The average person spends one third of their life working and another third of their life sleeping. What are you doing with that final third?

Have you learned that language you love? Written your music album? Become a great gymnast?

Life is short and so today we are challenging you to a 30 day passion challenge. These 30 days will get you into a new fun habit, you will be accomplishing things you have thought about for a long time and life will be that bit sweeter.

So, what is your passion? Do you want to learn how to cook? How to write a song? Learn to dance? Whatever it is, grab it with both hands and take it on this 30 day challenge.

After 30 days we want you to feel amazing with your accomplishments and fulfilled because you have being doing a passion that is important to you.

Remember, you don’t have to become a rock star or six packed person by the end of the 30 day passion challenge. You just need to be pursuing your passion and on your way to being fulfilled.

***

First you will need to sit and think about your passion. What do you want to achieve by the end of the 30 days and how do you get there?

The Challenge Rules

1. Set daily, weekly and monthly goals. This will allow you to see where you are, where you need to be and what you need to do next.
2. Spend at least 15 minutes on your passion each day.
3. Journal about what you’re doing.
4. Write about your progress on social media.
5. Share photos and/or videos with people online.

Each day use the hashtags #30daypassionchallenge and #passiondig. We will then find these and feature you on our social media feeds so everyone can see how amazing you are doing!

Motivations

1. Give yourself a small treat each week when you are on track.
2. Reward yourself at the end of the month.

***

No matter what you are passionate about, it is important that you make them a big part of your life. Nothing is too big or small.

If you want help developing your passions or finding new ones, then head over to PassionDig where we believe in running the marathon with you, every step of the way.

If you enjoyed this piece, please click the 👏 button and share to help others find it! Feel free to leave a comment below.

Pursue and discover new passions at PassionDig.com.

PassionDig.com
Facebook @passiondig
Instagram @passiondig
Twitter @passiondigger

Can You Complete Our 30 Day Challenge? was originally published in PassionDig on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

When it comes to hosting an experience, sometimes the right location can be just as important as the experience itself. A wrong venue or lack of prepearation can turn a wonderful experience into an embarrassing evening.

That is why today, we are here to provide you with 8 things you need to know when selecting your venue.

We want to help you showcase your experience in style and have your customers leaving your experience talking about how great it was, rather then how uncomfortable it felt or unprepared.

Are you ready for the 8 things that could make all the difference?

Here they are:

Walls

Having a space with lots of wall space can be great for your experience. Whether it is things showing how to do things in the class or advertising for your website, wall space is very useful.

Before you start sticking things to the walls however, make sure that it is okay with the people who own the venue. Blue tac is a great thing to use for sticking things up or bringing a whiteboard or two is another great way to go.

Space to Move Around.

For an active class that requires movement then space is one of the first things you should be looking at. If your experience mainly involves a lot of sitting down, space is still important. Space can give a better feeling psychologically compared to a cramp little room. Space for people to chat at the beginning and the end will be beneficial too. This will encourage friendships and better possibilities of people returning to your experience.

Make sure to ask venues what the room capacity is for the room and with what layout they got those figures.

Furniture.

When booking a venue make sure you see what furniture is in the room. Do you need lots of tables in there or will that block space you need. Can tables be moved so you can have people facing each other. There might be too few tables.

Whatever your needs are, check what is or isn’t in the room so you can plan properly.

Acoustics

Acoustics can play a major part in the success of your experience. Whether you need your voice to travel in a big room or whether you don’t want it to echo loudly off the walls, you must check the acoustics.

You can’t control the outside traffic noise but you can visit different locations and see which works best when you practice talking there.

Lighting

Good natural light is brilliant for workshops, strip lights or poor lighting in general is not. Especially when you are writing things down, and reading things from a distance, bad light can be a real headache (literally).

When looking for a venue try visiting when it gets dark. This will allow you to see what the lighting is like. Too dark and people will struggle seeing material or even you. Too bright and it could cause headaches.

Best lighting for an experience is natural daylight.

