Where do we get our passion for the things we love?
Quite often, people will say that their career is not merely a means to pay the bills but a way of life; even going as far as to say that it’s in their blood. It’s also true that you will often see people following in the footsteps of their parents and older siblings. Families of Doctors; generations of bakers; a lineage of musicians; it’s almost as though it’s hereditary.
My uncle is a writer who has seen a lot of success, with many original plays and dozens of adaptations touring both on stage and via radio (no pressure, huh?). I found this alone to be interesting and thought it perhaps even added a nugget of truth to the debate that our job is often destined to us based on our bloodline. Recently however, I was chatting with my mum about writing and she ended up bringing me two old journals, full to the brim with her handwritten scribbles. There were poems, stories, musings and song lyrics; none of which I had ever known anything about until that point. She had never done anything to take the endeavour further, seeing it more as a useful pastime than a potential career but I loved finding out that she too had once had a love for writing.
Overall I imagine most people who take after their family when it comes to their career do so because passion is infectious, and growing up around someone who genuinely loves what they do can have a huge influence. I know books and stories were always a big part of my childhood and don’t doubt this has played a significant role in my desired path. But who knows, maybe there’s more to the idea of our job being in our blood than I first thought.
Do your loved ones share your passion for writing to any extent? Were reading and writing important parts of your experience growing up?
Callum McLaughlin 
I was always encouraged and given space to be creative but it was only two years ago that i seriously started writing. I think so long as there’s passion and dedication then lineage or self motivation is almost irrelevant to what makes a writer.
I agree that in many cases, people discover their own talents or passions without guidance from previous generations. It’s just interesting to find out what seeds may have been sown when we were younger without us even knowing at the time.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts 🙂
We’re all products of our environment, either we embrace or resist it but it defines us regardless. No, thanks for posting an interesting blog post.
My grandfather has written and published two non-fiction books. My mom loves to write and has kept journals over the years but never had anything published. She and my dad always made sure that my sister and I grew up loving books and the written word. Both of us are still avid readers and writers to this day.
That’s fantastic. It was a similar situation with me; I was never told ‘you must be a writer’, but I was always surrounded by books and stories. I definitely think it helped shape my love for writing now.
Thanks for reading and commenting 🙂
Definitely! I think we do in a way inherit talents and passions from our parents or grandparents. Both my grandfather (same one that wrote books) and my mom are both amazing artists. Aside from writing, that is my other passion.
You’re welcome 🙂
I wouldn’t say writing is in my blood due to any part of my parents’ (well, maybe my mother, who like yours dabbled in it as a a hobby), but I have been doing it my entire life, and in that manner, it is in my blood. I think I crafted my own path because I was the introvert of the family.
I wouldn’t be lying if I said I hope to influence my child(ren) to enjoy or even participate in their parents’ favorite pastimes, to include reading and writing. :]
Absolutely. I think passing on an appreciation for reading and writing is a wonderful gift to give a child; one that will last a lifetime 🙂
A very interesting question. I would agree that talents can be passed down through generations, or certainly passion for certain endeavours. The majority of my family are good at art, and most can draw. The skill varies from generation to generation, but not the enthusiasm. Both my daughters excel in art and enjoy it most of the time.
The thing I don’t share with my family is the writing. That’s not to say it didn’t connect me to certain members. I escaped into books from a very early age, it’s how I coped, and like Sierra, as an introvert I find it difficult (in real life) to connect to people. I’ve always been more comfortable with my characters and find very few people in my family understand me (I know they think I’m eccentric!).
The saddest thing, I think, is that I’ve read to my girls from the moment they were able to understand language and yet I can get neither of them to read now. They do, however, both excel in English and their understanding of the language (I sometimes wonder if that has something to do with learning sign language from a young age). Neither of them like to write though, yet it is a huge part of who I am. I’m hoping the trait will come out in later life. That said, I’ll allow them to follow their own dreams and support them in anything they wish to do.
I think that’s a great way to approach it; giving them the tools they need to appreciate literature but allowing them to find their own passions. Many people come to writing later in life and I think a lot of people also go through a phase where reading and writing feel like chores so you never know, they may learn to share your love for what you do 🙂
Thanks 🙂 I’m sure you’re right. It’s hard to imagine ever finding reading a chore, but then maybe I’d change my mind if I wasn’t reading for pleasure but profession (education doesn’t count I like reading text books too!).
I never find writing a chore, although I go through stages where I avoid it even whilst knowing it will make me feel better.
They’ll find their own way 🙂
I’ve heard a lot of people say they really get into reading once they leave school/university. When there’s a lot of studying and required reading to be done, I suppose it could be easy to associate it with being something of a task rather than a pleasure but once they are free to read the things they want, they find it much more enjoyable.
Like you, I’ve been lucky enough not to experience that myself. I’ve always loved reading and writing 🙂
That’s true, I’ve heard people say it myself. Thankfully for us there are plenty of people out there who love to read! I often find it interesting, and a little sad, when people tell me they don’t get ‘lost’ in a book. But then, they have other things that give them a similar pleasure and each to their own 🙂
My younger sister, often laughs at my reaction when she can put a book down half-way through and leave it weeks at a time before picking it back up again. Perhaps its a case of delayed gratification, or that she’s a lot more patient than I am!
She also gets annoyed when I want to talk a subject to death!
But, as usual, I digress. I think you’re question is an interesting one and I’m sure some things are passed through the blood and, if nurtured, will grow and develop and influence those to come.
Thanks again for the interesting post.
What a really interesting post and topic 🙂 I definitely agree that when things past down in the family it is probably due to passion. If someone loves something so much, it’s likely their children will pick up on that infectious happiness and want the same 😀
Happiness is definitely infectious and I think it’s only natural to try and emulate it when we see others enjoying their lives and careers 🙂
Thanks for reading and commenting.
My Mum definitely shares my passion, but the problem is she has so many passions she needs several lifetimes to do everything she wants to do! Writing has never been the main part of her job but she’s always fitted in things to do with it, and from that point of view, I definitely think upbringing has a lot of bearing. Words have always been a big part of my life.
I think literature and writing are very powerful in all their forms and they can influence and impact our lives in lots of different ways, especially if our parents have a passion for them in some capacity as we’re growing up.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.