine your key to that door. You have come this far don’t fear the doors. They are there for you for a reason. Only you hold yourself back from opening them. Now if you feel you are ready go. I want you to explore more passions and create a career. Create happiness for you and help others along the way.

This concludes the Unlocking Passion Segment. I hope this helped you discover more about yourself and that you finally can move forward. Good luck and I would love to hear how this helped you and what Passions you have uncovered. Keep in mind it is okay to be nervous but don’t let it or society tell you that you can’t. Go and discover what only you can do with your personal keys.

Unlocking Passion (Part 4)

Welcome to Part 4 of Unlocking Passion. This is a deep exercise to help people discover their Passions and take the reigns of it no matter where they are in life. If you are brand new to this segment you should start in the first segment and work your way up to the latest. I am not a professional just a common person like you wishing to help you along the way. Unlocking Passion parts 1, 2, and 3. Alright beautiful people lets take a step back and see what we have explored about our current passion of choice.

First to answer the question that is coming to mind: “Why take so long to make the next part?” Well first it is to clarify a few points. 1. When you are exploring your passion one key you have to keep in mind is Time. Patience is a very important aspect because nothing is instant. Now forgive me but if you were sitting at your computer and itching to get more information week after week then you really weren’t trying to explore your passion like you should have. Another key element is work. Yes it is a lot of hard work. Some of your passion you run through your supplies like water. For others your time doesn’t exist as your time but as someone else as you make things for them. If hard work and dedication really aren’t your things then you should take the time to answer your own question of why do this when other instant things are out there for you.

Now that we are clear that Passions take Patience and Dedication then we can begin our segment for Part 4! Now unfortunately I can not post a character design on here because I need to have the creative tag on it. But I did work on a sheet of one of my characters. So please keep this in mind as we explore our personal thoughts.

Alright you should have the evidence of the Passion you were working on the past month or so by you. I want you to take the time out to look through your works. How did you feel when you worked on them? Did you do research on your passion? Did you get a chance to talk to someone about their passion? Did you go anywhere to explore your options? What you did is very important and the knowledge you gained is just as vital. Now remember I did a positive and negative chart in out last Part? You will be doing this now for yourself.

As an artist I tend to go through emotions when I draw. Reasons vary but the main keys is: being in the image I wish to convey to the world, capture the attitude of a character and portray them correctly, and the aide I use affects me. What do I mean by aide? Well that also is a range of things and you can find them in my first post called the Art of a Blank Wall. I will use:

Sable for my Lycan Goji. Again I am not releasing much information about my characters but follow my other sites and you will meet him. The aura and beat of this song helped me draw his lycan form of “Unleashing the Beast” from within at his breaking point. To me it was a rush of dominance and power which I wanted to portray with Goji from every angle. I had to do a lot of research about wolves and more on the fit human body. My creativity spurts were random at best and I was up at random hours of the night working. I am a night owl so sleeping is rare in my case. But I felt progress was being made and I was enjoying it. After I finished however my wrists were hurting a bit but that is a small price to pay for my character sheets I developed for him.

Positive: I have a feel good factor and a can do attitude. I am learning new ways to create characters. Knowledge of everything related to this is a plus for any field.

Negative: Want to visually revise my character constantly. Random spurts of energy at random hours. Physical pain and mental fatigue.

Now all this doesn’t mean I will stop because I am in pain. This is a passion I wish to follow. This is why I do what I do and enjoy doing it because I am doing it to make my clients happy and get myself into the world of art differently. Now look at your own list. Is this something you want to continue doing? If not repeat the former step and choose a different passion until you find the nitch. Next Segment we will discuss the Key and you will have the finale of the piece!

Unlocking Passion (Part 3)

Saliva – Click, Click, Boom

Alright everyone it is time for Part 3 of our series: Unlocking Passion. If you are brand new to this article I ask that you play catch up and participate in Unlocking Passion (Part 1) and Unlocking Passion (Part 2). I am not a teacher at all just someone who wants to help others uncover their passions and live their lives happily doing what they love. These are exercises I have done to help me and others move on from our everyday drag of life to something much more powerful and meaningful. Today we will be taking our passions to the next level. Last segment we went through our positive and negative qualities with our current jobs. We have to have this balance in order to see where potential growth can be made. When we conquer one another comes along to challenge us. But if the trait we defeated comes back again we will have the knowledge to be rid of it and continue on our path of happiness. Now with this knowledge of positive and negative being our balance in life as our growth chart let’s go through our passions and point out the positives and negatives of each one. I am sure you are wondering why we must do this with something we love but I will explain this later on so save that thought!

