Never Throw Any of Yourself Away {Guest Post}

Today I have Megan Elaine with me. She is a brilliant and talented young woman. I am so happy to have her on my blog with us today. 

Photographer. Writer + Poet. World Traveler. Painter. Musician.

These are all things I call my passions and aspirations. I aspire to be all these things at some point in my life. The thing is though, I used to think that was wrong. Whenever I told somebody about my passions or interest they used to say I had too many, that I could never accomplish all those things and it was better if I just picked one. So I listened to them. I tried to pick and choose between my interests and throw away the ones that didn’t seem fit for me. I never felt complete, though. I always felt like something was missing. It wasn’t until recently that I learned what people told me was wrong. When you start to throw away parts of yourself you loose who you are as a whole.

“If you have two or three real passions, don’t feel like you have to pick and chose between them. Don’t discard. Keep all your passions in your life.... Don’t throw any of yourself away. Don’t worry about a grand scheme or unified vision of your work. Don’t worry about unity -- what unifies your work is the fact that you made it. One day, you’ll look back and it will all make since.”

- Austin Kleon, Steal Like An Artist -

The thing is, it’s ok to have more than one interest or passion. Even if you don’t see how they’ll ever fit together in the future. Unity is nothing you need to worry. What unifies everything is you yourself. You are an intricate being that has a combination of interests and passions and you are capable of combining them in a way no one else can. Never pull yourself apart. You may not see it, looking forward, how they connect, but I guarantee one day you’ll look back and it’ll all make since. God created you and your interest for a reason. He had every inclination on what he was doing. You have all these passions for a reason. Don’t throw them away.

~

 You can check out some more of Megan Elaine's amazing writing and her beautiful photos at Thirteen Blank Pages. Please feel free to leave a comment and share!

Photo: Megan Elaine Photography