kiwi bird print by melodysage - click image to see more
Have you ever noticed that passionate people are a little weird?
People who have something to say. People who have a cause. People who have joy. People who have something to be excited about.
Those people are often a little off.
On Friday night, Megan and I were watching Food Inc on ye olde Netflix. I’d seen it a few times but, while she’d read all the books (what books hasn’t she read?), Megan had never seen the film. As we’re finally being introduced to the organic farmer who still handles every bit of the production process, I blurt out, “This guy’s a little weird. I love that.”
Followed by, “That sounds like a blog post.”
Yup, passionate people are a little weird. It’s that excited edge to your voice, the feeling that you just can’t shut up, the smile that comes from making your point, or the scowl that comes from talking about your particular brand of evil. Those are the trademarks of a passionate person.
They’re also the things that make us feel self-conscious. Five minutes into an impassioned ramble, we hear the weird come out and we stop. We shut up. We apologize. We change the subject.
But that weird is how we make our mark on the world.
Own your own crazy.
Amplify it.
Flaunt it.
Not because it’s schtick, because it’s you.
- Jonathan Fields
The people who change the world, build communities, and make a name for themselves & the things they care about don’t shut up when the weird comes out. They don’t change the subject even when they’re in a room full of people who might not care.
Passionate people let the weird out and the weird becomes a magnet for other passionate people.
If you’re struggling to find your place in a community or develop a message that resonates with the people around you, let your weird out. Don’t say what you’re “supposed to say” or do what you’re “supposed to do.”
Get passionate & get weird.
About tara gentile
Just what I needed to be reminded of. Thanks Tara!
I think it’s a good holiday message
I always feel most weird when I’m with my husband’s family.
what awesome advice! sometimes, i get bogged down by the idea that i “should” do or say a certain thing, but it’s a post like this that reminds me not to care. i love being around people who inspire me to let loose, be myself and comfortably say what i want to say (whether it be a little “off” or not). i’m embracing the weird all the way!
Oh, I LOVE this! (Also, that kiwi is hilarious!) My hubby and I always joke that we’re proud geeks. It’s fun to geek out about art, music, whatever. I guess weirdness is in that same vein. It’s all about getting excited about something, and being super silly about it, and not caring whether people notice or not.
Hooray for WEIRD!
Yes! This post hits the nail on the head.
I recently let my “mix tape” weird out. When I was writing about my mix tape “religion” I felt the passion coursing through my veins while at the same time thinking how weird it is to even have a mix tape “religion”, but oh well! I’M WEIRD like that
And, at the end of the day, I’m not lookin’ to find more “normal” people to judge me, I am looking for my long lost tribe of people who want to bring the art of mix tapes back, send surprise art cards in the mail, and enjoy giggling at Christmas angels who, while beautiful on the outside, play the most horrible sounding Christmas music you’ve ever heard (I have one). Yeah, it’s hard to find those people by playing it safe 
-Kristen
This may be my favorite Scoutie Girl post of all! It is so right on and makes me feel somewhat “normal” – if there is such a thing.
This post is right on! As someone who spent most of my school days trying, wishing, to be less weird, I am finally learning to embrace my weird. Why be normal? Being weird and passionate is much more fun! If weird is who you are, then hold onto it and don’t let anyone take it away or make you feel ashamed. Being weird isn’t a curse, it’s really a gift. Thanks for seeing that, Tara, and for writing about it!
Oh weird and PROUD!! Had my poor hubby pulling over at the side of the road today so I could take macro photos of snow encrusted fences. We got some very strange looks but I just smiled a big old cheery grin and that really confused those weirdos , hahaha
Joel Salatin! I’ll take more weirdos like him every day of the week.
Long live the freaks and the passionate. They’re the ones that make this world go ’round. Amen.
Weirdness is the most delicious part of being creative. Let them stare! They wish they were staring out windows and finding patterns in clouds to gain web design inspiration.
Oh my gosh, I love this! Well said. I tend to be rambly and all over the place with my art and interests… I am going to come back to this post whenever I start to feel self-conscious about it.
I relate to this so much. It’s been a long, hard road accepting my weirdness. In fact, I blogged about committing to my weirdness yesterday: http://ow.ly/3sdXJ
I’ve always felt a little weird. This makes me feel a little less odd and a little more extra-ordinary.
That should so be a bumper sticker.
Yes! it should.
In the words of Mama Cass, in the H. R. Pufnstuf Movie:
“Different is Heartache,
Different is Pain,
but, I’d rather be Different,
than be the Same!”
“They don’t change the subject even when they’re in a room full of people who might not care.”
Uh, yeah, I do this ALL THE TIME. I tend to be interested in some really random, offbeat topics, and when conversation touches on one of those things, I cling to it and don’t let go, because I get to talk about those things so rarely. For example, I’ve always been fascinated by rare, weird medical conditions, the types of things that would have landed people in sideshows back in the day (ichthyosis, hypertrichosis, varieties of dwarfism and gigantism, etc.). Once at work I drew a Punnett square to illustrate how achondroplasia can be inherited, which *might* not be weird if it wasn’t at my job as an auditor.
sometimes…just being passionate about something…anything…and expressing that is weird.
i’ve reached a point where it’s hard to settle for less.
I’ve always found this odd, but I’ve always been attracted to weird! If you’re the freak at the party, I want to get to know you! If you sell that weird thing, I want to check it out! I’m drawn in by weird!
I try to let my freak flag fly, but sometimes I tend to control it a little to much. Thanks for the encouragement to let my weird out more often.
Viva la weird!
Thank you for this, I’m going to stop apologising and celebrating my weird (which I have by the bucket load!)
There are no words to describe how biodacous this is.