Enthusiasm is the genuine Yes! that will uncork your genius.
– Danielle LaPorte
What’s your passion? That’s ridiculously hard question. I, myself, get caught in its existential snare.
I hear all too often from those who are scared – or paralyzed – because they don’t know how to put a name or action to their passion.
Now, what are you enthusiastic about? What makes you smile? Say weird things? Work for pleasure?
keep on reading for my free Brio Brainstorm worksheet
I see a lot of people trying very hard to find out what will “work” for them. True enough, whether you’re building a hobby or discovering a business, finding what works is a long process.
But we often abandon what we’re enthusiastic about in lieu of chasing something that works.
I speak from experience, of course, but instead of telling you more about my boring experiences, I thought I would use others’ stories to make this idea more compelling.
Some of the most successful entrepreneurs I know have discovered what stokes their fires of enthusiasm and ignored what works. Others – who may not call themselves entrepreneurs – have used their own joie de vivre to make sure they find that time to do what calls to them. These are the people who you look at think, “they’re living the dream!” But truly, they’ve made their enthusiasm work for them.
Megan Auman
Aside from being a kick ass friend, Megan is enthusiastic about steel. She’s a trained metalsmith & jeweler who could work with any precious metal or gem she chooses. But Megan has a zeal for steel.
And it works for her. At shows, she doesn’t have to wait long before someone asks what her jewelry is made of. Right away, she can respond with a smile and a peppy explanation of the properties of the metal. Others are amazed that beautiful things can be made from something so industrial.
Others don’t get it – and that’s okay too.
Megan loves steel and nothing will deter her from using it.
Rachel Denbow
Aside from being a funky momma from the Midwest, Rachel is enthusiastic about all things vintage. She tells the grand adventures of shopping trips to corner stores on her blog. She makes you love it too.
While I may love the look of vintage, I can’t say I’m enthusiastic about it. And I’m wholly unskilled when it comes to buying anything not made this calendar year. But there’s a certain spirit that follows enthusiasm. And that spirit is what makes you care about what someone else is enthusiastic about.
Lauren, sunbasilgarden
Is Lauren’s shop all about candy, cupcakes, or soap? On first glance, it’s hard to tell what she’s actually selling. But, sure enough, all those colors, textures, and non-edible delights are soap. Lauren is enthusiastic about reimagining your suds.
When you see that kind of enthusiasm, it really moves your soul. Or makes your laugh. Or both.
You can’t help but be drawn to someone with that sense of humor about something so simple. It’s refreshing & zesty. Pun intended.
Susannah Conway
Susannah is enthusiastic about the beauty of imperfection. She uses her camera to see the world around her as art, no matter what it might be.
I’m so taken with her vision and scope.
Susannah’s course (of which I’m quite possibly the worst student ever) is all about capturing our own imperfections on film and learning to see them as beautiful. I hope she’d agree with my brief description.
Susannah is also enthusiastic about Polaroids and iPhones, a duality that tickles both the geek side of my brain and the creative right side of my brain.
Mark & Jenna, Whimsy & Spice
Sometimes, a company name will betray the enthusiasm that bubbles underneath. Mark & Jenna, the partners & proprietors behind Whimsy & Spice have a hunger (pun intended, again) for unusual flavor combinations and food that looks as good as it tastes.
My hunch is that they have a certain zeal for helping people discover the unexpected delights of delicious morsels.
Each arrangement, each image is it’s own piece of art, as well, adding another layer of flavor to their feast.
insert your name here
So what are you enthusiastic about? Whether you’re looking to add some spice to your life, abandon convention, or find a business that works for you, it pays to have a firm grasp on what you’re enthusiastic about.
You can move forward until you have a good idea of where you’re going.
So, I bring your my Brio Brainstorm. This is a silly little worksheet you can print & fill out to help you reconnect with those things that make smile.
At least, it should give you an opportunity to remember times when you’ve been overflowing with enthusiasm and steal a little of that feeling for the now. At the best, it should spark some new ideas for bringing back a sense of enthusiasm to your life now!
If you found this post helpful, won’t you please share it on Facebook or Twitter?
Tara Gentile is a business coach and blogger serving passion-driven entrepreneurs with fresh ideas about 
Great post, really inspiring. I love the Brio Brainstorm worksheet, I can see loads of fun filling in the blanks, thanks for sharing this!
hehehe – I love filling in those gaps!
