Having a passion project has become a thing in recent years. As its name suggests, a passion project is rooted in a person’s passion. Someone will do something they’re passionate about, but it’s not necessarily related to work. It’s simply an activity they want to engage in during their free time. Usually, these projects are something creative.
One popular example is Lauren Hom’s passion project called “Will Letter For Lunch.” In this project, Hom went around New York and used her hand-lettering skills to letter menus in restaurants in exchange for lunch.
Some may think that a passion project is a waste of time. The hours spent on hobbies can be used to do more work instead or spend time with family. Still, there are numerous reasons to have a passion project and make it worthwhile.
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Improve Mental Health
Engaging in a creative passion project can improve your mental well-being. For example, you can do your passion project during your free time. And it can be a way to rest and take a break from work.
Your passion project can help you relieve stress. One study found that creative activities can promote relaxation and reduce stress. Doing something creative can also be therapeutic. And this is evidenced by the use of art therapy to help children, adolescents, and adults with psychosocial problems.
Also, the key aspect of a passion project is that you’re doing something you love. So you’re doing it for yourself and not for others. This factor alone can make your passion project enjoyable and relaxing since there’s no pressure on you.
Learn Additional Skills
Pursuing a passion project means you will need to learn new skills for it. For example, say you want to write a book. You will need to learn how to write a manuscript, edit it, and publish your own book. These new skills can even become useful in certain situations. For example, being able to write long texts and self-edit can help you communicate better at work.
Whether you can use your newly acquired skills at work or not, learning them is still a significant benefit of pursuing a passion project.
Boost Your Creativity
A passion project is a great outlet for your creativity. You can express yourself the way you want through that passion project.
Being creative can also lead to other good benefits. It will make you a more effective problem-solver. It can also make you more open-minded and understand other people’s perspectives.
Boost Self-Esteem and Confidence
The compounding benefit of learning new skills is better self-esteem and confidence. And when you do something you genuinely love, you’ll also feel good about yourself.
Boosting your self-esteem and confidence can be very helpful in all areas of your life. When you feel good about yourself, you can present yourself well with others, whether at work, school, or somewhere else.
Earn Money
Many people who pursue a passion project eventually turn it into a source of additional income. For example, people who do arts and crafts can eventually sell their finished pieces online. Someone who runs a podcast as a passion project can earn some money through affiliate marketing and advertising. The same is true for people who vlog and post videos on YouTube.
Meet New People
Your creative passion project can be your gateway to meet new people. For instance, you can connect with people pursuing the same project or something similar. There are many online communities where people with the same hobbies and interests gather, such as Facebook and Reddit.
Your new connections can be very valuable. For example, if you choose to turn your passion project into a business, the friends you meet through it can help you out or become your customers.
Good Passion Project Ideas
There are many passion project ideas that you can try. You can try calligraphy or hand-lettering. It’s a great way not just to improve your penmanship. If you’re into writing, you can pursue a writing passion project. You can write short essays, stories, or poems.
If you want to engage in digital technology, you can start your own podcast or a YouTube channel. You can also try learning graphic design.
You can pursue any passion project you prefer at any time. The important thing is to remember is you shouldn’t pressure yourself to do any of it. If you try a project and eventually lose interest in it, it’s okay to try a different creative activity until you find something you enjoy doing.
