#actually. pinning to remind myself. as a wise post once said 'it matters because i give it meaning bitch'

[dualdeixis]

sometimes i think about how many stories/works of art have essentially saved my life by inspiring me to create my own - like "i can't die until i draw this, i can't die until i write that" - and yet the people who created them have no idea that i exist or that their work impacted me like that. it's actually weirdly comforting because i can think to myself, maybe there's someone like that out there who feels something similar about my work and they just never told me so i'll never know but that doesn't make it any less real. it's real to that person. i think that if your work is able to give someone any amount of ease or joy or strength to go on, even if only for a day or a moment, then you've won. even if it really is only a single person, because even a single life is a vast and important thing; to add to something so vast is no small feat. even if that single life is only your own life. Especially if it's your own.

i guess inspiration in the end is really just being inspired to save your own life. even if you hold your own work in such low esteem that you can't bear to tell yourself, "your work saved my life." it doesn't make it any less real.

[nadziejastar]

What would your ideal redemption for Isa be? Especially post KH3 when he’s with Lea, Xion and Roxas, trying to live a normal life? You made very good points on how Kh writers destroyed Isa’s character, but It’d be interesting to see your ideals of what should’ve happened for him and beyond. ☺️

Well, to have a truly satisfying redemption, you need to create emotional buildup. It was clear that the revelation of Terra and Isa being vessels was supposed to be a LOT bigger deal than it was. Nobody had any reaction to this in KH3. Isa didn’t even have a true redemption.

And even the scene where Terra was rescued didn’t have as much emotional impact as it should have, because there was not much leading up to it. I definitely think that Lea and Aqua were supposed to be the most emotionally affected by learning their friends were vessels. Personally, I think it’s because both of them were in love. Aqua with Terra, and Lea with Isa.

How I Think Isa Should Have Been Redeemed

Ven: “Y'ever wonder what what stars are? Where light comes from?”

Aqua: “Hmm… Well, they say–”

Terra: “That every star up there is another world. Yep, hard to believe there are so many worlds out there besides our own. The light is their hearts, and it’s shining down on us like a million lanterns.”

Aqua never knew what happened to Terra after she saved him. She thought he was safe until she saw him in the Realm of Darkness. When she met Mickey in 0.2, she asks about him and he tells her they haven’t found him in ten years. In KH3, she was clearly not herself. You could tell by the way she talked that she was keeping a lot of emotions bottled up. Her voice was unusually soft-spoken.

Aqua: “I took it for granted. I thought I had nothing in life to lose… There’s no deeper sadness than discovering all that you knew is gone.”  

Aqua was the one who made the star-shaped wayfinders. She was always worrying over Terra and chasing after him. Aqua sacrificed herself for him. When she heard from Ansem that the worlds had been falling to darkness, she thought Terra might have been the one saving them. But his possessed self was actually the cause of it all. Finding out that Terra was being used as Xehanort’s vessel the whole time would have been an enormous blow to her. She probably blamed herself for doubting Terra and pushing him away while he was being manipulated by Xehanort.

Aqua: “Together…always.”

“That would be the last night we ever spent beneath the same stars.”

When Ven said how beautiful the stars were, she seemed so sad. Because Terra’s not there. She simply can’t be okay. Not until she knows he is, too. She wanted them to be together, always. She felt SO strongly about this, but didn’t show that side of herself very often. And she was still trying to hide the full extent of her feelings. She said everything would be back to normal soon. She tries to be the brave one for Ven. But he could tell. He took out his charm and said they would trade stories when Terra came back, in an attempt to cheer her up.

Axel: “Hey, Roxas. Bet you don’t know why the sun sets red. You see, light is made up of lots of colors. And out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest.”

Roxas: “Like I asked! Know-it-all.”

Axel never had a clue what happened to Isa either. He just knew that he missed his old personality. In his case it would be kind of the opposite. Aqua sacrificed herself for Terra, and found out he was a vessel because of that. But Lea would have found out that Isa only became a vessel because he sacrificed himself for him.