 

Brunuhville – Eternal Dark Forest

 

If you recall I had asked you to go through you list of passions and pick at least 3 of them and label your positives and negatives about them. Knowing these traits is very important since it will help us know what we are walking into. If you listed 5 that is fine. I did state 3-5 of your passions but all must have the positive and negative traits in them. Alright let me label my listings and then we will begin the next exercise:

Character Designer

Positive Traits: Creating fantasy into an artistic an believable art form. Working closely with Fashion Designers and becoming familiar with fabrics and designs. Gaining materials about a character in order to set the character up for said game/movie/novel for the proper setting.

Negative Traits: No clarity when working with another artist/visionary. Not enough materials were gained to ensure character is in the proper setting and time frame. Very long hours of work little time to rest. Working with unfamiliar materials and/or sizes for projects. 

 

Linguistics

Positive Traits: Learning another language and culture. Travelling is easier. Assisting in life long projects to bridge the gaps of language. Improving the lives of others as you learn through their language and their eyes.

Negative Traits: Far outdated and generic textbooks. Frustration from lack of understanding. Confusing words due to different dialects. Not knowing enough words when trying to help.

 

Concept Artist

Positive Traits: Bringing a world/environment to life. Setting the stones for the final products. Working with more than one medium. Photography and immersing ourselves in the real world to crate our worlds, characters and environments.

Negative Traits: No clarity with other visionaries. Sometimes working with unfamiliar products or sizes. Working with very little resources. Limited exposure to some elements.

 

Alright I have chosen 3: Character Design, Linguistics and concept artist. Now remember I said you would ask your questions about why list the negative qualities of something we love? Well here is why and it isn’t just for show. My passions are very time consuming. For a lot of people we have our minds fixated on being instantly in this or instantly getting that. This ‘instant’ trend has done far more damage than good and in time we want things here and now without having to put in all the work. For some this is being spoiled and others it is just laziness. I want you to be very well aware that these things do not work over night and sometimes it takes years to get to 1 level up more from your current state. Another thing to take into consideration with said passions is the physical aspect. As many Visionaries/ Visual artists we are seated a very big majority of our passion. So that means very little exercise which does lead to obesity and other health problems if we are not careful. We also develop Arthritis, carpal tunnel, vision problems and many more. We over use our eyes and hands so this does become a health concern over the years. Deadlines create insomnia and other syndromes or bad moods.

These are basic and yet common but it is things all passions do have. Voice Actors have to maintain a great voice so the problems they can develop are: vocal strain, tears and other things that can end their passionate careers if they are not careful. I am not trying to scare you but you should be aware of any dangers when it comes to a Passion you plan to pursue. As I said before my Positives and Negatives are from my basic knowledge and what I have gone through when doing personal or client projects. Working with other people and trying to help build their vision is not easy at all. Especially when you are very limited or working outside of your familiar realm. Communication, that should be familiar, is a very crucial key when you are working with more than 1 other person. As an artist I know my communications skills are far from being the best but I do talk to my clients daily to ensure I am really capturing their ideal on paper. When the communication lacks, and even the resources, it is harder for me to make this vision proper and this can upset my client to where they do not return.

Knowledge is another key when going through our passions. Let’s take Linguistics from my end. Now I work with many internationals and I personally want to learn: Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, and re-familiarize myself with Spanish (Spain) since that is in my blood. But here is where the problems lie with that. Our textsbooks are far outdated which is one massive problem. Another is many courses for said languages are not available in colleges for studying. So I resort to Rosetta Stone, great but very pricey, and my friends who visit me from their homelands on their vacation times. Another hard aspect to take into consideration is. just like english, all have dialects. So I may learn a generic word in Spanish but depending on the Spainard I speak to the word may mean something else or could be pronounced differently due to their dialect. Linguistics is a very difficult task to take on but I feel it is vital when you associate with so many people and a majority are from certain regions of the world. I may have to look it up but I believe I can only get a degree in 2 languages.

