This Passion Project and You

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This blog is a passion project for me. It’s had the ancillary benefits of introducing me to amazing people, bringing me business, and making me think harder and more intensely about a lot of things than I ever thought possible. But when the chips are down, it’s the desire to express and share that brings me back to my keyboard again and again.

There are dozens of posts here that you’ll never see, mostly because they’re lost in the “Drafts” folder waiting for me to salvage them from their half-baked almost-there state. Some will be resurrected someday. Some will do nothing but gather dust.

But it’s important to me today to say something about you, the people that take time every day or every few to come by, and lend me your time and insights for a little while.

I’ve been writing for years and will likely be writing long after I have anyone to write to or for. But the truest and most compelling value to me in sharing what I think, learn, and seek to understand is when YOU are a part of this. I read every comment, I read every email I get, every DM and every reply on Twitter. I can’t always respond to them all, but each and every one matters to me. Because it reminds me that you’re out there, not just listening, but sharing among yourselves and with me and with each other.

That’s what we’re doing all this craziness for in the first place.

So I’m turning the stage over to you. I want you to leave comments, but not for me this time. For everyone else that stops by here and reads.

Tell me what makes you who you are. What you’re passionate about. Why you’re on this rock, working your butt off every day. Link to your blog, your stories, your photos. Especially you lurkers that never say a thing…I know you’re out there. Share with us.

I want to know your passion projects, and I’d be honored if you’d take a moment here in my sandbox to do it. Are you game? I’m listening.

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  • http://howardhopkins.blogspot.com Howard Hopkins

    Hi Amber!
    My passion is lying–well, telling stories in various genres such as horror and western that, with any luck, whisk folks away from their troubles for a few hours. I mean, it has to be a passion, right, since I could make more money workign at Wally World! Seriously, I love entertaining people with my books, and that is what I strive to do everyday, with every word and every tale.

  • Chris Jensen

    Hi Amber

    Although we just met last week – I have been fascinated by your thoughts and insights into social media and marketing – and the wit and enthusiasm which you so easily convey it with.

    I am passionate about technology and the enormous potential it has to change and hopefully improve many aspects of the human experience. Just look at this blog – and the way we now communicate and connect with other people.

    Mostly technology empowers the individual and allows us to make a difference in ways never before imaginable. Just look at all the other comments for amazing examples of this.

    I co-founded mutinyware.com as a way to use my talent and make a difference to our customers, employees and community.

    Thank You.

  • Chris Jensen

    Hi Amber

    Although we just met last week – I have been fascinated by your thoughts and insights into social media and marketing – and the wit and enthusiasm which you so easily convey it with.

    I am passionate about technology and the enormous potential it has to change and hopefully improve many aspects of the human experience. Just look at this blog – and the way we now communicate and connect with other people.

    Mostly technology empowers the individual and allows us to make a difference in ways never before imaginable. Just look at all the other comments for amazing examples of this.

    I co-founded mutinyware.com as a way to use my talent and make a difference to our customers, employees and community.

    Thank You.

  • http://mpfaltzgraff.wordpress.com Mark Pfaltzgraff

    Saw this link on Twitter a few hours ago and it motivated me to organize some different but related thoughts that have been running around my head the last few days into a new blog post. So, thanks for the motivation on that front.

    I’m passionate about education at all levels: for our children, higher ed (where much of my career focus has been), and increasingly thinking about the life-long learning space. The latter is quite easily facilitated and amplified by social media and thoughtful writers like you sharing your blog posts with the rest of us.

    Not sure what pointing me toward following you on twitter, but that lead to reading your blog recently and I appreciate what you’re putting out there. Keep it up!

    To me, one of the great things about social media tools is how it enables people to connect with, observe, or otherwise learn from the passions of others from different places. Speaking of which, another person I follow and appreciate but don’t yet know is Al Krueger here in Milwaukee. Have fun on his CometBranding show tomorrow. Cheers!

    Mark Pfaltzgraffs last blog post..Fear, Fidelity, Focus & School Reform

  • http://mpfaltzgraff.wordpress.com Mark Pfaltzgraff

    Saw this link on Twitter a few hours ago and it motivated me to organize some different but related thoughts that have been running around my head the last few days into a new blog post. So, thanks for the motivation on that front.

    I’m passionate about education at all levels: for our children, higher ed (where much of my career focus has been), and increasingly thinking about the life-long learning space. The latter is quite easily facilitated and amplified by social media and thoughtful writers like you sharing your blog posts with the rest of us.

    Not sure what pointing me toward following you on twitter, but that lead to reading your blog recently and I appreciate what you’re putting out there. Keep it up!

    To me, one of the great things about social media tools is how it enables people to connect with, observe, or otherwise learn from the passions of others from different places. Speaking of which, another person I follow and appreciate but don’t yet know is Al Krueger here in Milwaukee. Have fun on his CometBranding show tomorrow. Cheers!