Accessibility

This is a big one. There will be all different kind of people attending your experience and you want to know that they will all be able to comfortably get into your workshop. Check how you would have to get into the building, then to the room. Does it have ramps (if theres stairs) or elevators?

Ask the venue what assistance they can give if needed. Also remember that accessibility does not stop at physical needs.

Parking

A big question that a lot of people tend to ask is, “Is there parking?” If you can find a venue that has parking then that is great. Even if it it only street parking, you will still have a happier customer.

Talk to the venue about available parking and check out the area yourself.

Remember though that not everyone will be coming by car, so check out bicycle racks, bus stops and train stations near by.

Those Little Extras

Sometimes a venue might tick all the above boxes but might still need a little freshening up. This can be achieved by bringing something as simple as flowers in a vase or colourful table cloths. You could also put pictures on the walls as well as samples of your work.

If you can incorporate these objects into your class then that is even better! This will tie the whole room and experience together.

***

Finding the right location can take a while but it plays a huge part in the success of your experience. You want to be able to walk into the venue on the day of your experience, confident and only thinking about the experience. Nobody likes nasty suprises or feeling embarrassed because they can’t answer a question about the venue or it turns out some of the lights don’t work.

Whatever experience you’re thinking of hosting we would love to hear about it! Comment below and be sure to sign up with your email address on our website today.

If you want help developing your passions or finding new ones, then head over to PassionDig where we believe in running the marathon with you, every step of the way.

If you enjoyed this piece, please click the 👏 button and share to help others find it! Feel free to leave a comment below.

Pursue and discover new passions at PassionDig.com.

PassionDig.com
Facebook @passiondig
Instagram @passiondig
Twitter @passiondigger

8 Things You Need to Know: Booking a Venue for Your Experience was originally published in PassionDig on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

So you have a workshop or experience ready and planned. You know what type of people you want to come and where to host it. Now comes the tricky part — the Workshop Description.

It can be hard to know what to and what not to write for a description. So today we have nine excellent tips to help you on your way to a description to be proud of.

So let’s begin.

Don’t use exclamation points.

Somewhere along the way, people started to associate exclamation points in the title with a cheesy salesman telling you “To come on down for the deal of your life!!!”

Instead of using exclamation points answer what your audience are asking: What will I get out of this workshop? What will it help me do or become?

Don’t Rely on the Jargon of the Moment (“become more proactive,” “learn state‐of‐the‐art techniques”).

When writing your description, you need to consider what words people would use when looking for a workshop. Do you think anyone types the words ‘state-of-the-art’ or ‘proactive’? Focus on what they would type and what will make your workshop easier to find.

Don’t congratulate yourself (“the best workshop you’ll ever attend”).

People don’t want to think that you are overconfident or hear you nominate yourself for the best ever cook for example. Instead, find any positive testimonies people have written about your workshop and use it on your page.

Write as you talk.

Pretend you are describing your workshop to someone standing next to you. What words did you use? Those words are golden; write them down.

Be brief.

Describe your workshop in 200 words, then cut back to 100 words. Then write a Tweet about it. You’ll discover what is essential in your 200 words and what you can easily lose.

Count syllables.

Circle any words that have three syllables or more. Replace as many as possible with 1 or 2 syllable words (for example, replace “utilise” with “use” — that works every time).

Count words in a sentence.

Count 18 words from the start of the sentence. No period or colon (:)? Your sentence is too long. Anything under 18 words is fine. After 24 words, you’re in trouble.

When writing a title, go for clear before cute.

Make sure the title tells people what you are going to talk about. The last sentence you write in your workshop description will probably contain your title (one of those oddities of life).

Include an agenda

An agenda will help potential attendees understand what exactly to expect and how you are planning to use the time. Being specific on the agenda will also set the right expectation from start to finish. This is especially important for working professionals who don’t have a lot of time.

***
Writing a description can be tricky, but now you have the knowledge to make it look easy. Get yours online now and watch the customers fly in.

We would love to see what you came up with so please post the links below.

If you want help developing your passions or finding new ones, then head over to PassionDig where we believe in running the marathon with you, every step of the way.

