I just watched this TED talk by Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat, Pray, Love), and I thought it was a really nice follow-up to my previous post. I love the way she describes following your creative passion as "finding your home" and "finding where you rightfully live." It implies so much more about what it really means to follow your passion.
"Following" implies a state of constant motion, pursuing, and it also implies something that is separate from yourself.
"Finding your home," on the other hand, implies stability, constancy, and something that is innately part of yourself. It implies that your passion and your identity as defined by your actions is something that you build and maintain throughout your life--not something that you have to chase around from place to place. I think perhaps this is where true inner strength comes from: knowing where your creative home is. If you maintain this foundation, this bed-rock, it can keep you "safe from the random hurricanes of outcome"--both good and bad. Outcome is always half-random, and if you define yourself and your worth based on the external happenings of the moment--such as how other people react to you or your work--then how can you really know who you are?
She ends her talk with a beautiful summary of her philosophy. I'm glad that she specifically mentions addiction and infatuation--as the dark, tainted sides of love and passion, I think it's important to address them.
"I don't know where you rightfully live, but I know that there is something in this world that you love more than you love yourself--something worthy, by the way. So addiction and infatuation don't count, because we all know that those are not safe places to live, right? The only trick is that you've got to identify the best, worthiest thing that you love most and then build your house right on top of it, and don't budge from it."