    Mark Pfaltzgraffs last blog post..Fear, Fidelity, Focus & School Reform

  • http://www.mysterydinosaur.com/ Fae Yamaguchi

    This is such a cool idea. Thank you Amber.
    My passion is making my video artwork. I make short videos that incorporate live action and puppetry. What?? Well, I suppose that”s part of the problem. I don’t seem to fit well in any particular category. I’d love to just make my art but I have, all my life, never figured out how to do this. I have no product to sell and I probably should come up with a better business plan than “One day I’ll get that phone call and they will tell me what to do with my work” In the meanwhile, I went from freelancing to a day job at an elementary school working with special education – kindergarten to 3rd grade. I also teach art classes after school. I am grateful for the job and I love the kids I work with, but my passion and the best of me, lies with my art.

    Fae Yamaguchis last blog post..Breaking news!

  • http://www.mysterydinosaur.com/ Fae Yamaguchi

    This is such a cool idea. Thank you Amber.
    My passion is making my video artwork. I make short videos that incorporate live action and puppetry. What?? Well, I suppose that”s part of the problem. I don’t seem to fit well in any particular category. I’d love to just make my art but I have, all my life, never figured out how to do this. I have no product to sell and I probably should come up with a better business plan than “One day I’ll get that phone call and they will tell me what to do with my work” In the meanwhile, I went from freelancing to a day job at an elementary school working with special education – kindergarten to 3rd grade. I also teach art classes after school. I am grateful for the job and I love the kids I work with, but my passion and the best of me, lies with my art.

    Fae Yamaguchis last blog post..Breaking news!

  • http://www.evolvingsolutions.ca/evolve/419/%27clo%27-blog Chris Nadeau

    Great post Amber! Very positive and enlightening.

    For me I am very lucky as I am presently combining my two professional loves. My brother and I own two web companies in Saint John, NB. One is Evolving Solutions – http://www.evolvingsolutions.ca/evolve/ which we have been doing for 8 years now. The other thing we do is we combine our love for the web and hockey and like Kyle (1st comment) we are very passionate. Being a former pro player and still being able to stay involved via social media is awesome. We have created a couple of communities for us hockey lovers who are trying to make the web and hockey click. Here they are:

    http://hockeytweets.thehockeyzen.com Twitter website for hockey fantatics

    http://thehockeyzen.com Online community for hockey peeps.

    Amber, thanks for getting all of us to share our passions. Nice work!

  • http://www.evolvingsolutions.ca/evolve/419/%27clo%27-blog Chris Nadeau

    Great post Amber! Very positive and enlightening.

    For me I am very lucky as I am presently combining my two professional loves. My brother and I own two web companies in Saint John, NB. One is Evolving Solutions – http://www.evolvingsolutions.ca/evolve/ which we have been doing for 8 years now. The other thing we do is we combine our love for the web and hockey and like Kyle (1st comment) we are very passionate. Being a former pro player and still being able to stay involved via social media is awesome. We have created a couple of communities for us hockey lovers who are trying to make the web and hockey click. Here they are:

    http://hockeytweets.thehockeyzen.com Twitter website for hockey fantatics

    http://thehockeyzen.com Online community for hockey peeps.

    Amber, thanks for getting all of us to share our passions. Nice work!

  • http://blog.bronto.com DJ Waldow

    Amber. Not sure how you continue to publish killer blog posts – thought provoking, insightful. Oh wait…this space is supposed to be reserved for what I (@djwaldow) am passionate about. (But…all of the above is still very very true).

    I’m passionate about:
    1. Putting a smile on people’s face.
    2. Learning from others.
    3. Teaching others.
    4. Connecting with individuals.

    I really try and do each of the 4 things above every single freakin’ day. Life is too short to not be having fun. I realize that there are times to be serious, but when I find myself not smiling…something is wrong.

    Rock on readers. Rock on Amber.

    Peace out.

    dj
    @djwaldow – http://twitter.com/djwaldow

    DJ Waldows last blog post..Email Marketing and Google Analytics: Add Power, Save Time

  • http://blog.bronto.com DJ Waldow

    Amber. Not sure how you continue to publish killer blog posts – thought provoking, insightful. Oh wait…this space is supposed to be reserved for what I (@djwaldow) am passionate about. (But…all of the above is still very very true).

    I’m passionate about:
    1. Putting a smile on people’s face.
    2. Learning from others.
    3. Teaching others.
    4. Connecting with individuals.

    I really try and do each of the 4 things above every single freakin’ day. Life is too short to not be having fun. I realize that there are times to be serious, but when I find myself not smiling…something is wrong.

    Rock on readers. Rock on Amber.

    Peace out.

    dj
    @djwaldow – http://twitter.com/djwaldow

    DJ Waldows last blog post..Email Marketing and Google Analytics: Add Power, Save Time

  • http://amymengel.com amymengel

    Amber – I’m one of the lurkers. I’m a big fan of your blog but haven’t really commented before. Thanks for calling me out.