Tara, I’d love to fill this in and put it up in my blog to get others to see “me” a bit better outside of my designer self – would you mind doing me so and giving you some credit?
Please do!! I think it would be awesome to share with your readers!
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by m.sartin design, Ruth Garcia-Alcantud and Ellie-The Head Chick, tara gentile. tara gentile said: pop your cork! get enthusiastic with 5 heroes of creative living http://ht.ly/3Ld4Y [...]
While I struggle with a lot of things in building my own “Creative Empire” this is one thing I don’t struggle with! I am unabashedly passionate about sewing. I love, love, LOVE to sew. Sewing calms me and excites me; it keeps me moving forward and allows me space to chill. I am inspired by the pioneer woman who sewed for her family, using up every single little tidbit to sew something beautiful yet useful. Gosh, just writing about it makes me want to shut down my computer and SEW!
Tara,
What a great post to wake up to this morning! Thank you for your reflections and helping me to see things from another perspective. You always challenge me to embrace more!
So glad that you included Rachel! She has such passion about vintage, it really does rub off on you as a reader! And she lives in my home town, so that is also a plus!
I’ve gotta start chasing what I am passionate about too! Thanks for this post!
What good insights!
I think my passion must be creating things from other things – like envelopes or gift tags from old book pages. I just love doing it!
I really want to make drinking glasses from recycled wine bottles, but I need to learn how to cut glass first….
[...] worksheet today, as part of her latest post featuring five “heroes” of creative living: http://www.scoutiegirl.com/2011/01/pop-your-cork-get-enthusiastic-with-5-heros-of-creative-living.ht…. The whole post is worth a read – as is her entire blog! – but the Brio Brainstorming [...]
What a nice surprise to be included on this list, Tara! Great, positive post for today. Thanks!
What an AMAZING group of women!!
lovely post,
Jenipher
I like the idea of sharing this on my website. Thanks for sharing others who are inspired and there is nothing like a little inspiration from others to get me going!
Like Ruth and Heather before me, I love the idea of sharing this on my blog – and encouraging others to come to your site to get thier own!
Shoud be a fun exercise – perhaps one I can use with my English students one day to help them loosen up their brains – they really need it from time to time .
Jessica
I think, with me, it might be a need to figure out what I’m most passionate about or as I have been doing, tying those passions together in some sort of mixed media way. I have trouble focusing on just one thing. I can’t wait to try filling out the list. I’m curious to see what it will show! I may also share it (with the appropriate author credit & a link back to this post) on my blog. Thanks for another thoughtful post!
Wow, this post makes me realize what I thought I was passionate about, I’m really not.
[...] article about 5 Heroes Of Creative Living at [...]
[...] for you. It was a great post focusing on 5 other very enthusiastic artists, bloggers, and creators. Click here to read Tara’s “Pop Your Cork: Get enthusiastic with 5 heros of creative livi… At the end of her article, there’s a download link for the Brio Brainstorm Worksheet and [...]
Hi there! I just wanted to let you know that I really liked this post so I shared a link to it in the Weekend Roundup post on my blog today. I’d love it if you came and checked it out. Thanks again for the inspiration!
[...] What are you enthusiastic about? Scoutie Girl profiles five crafters and artisans about how they turned their enthusiasm into a successful [...]
I’m head-over-heels passionate about vintage wallpaper! I’m an antique dealer and come across lots of great materials to use for various crafts and upcycling projects, and wallpaper is my fave. I’ve been cranking out brass cuff bracelets covered with my most special wallpapers, including the old flocked papers that have that fuzzy dimensional design, and have listed quite a few in my Etsy shop. I’ve also blogged about the history of wallpaper to educate readers a bit about this fabulous but often overlooked art form. I just filled two large orders totalling 32 bracelets, which gives me hope that my creations are starting to catch on!
[...] Susannah Conway’s photography courses this week through a post on scoutie girl about heros of creative living. I’m not going to be overly ambitious and try to take it right now. But I wish I [...]
[...] on enthusiasm and creatives making it work for them. Enthusiasm. I will sit with [...]
I’ve had the link to this page forever in my inbox & just got around to it. So glad I did! The Brio Brainstorm sheet is fantastical. It’s great inspiration!