If you enjoyed this piece, please click the 👏 button and share to help others find it! Feel free to leave a comment below.

Pursue and discover new passions at PassionDig.com.

PassionDig.com
Facebook @passiondig
Instagram @passiondig
Twitter @passiondigger

8 Tips for Writing a Great Workshop Description was originally published in PassionDig on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Have you ever had a brilliant idea or a passion to teach others, only to discover that you’re not confident in speaking in front of others? Worried you will say the wrong thing or freeze and not say anything at all?

The first thing you will need to do is to find your voice. When you speak in front of people you want to feel confident and comfortable. This will give you the power to portray your idea, your passion in a way that will fill everyone with understanding and excitement.

We know it can be difficult speaking in front of others. I myself remember standing in front of my class as a child shaking from head to toe. What I didn’t do enough of was practice and use some of the tips in this blog. Now I am confident speaking online, speaking in front of a group and also encouraging others to do it too. I want to be able to help you find your voice, find your confidence and have you on your way to being an amazing teacher of your passion.

Today we have 5 steps to help you find your voice, become a confident speaker/host/teacher and most importantly to love what you do for a living.

***

1. Speak in Front of a Mirror

Speaking in front of a mirror is a great way to see what you’re doing, when you’re doing it. You become your own audience and your own critic. This can feel strange at first but is a great first step towards confidence and finding your voice.

Don’t focus on perfecting what you would say to a room of people, this step is just to get you used to speaking but also seeing what you’re doing when you do. Are you looking down to the ground? Eye contact with your audience is very important and will have them engaged with you and your content. Do you look stiff? People will feel relaxed when you feel relaxed to as people tend to mirror each other.

You will notice the more that you practice this method, the more comfortable you will feel and the more at ease you will look in the mirror.

2. Record Yourself

Recording yourself is a great tool. This allows you to watch yourself back and focus on every aspect of yourself. How you spoke, eye contact, body language, information you gave.

This is also a great next step towards speaking in front of other people. The camera and yourself become an audience and you are able to see what to work on and then you repeat the step again and again until you feel you’ve done it to your best of your ability.

Again, have fun with this step at first. Sure by the end of it you want to achieve the best you can, but at first have fun with it, even if you’re speaking about a film you watched this week rather then your topic. The point here is to get comfortable speaking in front of a camera and then being able to see what needs improving after your first few tries.

3. Practice in Front of Your Partner/Family/Friends

Now it’s time to start putting the skills you’ve learned during the first 2 steps to the test. You may not want to go directly to speaking in front of a room of new people and so a perfect next step is to practice in front of people close to you. Your partner, family and friends will allow you to feel more at ease when talking while at the same time getting some honest feedback.

What you will find in this step compared to the others is that you now need to be more aware of where you’re looking. Are you looking at the guests? Are you just looking in one direction?

When speaking in front of people you want to make everyone feel special, that you care about each one of them. So this will be great practice for looking at each person as you talk while also seeing their reactions. Their reactions will let you know if they’re happy, if they understand, if you are speaking loud enough.

If you are not comfortable looking directly at people when you first try this, then try to look just above their heads. This will give the impression you are looking at the people and allow you to get used to looking straight ahead rather then down at the floor which a lot of nervous people tend to do.

4. Start Doing Small Events on Meetup

Now that you are feeling more confident in your speaking and have practiced your passion you want to teach it’s time for the next step. Arrange a meetup for your first taste of teaching new people. This can be a one on one, a few people or more. It is all about what you are comfortable with and what will have you feeling the happiest.

A meetup is a great way to gain feedback and so you should make a short feedback form asking what each person thought not only about what they learned but about how you did and ask for any suggestions to make things better they might have.

At the end of the event make sure to speak to each person individually, thank them for coming and ask them if they wouldn’t mind filling in the feedback form.

5. Practice Speaking on a Stage in Front of People

Don’t worry we are not suggesting you speak in front of millions of people like Obama (although if you want to try this then go for it!).

The next step here is to find places where you can stand on a stage in front of a group of people in a situation similar to yourself and practice speaking. People will give you amazing feedback on how you speak, what your presence is like and more.