    I am passionate about riding my bike, skiing and hiking with friends, exploring new places, and Georgia football. Go Dawgs!

    This sounds cheesy, but I’m also passionate about social media. It’s like a creative outlet for me. It’s not really supported at my current job, so I am learning and participating on my own as much as I can, just because I like it and it’s interesting. I love that I’ve met friends and found mentors via Twitter and that I’ve discovered so many great voices and sources of knowledge. I think just the fact that I spend so much time reading and learning about social media (to the chagrin of my husband) is indicative of my passion for it. I’m not about to claim myself as an expert, guru, consultant, or anything else… but I truly enjoy it and continue to feel its pull. It would be great to have it be a part of my job someday, but for now I am happy just to be involved and learning.

    My passions are what I’d otherwise be doing if I didn’t have to work to pay the mortgage – so I suppose my “passion mashup” would be riding my bike somewhere I’ve never been to while watching a Georgia football game with friends and Tweeting about it!

    Thanks for the forum to share.

    @amymengel

    amymengels last blog post..Social Media Smackdown: Mountain Hardwear vs. The North Face

  • http://amymengel.com amymengel

    Amber – I’m one of the lurkers. I’m a big fan of your blog but haven’t really commented before. Thanks for calling me out.

    I am passionate about riding my bike, skiing and hiking with friends, exploring new places, and Georgia football. Go Dawgs!

    This sounds cheesy, but I’m also passionate about social media. It’s like a creative outlet for me. It’s not really supported at my current job, so I am learning and participating on my own as much as I can, just because I like it and it’s interesting. I love that I’ve met friends and found mentors via Twitter and that I’ve discovered so many great voices and sources of knowledge. I think just the fact that I spend so much time reading and learning about social media (to the chagrin of my husband) is indicative of my passion for it. I’m not about to claim myself as an expert, guru, consultant, or anything else… but I truly enjoy it and continue to feel its pull. It would be great to have it be a part of my job someday, but for now I am happy just to be involved and learning.

    My passions are what I’d otherwise be doing if I didn’t have to work to pay the mortgage – so I suppose my “passion mashup” would be riding my bike somewhere I’ve never been to while watching a Georgia football game with friends and Tweeting about it!

    Thanks for the forum to share.

    @amymengel

    amymengels last blog post..Social Media Smackdown: Mountain Hardwear vs. The North Face

  • http://blog.wonderwebby.com Jasmin Tragas

    hi Amber I’m loving reading about these passion projects! Thanks for the post.
    Right now my passion project is about mixing up creativity, the web, and the kindness of people to raise funds for a bunch of women in the Philippines and I have been overwhelmed with the generosity of others. My other passion project is also about seeing women make the connection between their skills, their creative ideas and technology to make a difference. There are some amazing people out there!

    Jasmin Tragass last blog post..Initiative accelerates ideas into action

  • http://blog.wonderwebby.com Jasmin Tragas

    hi Amber I’m loving reading about these passion projects! Thanks for the post.
    Right now my passion project is about mixing up creativity, the web, and the kindness of people to raise funds for a bunch of women in the Philippines and I have been overwhelmed with the generosity of others. My other passion project is also about seeing women make the connection between their skills, their creative ideas and technology to make a difference. There are some amazing people out there!

    Jasmin Tragass last blog post..Initiative accelerates ideas into action

  • http://insightsandingenuity.com Heather Rast

    Totally without vanity, I am passionate about every single thing I do. Which is NOT to say that I’m the best at everything, or maybe even that I’m good at something..I guess that’s for others to help determine.

    But I know that anything I spend my time on, from reading to gardening to writing, solving a problem, or helping my kids, I do with my whole heart. There is no “halfway” and there is no “off” button. If it’s worth my time, then it’s worth my whole, earnest attention. My drive can be off-putting, in truth.

    So thanks for the reminder that those things we do [volunteering, baking, sewing, whatever] are our ways of leaving a mark, leaving a legacy. And inspiring others, as you’ve done here.

    Heather Rasts last blog post..I Win/You Win: Finding Balance In Business Relationships

  • http://insightsandingenuity.com Heather Rast

    Totally without vanity, I am passionate about every single thing I do. Which is NOT to say that I’m the best at everything, or maybe even that I’m good at something..I guess that’s for others to help determine.

    But I know that anything I spend my time on, from reading to gardening to writing, solving a problem, or helping my kids, I do with my whole heart. There is no “halfway” and there is no “off” button. If it’s worth my time, then it’s worth my whole, earnest attention. My drive can be off-putting, in truth.

    So thanks for the reminder that those things we do [volunteering, baking, sewing, whatever] are our ways of leaving a mark, leaving a legacy. And inspiring others, as you’ve done here.

    Heather Rasts last blog post..I Win/You Win: Finding Balance In Business Relationships

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