The Full Circle: The Passion Coma

"I think the reason why many people have low art enthusiasm and museum attendance has to do with the inability to be still. In this society, as a culture we are groomed from birth to death to crave instant gratification. We are bombarded with noise and digital distractions through TV, videos, and other media sources.

When it comes time to be still, to be silent, to listen with your soul, there is a restlessness and the absence of passion. Why? This is new and unexpolored territory. With any new experience comes the feeling of being out your element and discomfort. Where there is normally noise and erratic visual stimulation, there is now silence and objects are in a static state.

To have passion is to have the ability to listen with your soul, to be silent and reflect on life -- past, present, and future, and to appreciate the many interpretations of life aka ART. For those that it does not come naturally, passion must be nurtured :)"

I like what Tyson has said about passion but in my experience, this falls short of its complete definition. Passion, for me, does have to do with listening to your soul but this must be followed by ACTION! There has to be activity. I can not imagine where we'd be if Thomas Edison had the passion for the improvememnt of the light bulb for home use but never acted on that message from his soul. Passion without action is dead just like faith without works is dead.
I believe that people could be more in tune to their own personal passion but lose this ability as they age. Children have wealthy imaginations but as they grow in to adults they tend to let go of the make believe. This same principal applies to passion. I can recall being an incredibly passionate teenager. So can everyone for that matter. That boy, girl, sport completely consuming your every thought when you were fourteen? Once we got older, some of this intense passion slipped away. Some hold on to it and are able to transfer it to another aspect of their life. Others completely let it go and are satisfied never to feel that way again.
I do not believe the problem with low involvement in the arts is due to people being unable to sit still. I have seen forty grown men sit still in front of a television for several hours. Art makes you feel and it makes you think. That is why I believe people do not frequent museums. You are right about us being bombarded with instant gratification images and magazines. People are only still with what they want to be still with. The television or a gossip rag. No one wants to think too deeply. No one wants to be forced or challenged by a piece of art. People want mindless, brain numbing television twenty-four seven. This is sad and unfortunate but fairly true for the majority.
I completely agree about people being fearful of discomfort. Deep artistic stimulation is very foreign to most people. They will run from these odd thoughts and feelings instead of embracing them.
Passion is different for everyone but for me, as a moving artist, I have what I like to call a, "passion coma". This is when I hear a song that touches the very depths of my soul requiring me to drop what I am doing and become a prisoner to my gift for the next three to five minutes. For other people, the "coma" could be anyhting. It could be a visit to the Louvre, the smell of clay or a pair of tap shoes that ignites your passion sending you to another place during the creation of a personal masterpiece.

I heard it said that, "passion is one step from crazy". In my experience, the step in question is not a big one. Is your passion one step from crazy? If so, what does that look like in your art?