curiousgirl's playground

A friend recently told me:

"Too smart?" No, that's not correct.

It really irritates me when people don't consider art to be a "respectable" profession. My parents are included in this. Growing up, I never received formal art training. On one hand, as immigrants to the United States, we just didn't have the money. On the other, they later admitted that they never considered this "hobby" of mine very seriously. They don't think artists make much money or that I could be "successful."

I'm a firm believer of this: Success is based on doing what you love. Whether that is making art or becoming a financial analyst. Passion is what separates the good from the exceptional.

What is passion? Passion is what makes you tick. It means reading the Wall Street Journal and tracking stocks because you love it. It means making art after high school prom. It means reading books, articles, blogs, etc. because you want to, not because it was assigned to you (from your job or from your professor). It means doing what you do without thinking it's work.

Coming from Penn and Wharton, most of my friends go into investment banking or consulting. Few of these friends, I'd say, genuinely deeply -love- these professions or have "passion." In fact, I've heard stories of many people hating their jobs after a few years after college. This makes me sad.

In response to my friend,

I have a wide set of interests and goals. My only hope is that I have enough time in my life to complete them all.

technorati tags: art, passion, success, job