It is best to familiarize yourself with many aspects of a passion so you can find your true place. For me concept artist is a bit broad but I want to become familiar with the ins and outs of being one so I can pin point what I really want to do. Landscaping is one and city development is another. Then the different mediums from paint to pen. Lighting is a massive role player in a concept as well as color keys. The more knowledgeable you are about your passions the more you can do. Now I want you to attempt, not try, to familiarize yourself with your top passion. Look up information, try it out by doing something basic, chat with someone in said field. We are now moving from paper points to action points. Next time we will talk about what we attempted and how we felt about it. That segment will be a self reflection segment and a launching pad for you if this is truly what you want to pursue. Remember we are using the knowledge we have to gain more knowledge to better ourselves for the future. 

Unlocking Passion (part 2)

Butterfly Lovers: Performed by BeiBei

Welcome everyone to part 2 of Unlocking Passion. If you haven’t read part 1: Unlocking Passion (part 1) then please take the time to do that one first. These are exercises and creative thought processes to help people find their passions in life and make them more than just passions. I am not a teacher just another person with passions giving my personal insight that has helped me move forward to happiness. Now for those continuing with the series let us do a brief recap of one! First it was recalling our first childhood dreams of what we wanted to become as kids. Went into our teen years and did the same. We discovered that the list changed and some became refined. This is a very normal process but it also got us to explore other options such as what we held on to and what we changed completely. Then we explored degree choices we wanted to obtain and lastly taking a deep reflection of our current work space. 

Lord of the Rings: Elven Music and Melodies

Well now that we recapped we shall explore the next segments of this Passion. I want you to grab that list you made last week and I want you to study it. Keep all your Passions in mind because we will revisit them again. Now the list I asked you to make about work I want you to take a good look at it and think about it. If you have not made it please take the time out to do so. At my current employment I enjoy these key qualities: The main people I work with, Including a few managers, sometimes the people I encounter, the fact I am helping people look for something and seeing them leave happy. Now for me I am in retail so my list will always remain short. Looking at your list you should come up with some questions. Why you like this quality the most does not count as one. Why? It is too broad of a question which in turn gives too broad of an answer. Almost like finding a needle in the haystack sort of metaphor. You want to pinpoint the said quality because this is what will help you with building a support network for your Passion.

Something like this should be asked per quality: Who is it that you love working with the most? What makes this person approachable? What is one word you could use to describe said person? The deeper the question the more intuned the answer. These key triggers are what helps you find the people you want the most to work with you and traits you should always carry when talking to clients. To protect identities I am not going to name people I actually work with but I will name their traits. Person A: Always makes me laugh to keep spirits high when the workload tends to make me depressed at times. Person B: Understands when things are too overbearing and despite being a manager they always help out while managing their own tasks. Person C: Always teaches me something new since company policies change very frequently. Person D: Looks for guidance and yet gives challenges that help me see things in a different light. Customers who actually know what they want tend to ask questions about said product and sometimes teach me something new about it as far as other uses. Many customers tend to be somber but the ones who smile back and chat even for a little tend to be happier people and brighten my day as I brighten theirs. Helping others is something my grandparents and my mother embedded into me at a young age. When you help someone you make the world smile even if it is for a moment. One smile leads to another and in turn more smile back.

Fantasy Music Compilation #3

Make your list yet? Please do not worry if the list is small or if this is not a strong suit and ‘I don’t know’ seems to be the common answer. We are human and sometimes we do like something without even knowing why. It is a subconscious occurrence and the ‘like’ has a far deeper meaning than we know of at the moment. As I was told likes are the easiest descriptions we can give and it usually tends to make us smile. Now look at your meanings and what do you see that stands out? For mine, in the order, is as follows: Laughter, Understanding, Learning something New, Challenges, Knowledge, Happiness, and Helpfulness. To some people this list may seem irrelevant and to others not as important but these are qualities I love to carry with me all the time. Save this list and we will come back to it later. 

Now we will think of something that tends to boil our blood as a figure of speech. What qualities about your current ob seem to piss you off or upset you a lot. It can be small or it could be major but it has to be something that you would love to see change. I will answer why in a little bit but make your list. Being asked to handle one task and believing there is a time table to have one massive task done before tackling another. Rudeness, which is very common among our higher level managers, not just to me and other employees but to our customers as well. Trash customers leave throughout the store. Customers opening packages and destroying items. Children running around unsupervised and something happens. Now majority of the times I have noticed our negatives will very much outweigh the positives. Now again no broad questioning you have to pinpoint what it is you don’t like about said quality. This is important because this is what follows many around and don’t know it. But we will get into that soon. My peeves are as follows: Time tables, Rudeness, Uncleanliness, Property Damage, and Endangerment.