All this time he was resentful of Saïx and thought he had changed. Yet the real Isa was like Aqua. He had performed the ultimate act of love. He never changed. Learning this would have been a devastating blow to Lea. He would feel like he abandoned Isa by leaving Organization XIII.

The sun sank lower and lower as Axel watched, his mind wandering. If he stared for too long, the image would burn itself into his eyes, visible even after his eyes were closed.

A phantom sun.

Someone had once told him why sunsets were red… Who was that?

Like Aqua, he would simply NOT be okay until Isa was. He acts cheerful around Kairi, but something was clearly bothering him as he looked into the sunset. I think the novel was hinting that Isa was the original “know-it-all” who told him why the sun sets red. I mean, who else would it be? Isa is the only established character from Lea’s past.

Axel: “But you know, we’ll still have each other…even if things change and we can’t do this anymore. As long as we remember each other, we’ll never be apart. Got it memorized?”

So, looking at the sunset reminds him of Isa. That’s why he gave his speech about never being apart. Unlike Saïx, the old Isa said he’d never forget Lea. Axel was always trying to hold onto the Isa from his memories.

Lea: “Uhh…I dunno. Maybe later.”

Kairi: “But you always wear the same thing.”

Lea: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This is how you pick me out of a crowd. I make myself easy to remember.”

In their next scene together, Lea dodges Kairi’s suggestion to change out of his Organization clothes. He brushes it off and says he just wants to make himself “easy to remember”. I also think that was an indirect comment about Isa. Especially if Lea found out that when Ansem found Subject X, he had no memories, except for a friend whose name he couldn’t remember. Would Isa still remember him when he woke up? When they were re-completed, they were both wearing the black cloaks. It would have been the last thing Isa saw him wearing.

The cloak is representative of his past. It helps him feel connected to Isa. He’s still stuck in the past and can’t move on. Because he hasn’t accomplished his goal. He hasn’t saved Isa. He said they would never have to be apart as long as he had memories, but he doesn’t want to settle for that anymore. Like Aqua, he internalizes his feelings and tries to act like he’s fine. He likes to put on a brave face, but he is worried and Kairi can tell. She tries to cheer him up.

Aqua: “Somewhere out there, there’s this tree with star-shaped fruit… and the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. So as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing can ever drive you apart. You’ll always find your way back to each other.”

These scenes before the final battle were so important. Terra was the one who told Ven about the light of the stars. The last night they all were happy together, it was under the light of the same stars.

Terra: “You never stopped lighting my way back.”

Aqua was all alone for such a long time. But now Ven is here. And so are all the other Guardians of Light. Things are going to be okay. They look at the stars one last time before the final battle. No matter where Terra is, the light of these same stars is shining on him, too. The light of their hearts is always connected. The stars represent their unbreakable connection. This would be the last night that they would be separated. Aqua was able to light Terra’s way back.

Axel: “Well, I think you can be inseparable even if you’re apart.”

Roxas: “Really?”

Axel: “Sure, if you feel really close to each other. If you’re best friends.”

Axel also gave a lesson on light. Not the light of the stars, but the light of the sun. Lea looks into the sunset with Kairi one last time before the final battle. It blankets the whole landscape in red.  

Axel: “Go on, you just keep running. But I’ll always be there to bring you back!”

The sunset is made of red light, the color that travels the farthest. It can penetrate even the deepest darkness. No matter how far away Isa is, red light can reach him. Things will work out. Lea’s not alone anymore. The sun is setting on this painful chapter of his life. It’s almost time for the dawning of a new day. Saving Terra and Isa should have felt like a MUCH bigger deal.

He let out a deflated breath. The sun was warm and bright, just as it had been when he first arrived. 