There is a great group called Toastmasters where you can go and do just this. You will gain a lot of confidence, gain amazing feedback and by the end of it you will be amazing at speaking in front of people whether it be one person or a million!

***

Finding your voice and building your confidence in front of people will take you far in this world. Having the ability to convey your message, to teach clearly and have confidence when speaking is what people look for when they want a teacher, a mentor and more.

Remember, everyone has to start somewhere and even just having the desire to do a job they love instead of the normal 9–5, is amazing. Now you have 5 steps to help you towards achieving your dreams, working for yourself and doing what you are passionate about.

Remember that a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. By reading this blog today, that is step one. Now you can do the next five steps we have suggested and be well on your way to being a successful, confident and happy speaker teaching other people what you love.

Here at PassionDig, we want to give you a place to teach what you are passionate about and to help you grow further. We also want to connect you with other passionate people who are going through the same thing as you or who can give advice as they went through it themselves in the past. PassionDig is a community of passionate people who are growing, doing what they love and helping one another. It’s a place to help you start experimenting your ideas and do tasters, to teach other in a safe and personal experience setting.

Head to PassionDig now and sign up to be kept up to date with what we’re doing and on for you to be on track to a happier and more fulfilled future.

If you enjoyed this piece, please click the 👏 button and share to help others find it! Feel free to leave a comment below.

Pursue and discover new passions at PassionDig.com.

PassionDig.com
Facebook @passiondig
Instagram @passiondig
Twitter @passiondigger

5 Steps to Finding Your Voice was originally published in PassionDig on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Have you ever had a brilliant idea or a passion to teach others, only to discover that you’re not confident in speaking in front of others? Worried you will say the wrong thing or freeze and not say anything at all?

The first thing you will need to do is to find your voice. When you speak in front of people you want to feel confident and comfortable. This will give you the power to portray your idea, your passion in a way that will fill everyone with understanding and excitement.

We know it can be difficult speaking in front of others. I myself remember standing in front of my class as a child shaking from head to toe. What I didn’t do enough of was practice and use some of the tips in this blog. Now I am confident speaking online, speaking in front of a group and also encouraging others to do it too. I want to be able to help you find your voice, find your confidence and have you on your way to being an amazing teacher of your passion.

Today we have 5 steps to help you find your voice, become a confident speaker/host/teacher and most importantly to love what you do for a living.

***

1. Speak in Front of a Mirror

Speaking in front of a mirror is a great way to see what you’re doing, when you’re doing it. You become your own audience and your own critic. This can feel strange at first but is a great first step towards confidence and finding your voice.

Don’t focus on perfecting what you would say to a room of people, this step is just to get you used to speaking but also seeing what you’re doing when you do. Are you looking down to the ground? Eye contact with your audience is very important and will have them engaged with you and your content. Do you look stiff? People will feel relaxed when you feel relaxed to as people tend to mirror each other.

You will notice the more that you practice this method, the more comfortable you will feel and the more at ease you will look in the mirror.

2. Record Yourself

Recording yourself is a great tool. This allows you to watch yourself back and focus on every aspect of yourself. How you spoke, eye contact, body language, information you gave.

This is also a great next step towards speaking in front of other people. The camera and yourself become an audience and you are able to see what to work on and then you repeat the step again and again until you feel you’ve done it to your best of your ability.

Again, have fun with this step at first. Sure by the end of it you want to achieve the best you can, but at first have fun with it, even if you’re speaking about a film you watched this week rather then your topic. The point here is to get comfortable speaking in front of a camera and then being able to see what needs improving after your first few tries.

3. Practice in Front of Your Partner/Family/Friends

Now it’s time to start putting the skills you’ve learned during the first 2 steps to the test. You may not want to go directly to speaking in front of a room of new people and so a perfect next step is to practice in front of people close to you. Your partner, family and friends will allow you to feel more at ease when talking while at the same time getting some honest feedback.

What you will find in this step compared to the others is that you now need to be more aware of where you’re looking. Are you looking at the guests? Are you just looking in one direction?