Alright we have out list of positive traits and negative traits. Now I want you to go back to your Passion List and select just one for now and I want you to imagine you are finally working your dream career. I won’t call it a job because a job is just for money purposes with no attachment or passion to it. A Career is a passion you love to do no matter the hour or your current condition. So being in this career job lets say you put out a survey to your clients and your positive traits are all mentioned. So Sally loves the fact that we meet and we can laugh and have a great time together. As I work on her image she gets to see all the works in progress and she and I can discuss changes to make the image look more appealing. Sharing the knowledge of why I changed a rose into a lily or swapped the colors of the vase to make this work much more in harmony is important because I want to have this client return. But to me I don’t want to see you as just a client I want to see you as a good friend who supports me and loves my works.

Positive qualities are just that. Positive auras that emit from us when we feel great and people around us react to it. Now lets say in the comment section of what should change lists all your negative qualities or your pet peeves list. Sally may love my art but my time to see her may be inconvenient for her. So I need to learn to be more flexible with making time available around her schedule. I may not be a rude person but I come off a bit standoffish or how I respond is rude. Even what I say, although may not be meant, came off as rude. Now I would never leave trash at someones house but I might have said something to Sally that may have seemed like her input was nothing but trash. The negative traits make us feel bad right? That is what it is supposed to do when you point out flaws and with sincere hurt comes sincere change.

Now this leads us to our part 2 Changing Negatives into Positives! No matter where you work every job has positives and negatives. If you can’t find a negative in said job then you aren’t looking and you are just blindly following. Everyone has a peeve and most companies tend to work that peeve although not intentional. Now looking at the list you may very well be thinking I don’t do these hings at all but I deal with it every day. Well a part of us actually do this every day although it is not the same. We have to change ourselves to see this change occur around us. Now lets take my Time Table peeve. At my current location I can have 8 pushing arts of items that need to be placed back on the floor in order to be sold. Most managers, at least those who don’t do the amount of work you do daily, will give you a time limit to put said items away. Lets say I was told to finish in 1 hour and a half with 8 baskets. Most of the time we try to remain positive and state we can do this. But the basket contains small items like pens, pencils, folders and individual markers. you technically have 8 baskets of small items compared to it being toss pillows and bed sets.

Celtic Music – Legend

Despite them wanting me to get this done in their allotted time I have no help and more push baskets are brought making my work load past the amount the manager wrote before hand. I maybe a little sick but deny to miss work because I need the money. Now when the manager returns they are upset because I managed to only get 2-3 baskets out of the area and yet have so much to do when I should have been done. Flexibility is apparently not there along with other factors but I make it known to a manager that I can trust about my situation and when I have a coaching I saved myself from getting into trouble. When I constantly inform someone that I am far more comfortable with about my time table I was given and what the load actually is the flexibility becomes visible and they work with me to help ensure that said manager understands that I am doing the best I can alone and that other things come up. When i work in said department I am no longer given a time table but, “Please do the best that you can while here.” I changed my negative into a positive. 

Now you maybe looking at this and you might be slightly confused. Here is where positives work hand in hand with a negative to eliminate the problem and boost your morale. My negative is the time table and my positive was a manger who is far more understanding and someone I can trust. I talked to this manager privately and told them my situation where they in turned talked to the manager who gave me the time table to where they removed said time table so I can focus on placing all items in their correct locations and help the customers without worry of being in trouble.

Any negative can be changed into a positive. Now although I have done this my new challenge is I don’t work fast enough. This is the cycle we all face. We are presented with a challenge and we have the 2 options available. We either figure out the problem and break through or we run from it completely. This Karmaic Cycle is what everyone faces. If you run it will return and it will be harder to solve. But if you try and figure it out, with or without help, you can change this problem, negative trait, into a positive one. This is not always an easy thing to do so please keep that in mind. It is never meant to be easy it is meant to be a growing experience because when you grow you will know what you need to do. 