The shimmering sunlight brought to mind his conversation with Terra and Aqua the night before the Mark of Mastery exam. The stars were worlds, and their light came from the hearts in that world—or that’s how he remembered it. What were Terra and Aqua up to now—?

The writers had the idea in mind of light being able to reach somebody, no matter how far away they are. Ventus even thought that the sun’s light reminded him of the stars, and it made him think of Terra and Aqua. The Wayfinder Trio were the light of the stars—the hearts of all the worlds shining down on them. Their charms represent their unbreakable connection.

Lea and Isa were the light of the sun and moon. A star and crescent is a sun and moon symbol. Joined as one, the sun and moon represent the cycle of life, death and rebirth, light and darkness, the harmonious union of opposites, and romantic love. Isa’s pin represents their unbreakable connection. They didn’t need Skuld to be part of a trio to “complete” them. They are already complete.

Cool, collected, and mature beyond his age. A serene and self-possessed boy who always has time for a quick quip at his best friend Lea’s expense.

Personality-wise, I see Isa as a mix between Riku and Aqua.

A fifteen-year-old boy mature beyond his years. Riku is cool and collected, but not afraid to speak his mind. He has in insatiable curiosity, and he feels there’s much more to experience beyond the small world he knows.

He’s mature and cool like Riku. It was Riku who was the most responsible for making the raft. And Isa is the one who is in a hurry to get to the castle.

A girl capable of wielding both magic and a Keyblade with perfect balance. She values her friendships with Terra and Ventus above all else, and has the most serious and levelheaded personality of the three.

He’s serious and levelheaded like Aqua. And I think he values his friendship with Lea more than anything.

A self-confident youth always competing with Sora. When the Destiny Islands vanished, so did he. By the time Riku reappeared, Sora had already found new friends, so Riku didn’t rejoin him.

Like Riku, he cares more than he lets on and this can make him vulnerable. Riku always competed with Sora, because he was so dependent on their friendship.

Serious to a fault, she continues traveling the worlds to complete her mission, though her excessive concern for Terra’s well-being creates a misunderstanding and some ill will.

Aqua is similar. She didn’t express the true depth of her concern for Terra because it made her feel too vulnerable. Terra didn’t truly understand how much she cared about him, so he pushed her away.

A quiet and cool-headed youth. Though he does come out of his shell when talking to his best friend Lea, toward others he is distant and untalkative. He also often scolds Lea, who has an opposite (though complementary) personality.

I think it was the same with Isa. He has a difficult time expressing himself. He cares a lot but keeps it a secret, because the true extent of his feelings make him feel too vulnerable. Lea is the only person he can open up to. Isa is dependent on him, and he teases and scolds Lea to cover it up. Deep down, I think Isa is as sentimental towards Lea as Aqua is towards Terra.

Sora: “Riku… C'mon, man! Why did you try to do so much on your own?”

Sora: “You got friends…like us!”

Riku: “Have you forgotten? I’ll tell you why. ‘Cause I’m not a total sap like you.”

Riku acts very similar to Isa. He hides his his very strong feelings behind a wall of sarcasm. When Sora said Riku had friends, he made a sarcastic comment. When Lea said he wanted everyone to remember him, Isa made a similar sarcastic comment.

Riku: “What I said back there…about thinking I was better at stuff than you…To tell you the truth, Sora… I was jealous of you.”

Sora: “What for?”

Riku: “I wished I could live life the way you do. Just following my heart.”

Riku was secretly jealous of Sora’s ability to open his heart up so easily. But Sora had no idea he felt that way.

Riku: “Well, there is one advantage to being me… Something you could never imitate.”

Sora: “Really? What’s that?”

Riku: “Having you for a friend.”

Sora: “Then I guess…I’m okay the way I am. I’ve got something you could never imitate too.”

Likewise, I don’t think Lea knew the true depth of Isa’s affection for him. And because Isa didn’t express his true feelings openly, Axel thought Isa stopped caring about him after becoming a Nobody.