When speaking in front of people you want to make everyone feel special, that you care about each one of them. So this will be great practice for looking at each person as you talk while also seeing their reactions. Their reactions will let you know if they’re happy, if they understand, if you are speaking loud enough.

If you are not comfortable looking directly at people when you first try this, then try to look just above their heads. This will give the impression you are looking at the people and allow you to get used to looking straight ahead rather then down at the floor which a lot of nervous people tend to do.

4. Start Doing Small Events on Meetup

Now that you are feeling more confident in your speaking and have practiced your passion you want to teach it’s time for the next step. Arrange a meetup for your first taste of teaching new people. This can be a one on one, a few people or more. It is all about what you are comfortable with and what will have you feeling the happiest.

A meetup is a great way to gain feedback and so you should make a short feedback form asking what each person thought not only about what they learned but about how you did and ask for any suggestions to make things better they might have.

At the end of the event make sure to speak to each person individually, thank them for coming and ask them if they wouldn’t mind filling in the feedback form.

5. Practice Speaking on a Stage in Front of People

Don’t worry we are not suggesting you speak in front of millions of people like Obama (although if you want to by this step then go for it!).

The next step here is to find places where you can stand on a stage in front of a group of people in a situation similar to yourself and practice speaking. People will give you amazing feedback on how you speak, what your presence is like and more.

There is a great group called Toastmasters where you can go and do just this. You will gain a lot of confidence, gain amazing feedback and by the end of it you will be amazing at speaking in front of people whether it be one person or a million!

***

Finding your voice and building your confidence in front of people will take you far in this world. Having the ability to convey your message, to teach clearly and have confidence when speaking is what people look for when they want a teacher, a mentor and more.

Remember, everyone has to start somewhere and even just having the desire to do a job they love instead of the normal 9–5, is amazing. Now you have 5 steps to help you towards achieving your dreams, working for yourself and doing what you are passionate about.

Remember that a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. By reading this blog today, that is step one. Now you can do the next five steps we have suggested and be well on your way to being a successful, confident and happy speaker teaching other people what you love.

Here at PassionDig, we want to give you a place to teach what you are passionate about and to help you grow further. We also want to connect you with other passionate people who are going through the same thing as you or who can give advice as they went through it themselves in the past. PassionDig is a community of passionate people who are growing, doing what they love and helping one another. It’s a place to help you start experimenting your ideas and do tasters, to teach other in a safe and personal experience setting.

Head to PassionDig now and sign up to be kept up to date with what we’re doing and on for you to be on track to a happier and more fulfilled future.

If you enjoyed this piece, please click the 👏 button and share to help others find it! Feel free to leave a comment below.

Pursue and discover new passions at PassionDig.com.

PassionDig.com
Facebook @passiondig
Instagram @passiondig
Twitter @passiondigger

Have you taken the leap of leaving your 9 to 5 job and pursuing your passion? If no, why not?

Life is short, and so we should do what makes us happy, what fulfils us. Yet, we find ourselves trapped in a cage and one that we almost stay in there willingly. There are many reasons for this, of course, security, people telling you to stop dreaming or that you are crazy thinking you can reach the stars. People do make it, however, otherwise, we wouldn’t have astronauts, football players, actors on Broadway and more. You can grab a piece of that pie. You can even make the whole thing!

Is it scary to change? It can be. Hard work? Yes, but everything worth doing in life requires some hard work. Will it be rewarding? Massively!

Paul Antonio was always encouraged to follow his passions and so refused to commit to the usual 9 to 5 job and pursued what made him happy. José is a Master Calligrapher.

Read on to discover how José got to where he is today and how you too can have a career doing your passion.

***

Can you tell me a little bit about you and your background?

I grew up in Trinidad in the West Indies. I have a brother and two sisters. My mother raised us on her own. My father left us when we were kids. Mummy was amazing. She always encouraged us and kept reminding us the only way out is through education. She was always there at everything we did, and I did a lot. I sang in the choir, I sang competitively, did gymnastics, dance, she always supported me in whatever I did, and that constant encouragement gave me such drive to excel in whatever I put my mind or my hands to.

