Restful, Issue 001 (magazine update)
come see the magazine + how I nurture passion projects
Hello!
Immaculata here and happy to bring you the cover reveal for Restful’s first print issue. I have so much more to say about the delicioso things inside but that will come when it’s time for pre-orders (looking like January/February).
My big gratitude to the Goethe-Institut Nigeria for the funds used to make this magazine happen. And thank YOU for being here!!! Without this restful.substack.com and proof of readership, I don’t think they would have taken the chance on this project.
I really enjoyed working on this, especially the part where I got to wear very many different hats and learn things about different aspects. It’s been an opportunity to become a book-making nerd and it’s been fulfilling to satisfy that part of me that craves working with tactile material, to feel things with my skin. This comment massaged my temples when I got tired.
How I Nurture Passion Projects
Deborah asked me if I could share any tips on how to nurture a passion project. And I just finished texting her back now and thought, hmm… let me say hi to my Restful magazine people.
Here’s what I said. These are just tips from the one perspective I have of the world and of my career:
• have somewhere that money is coming from, whether it is from outside the passion project or it’s from a slice of the passion project, so that the passion project has room to be about passion and not about survival. the fear in the survival can snuff out the air for the love in the passion.
• i read somewhere sometime ago that the craft is the message, not the medium. and that was such a perfect articulation of how I felt about ‘my craft’. and so dedication to my craft is dedication to hearing out the message, the calling, the passion in my heart. 'What do I have to express?’ becomes the primary question and ‘how/what tool/what medium shall i express it in?’ becomes the secondary question. in other words, i allow myself to be led, as strictly and as purely as I can, by the questions in my heart. (and so I don’t see myself in my head as a filmmaker or a writer who explores xyz, but as a person who explores xyz by any medium/tool necessary).
• find other people who are passionate and driven as you are. bonus bonus bonus point if they are passionate about something in your field as well. this might mean seeking out fellowships and programs that are looking for people passionate about your field.
and when/if you find yourself in times when you can’t see people for miles and miles around you who are passionate about your questions, have faith, they are just beyond your current scope of vision but the work you’re doing and the work they are doing is leading you people to one another. it’s possible to thrive in some kind of solitude when you’re doing passion work because your company is in spirit (in other people’s portfolios, in the work itself, in the eternal source of your love, etc), you’re not alone, and when the going is good, you don’t feel alone.
• and i really like this one- leave it all on the field, every single time. as in pour your whole heart and give it your 100% every time. you get replenished 100x each time. that fantastic idea that you think is so major that you want to save it for when you have more resources, do it now. an even more fantastic idea will come around when you have more resources. and it’s your service of this fantastic idea that signals to other people and to the idea spirits that you are ready for and capable of more.
• pay attention to the opportunity costs that come with nurturing your passion project. see how you can cut back on costs that actually take your joy. e.g. if you’re losing money or staying broke in a way that bothers you and it’s because you’re pouring your all into your passion project, prioritise finding a benefactor (some paying gig, your parents, sponsors). if you’re losing out time with friends in a way that bothers you and it’s because your hours are long, find friends in the field.
but that’s if they take your joy. sometimes you find yourself in an era where you’re okay living on less money than is your ideal. sometimes you find yourself okay with prolonged solitude.
the goal is to pay attention to the costs so you can see whether or not they take your joy, or when they start to take your joy.
(this part is important)- and for the opportunity costs that you’re happy to make, the sacrifices that feel like freedom… slather love and gratitude on them too, appreciate their absence like you would a gift.
Till next time,
Immaculata.