When you have a passion…

Work and chores get done because the world needs them to be done. Art gets done because there is an internal need for it to happen.

Karen

This comment was posted in response to one of my recent posts on“Facts and Data.”  My first internal response was: “Absolutely!” But then I paused for a second. There has been a lot of articles on LinkedIn on the topic of a rarely seen event of finding a job that you truly love. One that really gets you out of bed in the morning. Apparently, a very low percentage of people actually like, not to mention love, what they do for a living.

I think I have hit the jackpot on that! As cheesy as it may sound, I do love my job. As much as I think about work/life balance and keep track of how I spend my time; I still spend most of my time outside the lab thinking about science, or at least in scientific terms. I think it is now ingrained as a part of my personality, of who I am.  When you are truly passionate about your work, the lines in “work/life balance ” become blurred.

Chores on the other hand… Don’t get me started. Since reading “168 Hours”, I have become a huge fan of outsourcing as much as I can, though in most cases it doesn’t really happen. That’s one of the areas I am still trying to improve.

But then it brings me to the next two questions.

• First, is there a general belief that jobs are like soulmates? That there is only one perfect one out there for each one of us. Personally, I don’t think it’s true in either case – professional calling or love life. No person and no job will be absolutely perfect. But it’s the value they bring that outshines their flaws. Just like we may be willing to put up with annoying habits of our loved ones, we make a conscious choice to tolerate the “rules of the game” in our professional lives. But there needs to be enough inspiration and personal satisfaction for us to make that choice.
• Second, the topic of internal need for art. Yes, I have it, I feel it, and I feel like I have lost a big part of myself in the years that I did not address this need. But why?  The biological reward system has evolved to increase our chances of survival in tough times.  For example, the satisfaction we get from a good meal is due to the fuel it provides for our body.  Animals will learn to press a lever on cue, as long as they are rewarded with a food pellet.  But what about art?  Why does it bring us such satisfaction?  Why do some people (but not others) crave it so much?  And why do some people enjoy viewing art, whereas others primarily enjoy creating it?  Maybe it is the next round of evolution…

Personally, I feel the most inspired when I can bridge my left hemisphere that thinks about complex biological problems, with my right, that craves a stream of artistic creativity.  At NeuroBead, I get both!