What is your passion?

I fell in love with calligraphy when I was a child. I was about nine. My first forays into hand lettering evolved out of my brother and I trying to keep out of trouble. We would trace typeface and shade them in. My brother, Edmund, came home one day having traced an “Old English’ font. I could see if you had a ‘big pen’ you could write it. A few months later a friend gave me a ‘big pen’, a broad-edged nib and off I went.

I always liked writing, and the hunt for calligraphy in the encyclopaedias in the library led me down many a rabbit hole. I soon discovered Egyptian Hieroglyphs, and non-Latin scripts and things opened up from there. I was also lucky to be able to go the Trinidad archives and see old handwriting and the writing on the botanical and wildlife illustration.

I also fell in love with geography and seeing the letting on old maps fuelled my passion.

What does passion mean to you?

Passion means happiness. It also means constant thinking and pushing the boundaries. On another level it also means suffering. Suffering because when you are passionate about something you push yourself. Others see the work and say ‘wow, that is great!’ but you look at it and only see the mistakes. Slowly, you get better and accept what you have done, but you are always striving for more. It is a struggle between being happy with the work because you have achieved something beautiful, then you quickly realise, now that you are better, you can do better. Back and forth. It is a good struggle, but it is also a frustrating one. The joy is the light. Every now and again you touch on something, and the universe opens up before you and this wonderful light of knowledge and knowing illuminates your mind. The price is the more you know, the less you know.

What are obstacles faced when on a journey to discovering and working a passion? How do you overcome them?

Taking your passion and turning it into a job is sometimes not a good thing. You have to balance what it is worth against what someone will pay for it. The worst part of this is when you are starting, and you need the work, but people don’t know you, so you walk a thin line of pleasing the client while not pleasing yourself or the other way around. In the beginning, it is hard to stop yourself from investing too much time in a project but basing the plan around its compensation. You always put in more because, in the end, you have to be happy.

Asking people to pay was another severe problem but something you have to overcome because you need to live.

Knowing your tools and materials comes next, but you can’t know them if you don’t have them, and they might be too expensive, so I pushed myself to see writing differently. To be able to do it at such a high level that I could ask companies for tools and they would send them to me to test. This requires skill, knowledge, a system and most of all honesty.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue their passion instead of the usual 9–5 job but are nervous?

Think! Think about what you want to do. Make a plan. I was never taught to plan what I was going to do. I was skilled, so I assumed I would get work. I had to figure out how to deal with taxes for self-employed. This was a nightmare. I had to work on things I was instinctively not good at and learn to be mediocre at it. You cannot be good at everything so learning what you are good at and not good at is essential. Find someone who is good at the things you are bad at and pay them to do it, it will save you a lot of time.
Learn to let go. Giving up a 9–5 is also about trusting the work will come, believing you can do it. However, learning not to panic and not worry needlessly about what money is coming in has to be balanced out, or you will get ill nearing the end of every month, then when the work does come in, you are too sick to do it.

Learn your skill, become a master of your passion. Don’t be mediocre at something; it is pointless.

Study the market. Look at the competition.

Meditate! You cannot know how important it is to do this. You will need to be about to find some calm in your mind, especially when you are stressed by not enough work or too much work.

What is your favourite thing about calligraphy and why?

There is so much I can say here, and every month this changes for me. I have been lucky to have had a fantastic practice with lots of clients, and different clients too — lots of different projects and experiences which have put me in touch with such bizarre and unique experiences. I have also been lucky to work with and meet other calligraphers all over the world. Moreover, now I am embarking on a different phase of my calligraphic life, new products, more study, more delving.

So I guess for me it is about change. Calligraphy is about change. The ability to see so much in something which is seemingly so static. How can 26 letters be so different? How can the writing of 26 letters generate a meditative field to create calm and out of the calm grows a storm!

***

Paul teaches us that it is possible to do your passion for a career but that you must be prepared. Make a solid plan, mentally prepare yourself and then go for it. He was encouraged as a child and that has gave him so much confidence in doing what he loves. Surround yourself by people who encourage you and give you the confidence to live your dreams.