So what does this have to do with your Passion? Everything! When you see your passion as a career that you love no matter what you want to make sure it grows and that you succeed correct? Where we are currently is the consequence of past actions and how we move into what we want we must conquer what is in front of us now. What challenges you face now can be over come but it is up to you to see what needs to be changed. It is a challenge that is hard to see at first this is why I had you do your current job with positive and negative traits.

I want you all to be aware that everything even careers have their high and low points. All positive and negative is around us but you have to know what to do when it happens in your career. Passions again will come and go. Some fade and others become finely tuned. When you know how to approach your negative traits now they won’t be so problematic later. Look at your list of Passions currently and I want you to make a positive trait and negative trait  branch for your top 3-5 passions. You don’t have to list everything for each one but at least 3 would be a good start. In part 3 we will start to formulate the Passions into a deeper level.

 

Unlocking Passion (part 1)

Guzheng: Spring River Flower Moon Night

Everyone has a dream when they are children. For some it is to be a writer, an actor, even an artist. But as a child our idea of a dream is broad and many. I recalled I wanted to be 5 things when I turned 7: An artist, a vet, a traveler, a singer, and a fighter. All very broad and leaving me the expanse to explore in many things. Of course as kids we get into what appeals to us as magic, wonder and just the “Wooow!” Factor. Nothing wrong with it since it gives us a meaning to explore deeper into this world we live in. 

Beautiful Forest Elf Music: Elven Sanctuary

As we grow older some of these dreams have changed or delved into the deeper parts of said field. Around 15 mines did change a bit and others I just went deeper into the terms of the former word. I changed them into: An animator, learn Japanese, animal caretaker, Voice Actor for video games and movies, still sing, teach Yoga, and visit friends and make new ones around the world. Now things are starting to narrow down and become more refined. This is when dreams are starting to develop into passions. I want you to sit back for a moment and recall your dreams as a child. List those dreams all of them no matter how silly they may sound. If you are stuck please read a previous post I wrote: The Art of the Blank Wall. It may very well help you with this process.

RPG Music Mix by: Jeremy Soule and Inon Zur

Okay now that you revisited your childhood dreams I want you to fast forward to somewhere in your teens. Doesn’t matter the age I just want you to try and remember the dreams you carried with you to this point in your life. Once you have this list down compare the 2 and see what similarities you have also note the changes. Did you refine some or change others? If you answered “Yes” to any of them you are beginning your stages of passion developing. I have heard “Dreams are just dreams until you develop and take action!” Something my moms’ friend told me when he gave me 500 sheets of cut butcher paper for my birthday. Now in our late teen years to early adult years I will say we become very overwhelmed with reality. Everyone reacts differently of course to it based on their situation but few things we have in common with many is that dreaming seems to stop and where passions begin. 

Between the age of 20-35 I want you to recall what you wanted to do or get a degree in. This will be you 3rd list. Mines again was fine tuned a bit: Concept Artist (Major), 2D Animator (Major), Video Gamer Developer, Animal Rescue and Caretaker, Linguistics (Minor), Yoga/Relaxation Instructor (Minor). Please don’t worry if you have not gained your degrees yet. Schools, in any form, will always be there and this will have to be a topic for another time. Now that you have your list you have developed a passion in these fields. How strongly attached are you to your 3rd list? Are you going to school for them right now? Is your current job path connected to these passions? What are you doing now that is keeping this passion going?

Pretty deep questions I know but this is where we start digging into the meat or depth of who we are. Passions, like dreams, can be lost or even placed on the back burner but today I want to share with you ways you can bring them forth and create the Passion into your career. Now as a teen I was always told that “Art” is not a real career like a CEO of a company or becoming part of the Armed Forces. Those jobs are great don’t get me wrong but not all jobs fit every single person out there. Retail is a great way to let you know it is entry level until you begin working in their corporate building. These Entry Level jobs help you build for a financial net and also open up doors that were hidden until you actually looked around in detail.

Relaxing Celtic Music: Evening Breeze 

Now being told so many times that Art is not a real career used to peeve me but as a kid I had nothing to back myself up with until I began looking at details. I worked at Abercrombie and Fitch for 8-9 years and when I started working there we had what they called Hell Week. You were taught the folds of each clothing in the store and for one week you had to do all these details by yourself in one room. If you passed you stayed if you failed you were gone. Simple, brutal but if you want a job you will do your best to get it and keep it. Being there taught me about detailing and one night something clicked. Art is about detailing. Something I had been overlooking for years until that moment. From then on that’s when I knew animating was a love but designing is the Passion. I am sure you can guess what I did from there. I began researching on detailing and refining my Passion more to improve myself. Now when someone states to me Art is not a real job I smile and state: “What you are wearing you paid for which was designed by an artist. The car you drive was sketched by an artist and modeled by a sculptor. Even your place of residence and everything that resides in it comes from the mind of an artist. Art is not a job. It is a Passionate Career someone develops out of their heart and soul to bring to you.”

