Image from ArtSHINE Pixels
We hear the word “passion” everywhere — in motivational quotes, career talks, and self-help books. But for many people, passion feels like a mystery.
“What is passion, really?”
“Where does it come from?”
“And why do some people seem to find it easily, while others spend years searching for it?”
At ArtSHINE, we’ve worked with countless Pivoters — people who’ve spent years building careers, raising families, or managing businesses — who later rediscovered themselves through creativity and purpose. They didn’t stumble upon passion one day; they grew into it.
Because here’s the truth: passion isn’t found overnight. It unfolds over time — when curiosity, experience, and purpose align.
Passion Is More Than a Feeling
Passion isn’t just excitement or enthusiasm. It’s not the same as a fleeting interest or hobby. Real passion is a deep connection between what you do and who you are.
It’s the moment when your actions, values, and energy come together — when you feel alive doing something, even if it’s challenging.
Passion gives meaning to effort. It turns time into fulfillment.
And most importantly, it’s not something you “have” — it’s something you build.
You don’t chase passion; you cultivate it.
The Myth of Early Discovery
There’s a popular myth that you must discover your passion when you’re young — as if passion has an expiry date.
But that’s simply not true. Many of the most fulfilled people we’ve met found their passion much later in life — after their careers were already established.
They were lawyers, doctors, teachers, scientists, and executives. They had successful careers by every definition. Yet, something inside whispered: “There’s more to me than this.”
They didn’t reject their past; they built upon it. And that’s what makes them Pivoters — people who take their experience and channel it into something more meaningful.
The Pivoter’s Journey: How Passion Finds You
Let’s explore how some Pivoters found their passion when they least expected it.
1. The Doctor Who Became a Photographer
The Doctor Who Became a Photographer
Judy Kelly spent 25 years as a general practitioner — a career defined by responsibility, precision, and compassion. During a long holiday, she picked up a camera simply to relax, not realising it would change her life.
What began as a hobby soon became a form of expression. After five years photographing weddings, then exploring documentary and outdoor work, Judy rediscovered her true passion — landscape photography.
Her images capture the quiet beauty of nature: early light over misty fields, reflective waters, and fleeting moments of calm. Through her lens, she found a familiar purpose — healing — just in a different form.
“I realised photography gave me the same purpose as medicine,” she said. “It’s still about healing — just in a different light.”
Today, Judy continues to practice medicine while exhibiting her photography, proving that passion doesn’t replace who you are — it expands it.
2. The Corporate Executive Who Discovered Art Through Stress
Marcus was a corporate director for an international firm. His schedule was intense, and burnout was always around the corner. His turning point came during a team-building retreat where the facilitator introduced a painting activity.
He hadn’t held a paintbrush since high school. Yet, as he painted, something clicked. He described the experience as “therapy in colour.”
He began painting at home after work — small, quiet sessions that helped him unwind. Within two years, he held his first solo exhibition.
His passion didn’t appear because he sought it. It found him when he finally slowed down enough to listen.
3. The Accountant Who Became a Textile Designer
Sophie had spent 20 years working in finance. Numbers, deadlines, spreadsheets — her days were predictable but unfulfilling. She often told colleagues, “I’m not creative.”
Then one weekend, she attended an ArtSHINE surface design workshop “just for fun.” By the end of the session, she was completely absorbed in pattern-making.
Within months, Sophie joined our Pivot to Passion community and began learning textile design. Today, she licenses her designs to homeware companies.
“I realised creativity had been inside me all along,” she said. “I just needed the right moment to let it breathe.”
The Teacher Who Became a Children’s Book Illustrator
Harrison Lamoureux spent much of his life teaching primary school students. He loved storytelling and helping children discover their voice, yet he always felt there was another way he could inspire imagination.
After retiring, Harrison began a new chapter as a travel journalist, living in different parts of the world for several years at a time. Between assignments, he carved out time to paint — first in oil, acrylic, and watercolour. Because his career kept him constantly on the move, he later upskilled in digital painting, mastering the ability to recreate traditional textures in digital form.
In the last two years, after joining the ArtSHINE community, Harrison launched his Travel Landscapes Collection and his signature Christmas paintings. Earlier this year, he rediscovered an old sketchbook filled with doodles he once made for his students — charming, vintage-style bunnies and their families.
Recognising their potential, ArtSHINE collaborated with a children’s book writer to transform Harrison’s Pip & Beny art series into a six-book collection. The first two titles were illustrated and published, with the debut book launching at Licensing Expo, Las Vegas, in May 2025.
Harrison’s years in the classroom became the heart of his art. His purpose — to nurture creativity and inspire children — never changed. He simply found a new way to tell his stories, this time through colour, character, and imagination.
Passion Grows Where Purpose Lives
What do all these stories have in common?
In every case, passion found these individuals when they were ready — when their life experience, curiosity, and purpose finally intersected.
They didn’t wake up one morning with a clear vision. They showed up, experimented, and allowed curiosity to guide them.
That’s the key difference between chasing passion and living it. Passion grows naturally when your purpose — your deeper “why” — becomes part of the equation.
Purpose gives your creativity direction. It anchors your passion to meaning.
You don’t need to abandon what you’ve done to find it; you just need to allow purpose to reshape it.
The Power of Permission
Many people delay exploring their passion because they think it’s too late, too impractical, or too self-indulgent. But passion doesn’t require permission from anyone else — only from you.
Give yourself the freedom to explore, experiment, and enjoy the process without judgment.
You don’t need certainty; you need curiosity.
The moment you stop demanding instant clarity and start showing up consistently, passion begins to take form.
That’s how Pivoters evolve — not through sudden change, but through gentle alignment.
So, What Is Passion?
Passion is not just love for an activity. It’s the moment when your work, your purpose, and your energy merge.
It’s not loud or dramatic — sometimes, it’s quiet and steady, revealing itself slowly through patience and openness.
It’s not always about starting over. Sometimes it’s about seeing what’s already inside you in a new light.
Passion is what happens when you give yourself permission to be curious, to create, and to live more fully.
At ArtSHINE, we’ve seen it time and time again — the spark always returns when you create space for it.
So if you haven’t found your passion yet, don’t worry. It may be waiting just around the corner, ready to meet you when purpose and timing align.
Because passion doesn’t just appear. It finds you — the moment you’re brave enough to explore.
Ready to Begin Your Creative Journey?
Are you a creative or a Pivoter, someone ready to start a new career or transition into the world of art and design?
Don’t wait for the “perfect moment.”
The best way to grow is to start and to keep showing up.
At ArtSHINE, our Launchpad & Accelerator Program is designed to guide you step by step – helping you discover your strengths, build your portfolio, and turn your passion into a sustainable career.
Take the leap today: LPA.artshine.com
Your journey starts now