Terra: “Oy, sometimes you are such a girl.”

Aqua: “Hey, what do you mean, ‘sometimes’?”

Aqua isn’t sarcastic like Riku and Isa. But she did keep the true depth of her feelings to herself as well. Terra thought making good luck charms was an uncharacteristically girly thing for her to do and he teases her a bit. He didn’t realize how much their friendship meant to her. He thought she was spying on him, but all she wanted was for him to be safe.

Zack: “I promised Terra I’d face him. Fair and square.”

Aqua: “The friendship between boys… It almost makes me jealous.”

I always thought this was an interesting quote. Aqua is also jealous. Perhaps being a girl makes her feel like an outsider in certain ways. But I do think the comment could be taken another way. I think she’s envious of the simple friendship boys can have with each other when they don’t have romantic feelings to complicate matters.

Aqua: “One Keyblade is enough…for any friendship. I learned it the hard way. I wouldn’t wish our lives on those children. Terra, please tell me–what’s to become of us?”

She can never truly be one of the guys. Aqua is always the strong one for Ven. On the other hand, Terra brings out a sense of vulnerability in her that nobody else does.

Saïx: “You’re the one who went off and made other friends. I lost…all sense of purpose.”

I think there WAS truth in Saïx’s comment about jealousy. But there was definitely way more going on with him than just that and he never put on an “act”. I definitely don’t think his coldness was that simple. Plus, Saïx is NOT a very good actor. Isa didn’t smile much. He didn’t open up to others. After Axel left and made new friends, his heart lost its purpose. I think Isa’s heart was jealous of Axel’s friendships with Roxas and Xion. But Saïx was unaware of this. I think if Saïx himself was jealous of anything, it was the fact that others could grow hearts, unlike him.

Aqua: “Terra and Ven didn’t have anything to say. But my shadow… She wanted to destroy me. Never would have thought I’d become my own worst enemy. I’ve talked to myself a lot since falling into these shadows. But with the phantom, it’s as though all of my doubts have gained a voice of their own. She’s the weakness in my heart. I know I’m alone here. Have the uncountable hours in the shadows whittled away the courage I never really had? I’m losing this fight. The darkness has found the cracks in my heart. Is this…the last apparition before it takes me over?”

I think in order to have a good redemption, Lea would have to wake Isa from his sleep. So, he’d have to face the shadow version of Isa, just like Sora, Mickey, and Riku had to face Aqua’s shadow before she woke up. I think Isa’s similarity to Riku is what made him such an appealing target for a vessel. After all, Riku was their first choice, not Sora.

Riku: “That was my…my dark side. I gave in to the darkness once. And ever since, it’s chased me around in one form or another. The Seeker of Darkness who stole my body…a puppet replica of the shadows in my heart…and now, I’m facing me.”

Riku has a lot of emotional depth. But the greater emotional capacity, the greater the capacity for darkness and despair. The higher the highs, the lower the lows. The brighter the light, the darker the shadow. He’s more easily driven to darkness because he keeps his feelings bottled up inside. I think that’s why Anti-Saïx and Anti-Riku were bosses. It was foreshadowing them dealing with their issues.

“The islands where you grew up were sundered, scattered—so many hearts lost to the darkness. And it was all your doing!”

It’s true, Riku thought in despair. If I hadn’t given in to that temptation… If I hadn’t believed what that man said…

“You hated spending your days trapped on these little islands, and so without a thought, you opened the Door of Darkness and destroyed them. It was you! You let darkness pull you in, and now, you belong to it.”

If he was a creature of darkness—if he couldn’t fight the darkness with his own strength—then there was no other way but for Sora to destroy him, Riku thought hazily. And if someone had to destroy him…he would much rather that Sora do it than anyone else.

Coming face to face with his darkness made Riku feel like he deserved to be destroyed.

