I have been lately thinking of weird things. For some reason, I desperately want to make a series of lampshades and paint fish, especially koi. Having experiences like this before, I wasn’t surprised at all.
However, I have been questioning myself as to why these occurrences are happening. This lead me to this question: Are these things obsessions or just things I like or passionate about?
Obsession: (noun) 1. the domination of one’s thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, desire, etc. 2. the idea, image, desire, feeling, etc., itself.
Certainly, in this case, me persisting myself to make lampshades can seem like obsessive behavior. It reminds me of the Facebook phenomenon; people continuously their notifications and messages starting as soon as they wake up. Honestly, we all get a bit obsessive over something or other, but can that also be passionate behavior?
Passion: (noun) 1. a state or outburst of strong emotion. 2. an intense desire or enthusiasm for something.
By definition alone, obsession and passion seem very similar. However, I do feel that when you are passionate, you have a more emotional attachment to whatever you’re passionate about. I agree that wanting to make lampshades is strange and obsessive, but trying to make something different from everyone else is where I become passionate. Another example is Vincent Van Gogh’s numerous self portraits; was he obsessive or passionate? (he was a little narcissistic but that’s besides the point.) Really, we are all obsessive and passionate, but knowing where we stand and not getting too obsessive and passionate, we help us to not become crazy.
Finding Harmony in Art and Design 