What will you do to take a step closer to turning your passion into a career? When are you going to take that leap away from 9 to 5 and into a passion filled life?

At first it may feel like you’re falling off a cliff, not knowing what will happen next. But soon, you will fly, with the wind brushing your face and fulfilment pumping in your heart.

Life is short, your passion is strong, aim for the moon and play among the stars.

If you want help developing your passions or finding new ones, then head over to PassionDig where we believe in running the marathon with you, every step of the way.

If you enjoyed this piece, please click the 👏 button and share to help others find it! Feel free to leave a comment below.

Pursue and discover new passions at PassionDig.com.

PassionDig.com
Facebook @passiondig
Instagram @passiondig
Twitter @passiondigger

How Paul’s Passion For Calligraphy Became His Career and How Your Passion Can Become Yours Too was originally published in PassionDig on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Growing up many people dream about playing sports for a career. They love sports, their parents love sports and so on. Some say it’s just in their DNA. But, what happens after you’ve lived that dream? Chill in a villa in Spain, go hiking across the world?

Blake McFarland decided to go down a different path. No, it wasn’t the yellow brick road, but it was just as unique. He decided to make sculptures, out of… tyres?!

Read on and discover how Blake went from a baseball player to a tyre artist.

***

Can you tell me about your background?

I am from San Jose, CA. Born and raised. I would always make things and draw when I had any downtime when I was young. I played many sports throughout my childhood and excelled in baseball. I received a Scholarship to San Jose State University and played there while getting my BA psychology degree. In 2011 I got signed by the Toronto Blue Jays and ended up playing eight seasons in the minor leagues. During my off-seasons, I would create my artwork for work. I recently retired from baseball in 2018 because of a shoulder injury, and now I am pursuing my second passion for being a full-time artist.

2. What is your passion and how did it come about?

My passion has always been sports. It was not until I had time on my hands in the baseball offseason where I picked up artwork. I created my first tire sculpture in 2012 and was lucky enough for an art gallery to take it in. It was a very influential time in my life because from then on I knew that I could try and create more unique sculptures. I feel like I may have too many passions now. I am an avid spear fisherman, surfer, weightlifter, and artist. I should probably narrow my scope of practice down in the future haha.

3. What does Passion mean to you?

Passion is something that you love and gives you joy. It can be as simple as reading, hiking and so on. I think it is crucial that everybody has at least one passion that he or she can pursue. A good passion takes your mind off everything else going on in your life and focuses you on the task at hand. That is why I love sculpting, surfing, and diving. You cannot think about anything else but the task at hand.

4. Have there been any obstacles in your journey to discovering and working your passion? If so, what and how did you overcome them?

I have had many obstacles along my journey. I started art by painting ocean landscapes. I quickly realised that selling art is extremely hard, and I knew I needed to do something different. That is where my tire sculptures came in. I knew by doing something so unique it would give me a niche that nobody else had. My failure as a painter lead me straight to tire sculptures which are what I mostly still do today.

5. What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue their passion instead of the normal 9-5 job but is nervous?

If somebody said, he or she wanted to pursue their passion instead of their day job I would tell them that if you are truly serious about it, then do it. First I would advise that they come up with a plan on how they would make a living and tell them that the art world is not easy to get into. They should have a pro’s and con’s list and see if it is feasible. I genuinely think that if they are passionate enough about what they want to do, then they can make it happen.

6. What is your favourite thing about art and why?

My favourite thing about my art is that I get to work with different materials and figure out different ways of using everyday items. I have created a larger than life Buck out of basketball leather for the Milwaukee Bucks which I never thought I could do. I have learned so much along the way, and I have a much broader scope of knowledge after doing so many sculptures. I am always excited to think about what I will be sculpting next.

***

Blake is a shining example of how passions can push you to great things. If you can be brave, be prepared and work hard, then you too can live your dreams.

So make a hot drink, sit down and think “What job would make me happy and fulfilled?”. Next step, plan, prepare and execute!

Be bold. Be brave. Be you.