Pretty speechless? Its okay let it sink in for a few moments. Now I want you to think hard for a few moments. What are you doing now to turn these passions into a career? Have you tried looking at your current state to see what needs to change? Now before you go thinking about doing something drastic to get your passion on track lets slow the pace down a bit. Change, in many mindsets, is a very big word and with it means a major step. Well that is not always the case. Change isn’t always something so drastic or dire. It can be as small as changing a color or waking up 10 minutes earlier. For my art passion I changed from having a plain background: Water Sprite WIP to one with more of a story: Adell Translucent Vest. Going deeper for animation sense taking a generic pose: Adell V-Day Poster to more dynamic one: Colorful Surf. The detailing from my job opened my eyes to the detailing to work into my artwork. Now Detailing for me is small but it takes work to do and make sure it is done right.

Moonlight Shadow by E-rotic

From here on forth I want you to take the time out to look at your current job(s) and see what actually has your interest there. What keeps you happy or around there for so long? Many of you will state it’s the people you like that you work with. That is always a plus because communication is very important. When you can communicate with someone so easily you can express yourself without worry and enjoy what you do. For some it could be an aspect of the work that they do. At my current job I love to ensure shelves are stocked and everything remains fresh and clean but like A&F taught me it has to be at a standard presentation in my eyes. You have to deeply look into your current state of affairs, bad or good, and see what piques your interest. What clicks with you and seems like you can’t live without? Write them down and hold onto them. In Part 2 we will dive deeper into changing negatives into positives and forming your Passions into Careers!

 

Virtual Relaxation the Pangya Way

For some people golf is a very relaxing sport. Going out of their way to pay top notch for the best clubs out in the market. The hunt for the best course that can not only meet your visual approval but also get your energy going for a challenge. Now for me miniature golf was my past time growing up along with the arcade. (Malibu Castle) I may not be a fan of the real golf scene too much but I am one for Fantasy Golf Pangya!

Fantasy Golf Pangya Portable – Opening

This particular Version I have is Portable for the PSP. When I first got the title I was unsure how I would feel about it since it is a golf game. As I played I fell in love with nearly everything about it. A major aspect of the game that has impacted me was not just the visuals and lovable characters, It was the music! For each area there was music that captured the moment of the course. Drive!, used in Blue Lagoon & Pink Wind Maps, is one of my favorite songs. In the Pink Wind it fits very well with the green/autumn area and the blossoms blow in the winds. Try playing in the 9-12 mile winds the song really feels fitting.

Fantasy Golf Pangya Portable – Drive!

Much like golf you have to cycle through your clubs for your drive to get to the hole. Take into account your environments and the wind factor. But with Pangya we also have boosters to help us in these environments that aren’t too friendly. You can buy a Silent Wind Booster to silence the wind for your current turn. Maybe you need to boost your drive so buy a Power Milk! Is the bar moving too fast to read and get your perfect Pangya shot? Use a Generic or Duostar Nerve Stabilizer to slow the bar’s movement down. So many things to aide you to become the ultimate Pangya Master.

I don’t recall the reasoning on why I picked this particular game to play yesterday when it was too hot to draw but I figured my subconscious needed a creative spark. Not only is this games storyline very engaging and funny but all characters you unlock are customizable. As you play you gain a currency called Pang. You use Pang to buy costumes for the characters, different clubs, Aztec Balls and the Aides to help your game play smoother. When you purchase in the shops you gain a sticker to a Papel Card. It is the only way to unlocking your flying caddy. Papels each have a stat as well and come in many different designs.

I was playing, unlocking and purchasing so much in the game yesterday I was on for hours and didn’t even know it. This did give me a creative boost so now I am just hoping it is not as humid today so I can draw something. If you enjoy Golfing of any sort and would love to unlock items and meet a hilarious cast of characters to play as then give Pangya a Swing!