Phantom Aqua: “Only your heart is hollow enough to be a demon’s. Is there any point in continuing this fight? No one can save you. And no one wants to. Your bonds of friendship only tie you down. You’ll never see the realm of light again. Just let go of everything and fade into the darkness.”

Aqua is strong, but anyone would reach their limit in her situation. She gave up everything for Terra. And a part of her does feel like her bonds only tie her down. Look where she ended up because of her act of love. And knowing Aqua, she probably feels like she deserves to fade into darkness for feeling that way. She compares her heart to a demon’s. Aqua’s shadow self wanted to destroy her. Perhaps a part of Aqua also wanted to destroy herself.

In that instant of hesitation, Roxas charged. Saïx blocked the sweep of the Keyblade. It brought back those long-ago days when there had been some pleasure in fighting. The Claymore slammed into Roxas…

And he recalled things from long, long ago.

The novel said that Saïx took pleasure in fighting, and started to recall things from long, long ago. I don’t know for sure, but I think it was referring to the experiments. I think Isa was forced to fight. Xehanort needs his vessels to be capable in combat, of course. And teenage Isa was no expert swordsman. I think that’s the true origin of his berserk state.

It is my duty to expose what this darkness really is. I shall conduct the following experiments:

Extract the darkness from a person’s heart.

Cultivate darkness in a pure heart.

Both suppress and amplify the darkness within.

The experiments caused the test subject’s heart to collapse, including those of the most stalwart. How fragile our hearts are! My treatment produced no signs of recovery.

The experiments were to draw out the darkness of the heart. And look at what was done to Subject X. Isolation, sensory deprivation, being called “X”, and Isa’s face was mutilated. After such abuse, he must have felt incredible pain, rage and hatred. He probably let all these feelings out when he was forced to fight. Eventually a part of him probably even started to enjoy fighting. And he probably felt ashamed of those darker emotions, and felt like fading away at times, too.

There was no way to know how far this shadowy nothingness went on. Riku felt like they would keep going forever and never find a way out. But Sora just kept moving, focusing on the next step in front of him.

I don’t have that kind of strength, thought Riku. If it was just me, I might have let myself waste away in here… But I want to get Sora home to our island.

Riku was okay with fading to darkness since the King, Kairi and the others were safe. But he wanted to get Sora back home. Sora still needed him. This gave Riku strength he wouldn’t have otherwise had. Riku developed such a resistance to darkness, he was no longer considered a viable vessel. But he didn’t view himself as strong.

Aqua: “I know I promised to wake you up. I’m sorry. But I have to find a way home before I can help you. I just want you to know that it’s been you that keeps my heart strong. Keeps the dark away.”

In a hopeless situation, Aqua’s hope would be be thinking of her friends, just like with Riku. Feeling like she needed to be there for Ven gave Aqua the strength to resist the darkness.

Memoirs, Excerpt 2

We slipped into the castle that day knowing only that we wanted, with all our hearts, to save her.

Lea and Isa were willing to put themselves in harm’s way, because they wanted to save a total stranger with all their hearts. I think they would be willing to do anything for each other.

I awoke in a cell, alone until the researchers came with their tests and their prodding to uncover my identity. I had no answer to offer them. Four friends, and a key…that is the sum total of my memory. I could not even recall my name. I was simply called “X” there.

I think Isa had amnesia after Ansem the Wise discovered the experiments on darkness. But he still remembered he had a friend.

Subject exhibits signs of profound amnesia, and displays concern for which world this is. Her words suggest that she departed her home world with others, though she cannot recall the names of her erstwhile companions. All efforts to explore those memories have met with a rejection response.

That friend was his main concern, despite not even remembering his name.

My pilot studies used a handful of subjects, but none possessed the fortitude to endure them. Ultimately, all suffered mental collapse. I knew it would be a heavy blow to lose a subject as unique as she.

Xehanort might have thought Subject X was just a very strong and exceptional specimen, but I think Lea was the only thing that kept him going. Isa couldn’t give up until he knew Lea was okay. I doubt he considered himself strong, though.

