Everyone has something that they are passionate about, something that gives them the motivation to wake up every day and push for greatness.
For me, that was my Sunday morning.
It was the time of the week that I looked forward to the most and what gave me the motivation to get through the rest of the week. My lazy Sunday mornings were spent sitting in the corner of a small art studio, with a canvas in front of me and an arsenal of paints and brushes at my side. Sunday mornings were when the rest of the world disappeared and I could escape the weight of the week through the textured brushstrokes and the creation of my own fantasy. As busy as I was, the early hours of the morning on Sundays were strictly dedicated to painting and while I dreaded getting up for class, I also loved every second of it.
I never truly understood how much I depended on art as my form of escape and relaxation until I got to college, where I do not have the luxury to whip out a blank canvas and invest myself into a painting. While I am fortunate enough to be able to come home and continue to work on a piece if I wanted to, there is never a sufficient window of opportunity that can parallel the time I spent in art class every Sunday morning. As many people discover, while college is great, the idea of leisure does not exist.
If I have learned anything from the last few months at university, it is the importance of doing what makes you happy. A critical part of that comes from keeping up with hobbies and having an outlet that where you can escape. Finding the balance between studying, working towards a major, finding an internship and be mentally sound can be difficult and nearly impossible if there isn't a factor in your life that helps you maintain your emotional wellbeing.
Painting, for me, is more than just art form, as singing, dancing or playing a sport are more than just mere interests for other people. It is a passion, the key to an eternal bliss that every single one of us craves.
While I miss my Sunday mornings while I am away at school, my drive to pursue art remains unchanged. Even though it's not easy to keep up with a passion, to me, a life without passion is not a life worth living.