Starting a passion project is an exciting way to explore the things that matter most to you while sharing your love for your subject matter with others.
The daily grind of full-time work can make it tough to focus on your well-being, and starting your passion project can be an intelligent way to use your free time to focus on areas of personal interest. While your passion project can undoubtedly contribute to your professional development, there’s no need for your passion project to connect directly to your work.
Whether you choose to drum up an old interest from middle school or high school or select something that’s sparked your interest more recently, start a passion project that matters to you. To do it, you may need to brainstorm on an idea that sparks your passion or learn some new skills that you’ve always wanted to acquire. If you’re stuck, check out these brainstorming tips.
Before starting your passion project, understand the reasons behind its importance. When you know why starting your passion project, you can make time to put in the work and turn it into a success.
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Nine Reasons To Start Your Passion Project Today
There’s no reason to wait to get started with your passion project. Whether you want to connect with others who share your interests or want to grow your side project into a venture that generates income, there are many reasons why starting a passion project can benefit your life.
1. Boost Your Day-To-Day Happiness
Hobbies aren’t just fun — research shows engaging in hobbies can make you happier. When you choose a passion project that’s different from your day-to-day work, you commit to making time for something that matters to you. People who spend time engaging in hobbies aren’t just happier — they also tend to have lower levels of stress and lower heart rates.
2. Share Your Interests With A Lot Of People
When you choose a passion project, it’s likely that you aren’t the only person interested in your subject matter. Social media makes it easier than ever to connect with people who share your interests. Use your social media accounts to reach out to others who have completed similar passion projects. Remember, competition can be fun, but there’s no need to feel like you have to outdo others sharing information in your area of interest. There’s enough room for everyone to succeed and learn from one another.
3. Connect With Others On Social Media
Connecting with others is one great way to use your social media to contribute to your passion project, but you can also use your accounts to share knowledge with others who are curious about what you’re doing. The more you research your area of interest, the more you have to offer your community. You may want to consider creating a social media account solely dedicated to your passion project. If you like this post, you might also be interested in our guide on the best AI content marketing tools.
4. Enjoy The Benefits Of Creativity In Other Areas Of Your Life
When you take time out of your day to work on creative pursuits, you’ll likely find that your creative spirit bubbles over to other areas of your life. Working on a passion project can make it easier to become more creative at work and see new solutions to problems. If you don’t feel particularly creative, don’t worry — the more you flex your creativity muscles, the larger they’ll grow.
5. Add Meaning To Your Free Time
It’s easy to pass hours away scrolling Instagram or watching Netflix. Pursuing a passion project gives meaning to your free time. Forget about wasting the hours away between work and bedtime — when you work on a passion project, you’ll know exactly what you need to do when you get home from work. To help move your passion project forward, you may want to consider giving yourself deadlines to make sure that you stay on track.
6. Use Project-Based Learning To Benefit Your Resume
Your passion project certainly does not need to connect to your career area of expertise, but it may still be able to help bolster your resume. No matter the subject of your passion project, skills like social media marketing, podcasting, and editing text or video can all benefit an employer. If you feel so inclined, check out online courses that could help both your career and your passion project, and don’t forget to add your new skills to your resume.
7. Boost Your Self-Confidence
Learning something new is a great way to grow your self-confidence. By default, engaging in a passion project means you’ll develop new skills. Whether you decide to take a class or self-teach yourself some new skills, learning something new reminds you that you’re able to grow your skill set, no matter how experienced you may be.
8. Use Your Side Project To Develop New Relationships
Working on a passion project is a fun way to get to know others. Check out meetups in your area among people who are interested in your subject area, or reach out to friends to see if they know anyone who is also involved in your area of expertise. Forming new relationships with others who have similar interests can help you stay focused on your project and can help you form connections that will offer valuable resources as your passion project continues to grow.
9. Overcome a Lack of Creativity
If you’re feeling burnt out or uninspired, that’s normal. And it’s easy to fix! Starting a passion project can serve as respite. It’s a fun way to overcome a lack of creativity as you can change medium, formats and topics before returning to your main gig.
From Podcasts To Social Media Accounts: Passion Project Options
Starting a passion project doesn’t necessarily mean kicking off a side gig or starting a business. There are many different ways to approach your passion project to help you develop your interests, no matter how much or how little time you have.
Popular passion project options include:
Starting a podcast. Creating a podcast is a fun way to potentially connect with many people while sharing your newfound knowledge. You may choose to start a podcast on your own or link up with friends who share similar interests. Get the word out about your podcast through social media, by reaching out to your Gmail contacts, and by old-fashioned word of mouth.
Writing a book. If you have a passion for the written word, writing a book can be a fantastic way to share your passion with others. You might choose to become a subject matter expert in your passion project discipline or make researching a new topic the subject of the book itself. It’s ok if you don’t have previous writing experience — you’ll likely find that you get better and better as time goes on. Learn how to write a book.
Starting a blog. WordPress and other free website platforms make it easy to start a blog. As your blog grows, you’ll be able to continually share your expertise with readers, asking them to refer to previous posts to bolster their subject knowledge. Over time, you may find that readers interested in beginning their passion projects in your area of expertise use your blog as a guide to help them get started. Learn about blogging for writers.
Kicking off a YouTube channel. If you love speaking directly to others and being in front of the camera, you may want to consider starting a YouTube channel to connect with others who share your interests. Your YouTube channel can detail your passion project (the process of writing a book or starting an organization), or the channel itself can be the project. No matter what path you choose, YouTube gives you the chance to connect with your audience both with pre-recorded videos and with real-time live videos.
The Final Word On Starting A Passion Project
There are many reasons to start a passion project, from boosting self-confidence to bolstering your resume with new skills. Take your time when considering passion project ideas, and be sure to choose something that has meaning to you.
Whether you choose to share your passion through a podcast, a book, or a social media account, it can be fun to enjoy the benefits of becoming a part of a new community that shares your interests.
FAQs On Passion Projects
Do you have to have deep subject knowledge to begin a passion project?
Good news: no matter your current subject knowledge, you can use your passion project to learn and cultivate your interest. Passion projects can work for everyone who wants to grow and learn, from beginners to experts.Â
How much time per week should I set aside to work on my passion project?
Try to set aside at least two to three hours each week to work on your passion project. As your interest in your project grows, you may want to consider rearranging your schedule to spend more time on work that’s personally significant to you.
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