If you want help developing your passions or finding new ones, then head over to PassionDig where we believe in running the marathon with you, every step of the way.

If you enjoyed this piece, please click the 👏 button and share to help others find it! Feel free to leave a comment below.

Pursue and discover new passions at PassionDig.com.

PassionDig.com
Facebook @passiondig
Instagram @passiondig
Twitter @passiondigger

Blake Mcfarland: From Baseball Player to Tyre Sculptor was originally published in PassionDig on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Tis’ the season to be jolly and to put some passion into your creations. This year instead of buying an advent calendar full of chocolate from the store, why not make an awesome unique one yourself?!

This is a quick, easy and yet amazing D.I.Y. project that anyone can do, that will have your creative juices flowing and happy treats a hiding.

All you have to do is print of the designs and get making :)

Downloads:

boxes 1–4, boxes 5–8, boxes 9–12, boxes 13–16, boxes 17–20, boxes 21–24

***

We wish you a wonderful December and a magical Christmas wherever you are. Please share with us your thoughts below and also your amazing advent calendar builds.

You have one life, learn passions, be passionate, do what you love!

Go to PassionDig.com where you can learn passions from passionate people.

If you enjoyed this piece, please click the 👏 button and share to help others find it! Feel free to leave a comment below.

Pursue and discover new passions at PassionDig.com.

PassionDig.com
Facebook @passiondig
Instagram @passiondig
Twitter @passiondiggerdiy

An Easy and Awesome to Make Advent Calendar! was originally published in PassionDig on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it’s your kid and he’s got powers!

We all think of our children as special but do you know what their superpower is? Discovering your child’s power early on means you can nurture it and who knows, they might just help the planet one day!

Today we have 3 potential superpowers your child may have. Which one does yours have or does your child have another one? Either way comment below to tell us what you discovered.

Super Negotiator

Does your kid disagree with everything you say, coming up instead with his/her own ideas and make you frustrated? Don’t worry, your kid may have the negotiation superpower above an average child!

Super Caring

Does your kid have empathy for others? Do they always run to help someone when they have fallen or hurt themselves? Your child might have the mighty super caring power!

Your child might be the next Mother Teresa!

Super Architect

Does your kid like to break things apart and put them together? Or does your child make something different out of the parts?

They may be the next great inventor or architect!

***

Once you have discovered your child’s superpower it is important to nurture it and help it grow anyway you can. Your child can achieve great things and you will be a part of it!

Have patience, be kind and be nurturing. We are looking forward to seeing your children using there powers for good in the future :)

You have one life, learn passions, be passionate, do what you love!

Go to PassionDig.com where you can learn passions from passionate people.

If you enjoyed this piece, please click the 👏 button and share to help others find it! Feel free to leave a comment below.

Pursue and discover new passions at PassionDig.com.

PassionDig.com
Facebook @passiondig
Instagram @passiondig
Twitter @passiondigger

Unleash Your Child’s Superpower was originally published in PassionDig on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Sadly this week a great man called Stan Lee died. He was a man full of passion who wanted to share it with all of us. He created the Marvel Universe, allowed us to escape from our world for a while but also allowed us to dream. Dream of being superheroes, dream of makng our own iuniverse and dream mof being a success in life.

So this week in honour of this great man we here at PassionDig searched for a great artist (Darkonator) to help teach you how to draw one of Stan Lee’s iconic characters Spiderman and since Venom is popular this year we threw him in to.

We hope you enjoy.

***

We hope that you Marvel fans out there have enjoyed creating this piece of art and that it has brought some fond memories back. Please comment below to pay tribute to Stan Lee and to let us know how you got on with your drawing.

You have one life, learn passions, be passionate, do what you love!

Go to PassionDig.com where you can learn passions from passionate people.

If you enjoyed this piece, please click the 👏 button and share to help others find it! Feel free to leave a comment below.

Pursue and discover new passions at PassionDig.com.

PassionDig.com
Facebook @passiondig
Instagram @passiondig
Twitter @passiondigger

How to Draw Spiderman and Venom was originally published in PassionDig on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.