How Do You Keep Doing What You Love?

How do you keep doing what you love?

We often think that loving something, like calligraphy, means having a fountain of enthusiasm and never-ending motivation.

But realistically, that’s impossible.

Stress from work, responsibilities to our family, emotions, mental well-being, and health hiccups can all take away our enthusiasm.

In fact, most of the time, it’s a struggle for me to fight against all these factors and keep my enthusiasm for calligraphy alive.

I heard a songwriter say this: “I don’t keep my passion by maintaining it 24/7, 365 days. I keep my passion by losing it once in a while.”

That line struck me — so maybe loving something isn’t the same as feeling enthusiastic about it every day.

If we can accept that it’s normal for our enthusiasm to wax and wane, then we can feel less guilty about the quiet stretches.

And if we can feel less guilty, we can appreciate and treasure the bursts of enthusiasm more.

So what can we do during the quiet stretches?

Consider this your permission, in case you need it:

• It’s okay to do something for fun, like writing your to-do list in cursive. It’s not calligraphy practice, but it feels like a fun connection to writing letterforms.

• It’s okay not to consume any calligraphy content. If you’re already feeling guilty, Instagram can often feel like a comparison trap.

• It’s okay to pick up a new hobby, craft or skill. I picked up crocheting, which gives me a place to have fun with no pressure to be good at it.

• It’s okay to step away, and to come back when you’re ready, rather than when guilt tells you to.

I often hear students and friends say they didn’t practise as much as they should have.

But really, what’s the measure for “should”? Who determines the “should”?

We’re all living on our own timelines, with our own goals, so these invisible “should”s create guilt that doesn’t help us.

Perhaps a kinder question to ask is: what do you need at this moment, and what can you do to support yourself?

Sometimes, the answer is time away from calligraphy.

But maybe accepting those quiet stretches, without guilt, is how we keep doing what we love.

This was first published in my email newsletter, 💌 Curious Letters, where I share tips and stories about calligraphy.

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