Xaldin: “That which we treasure has power over us, Roxas. His heart is captive to it. And that makes it his weakness.”

Axel didn’t want to to disappear. But there was one thing that made him feel like it wouldn’t be so bad. And that was fighting Saïx. I think it’s possible that during the experiments, the apprentices were going to make Isa fight Lea, as a way to cultivate and amplify the darkness within him. Lea was his weakness that made his heart a “captive”. And Isa refused.

Braig: “You’re only here so that when I finish you off…Terra will succumb to the darkness. So…who wants to go first?”

Aqua: “Go ahead if you want to waste your time. Keep trying to drive us apart with your mind games. It’ll never work!”

They may have threatened him with all manner of punishment, but there was nothing they could do to him to make him fight his friend.

Xehanort: “Still so blind… Then I will make you see. Come to the place where all Keyblade wielders leave their mark on fate–the Keyblade Graveyard! There you will watch your dear Ventus and Aqua meet their ends, and the last light within you will die!”

I think that might have been how he sacrificed himself. He was willing to accept whatever they were going to do to him, to protect his friend. But if Xehanort or Braig threatened to harm Lea, especially right in front of him, I think that would have been the one thing to finally break Isa’s spirit, causing him to mentally dissociate.

Terra: “Aqua, Ven… One day I will set this right.”

Terra’s heart survived because he was thinking of Aqua and Ven ahead of himself. Isa’s heart would survive, due to the strength of his love.

Saïx: “Do you know what happens to those who lose their true purpose? Inevitably, they destroy themselves.”

Part of Isa’s heart probably felt the same way Aqua did. Look where his bond of love got him. He’s become a vessel. Nobody knows where he is, or even that he needs help. Nobody is going to save him, and no one wants to. He’s forgotten, and now Lea went off and made other friends. His heart no longer had any purpose. Like Phantom Aqua, it resorts to self-destruction. His shadow would need to be subdued for him to wake up.

Aqua: “A pure heart filled with light… It’s strange, The Master taught me darkness needs to be destroyed. But how, if not with light?”

Fairy Godmother: “Oh, my dear, you’re too young to know. Experience more things, and you’ll find the answer. Just trust in your dreams.”

I thought it was interesting that the Fairy Godmother told Aqua not to fight darkness with light. It was strongly suggested that Eraqus was misguided in his beliefs, but this idea is never followed up on.

Shadow Aqua: “All that’s left in my heart is misery and despair…and now you can share it!”

Riku: “There’s no need. Got my own.”

I think this concept was going to be the most important while using the power of waking. You aren’t able to arouse someone from their slumber by destroying their darkness with the power of light. You have to be able to reach them where they are—in the deepest, darkest abyss. You have to truly understand and empathize with their darkness to ease their pain. Then you can gently guide them back into the light.

Master Xehanort: “And Aqua and Ventus, their lights shine too bright. It is only natural that they cast shadows on your heart.”

Aqua didn’t express her love for Terra by shining her light on him. Aqua and Ven’s bright light is what pushed Terra away. She expressed her love by choosing to partake in his darkness with him, then lighting his way back. And Lea certainly has plenty of misery and despair of his own, too.

Riku: “It’s just… I’ve always wondered why we’re here on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one? And suppose there are other worlds… Then ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So we could’ve just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?”

But even after being rescued, I don’t think Isa was done developing. I think he was originally going to be an important character in the future games. I mean, he is the best friend of a main character. There’s a lot they could potentially explore. I think Isa had an innocent side that just wanted to experience fun and adventure. But he tried to hide it and act mature, like Riku did.

Memoirs, Excerpt 1

The castle was a wonderland to us children. Within its walls, Ansem the Wise conducted his research, and the fruits it bore allowed everyone outside to live in peace and happiness.

I think that’s originally why they both wanted to sneak into the castle. It was similar to Riku’s desire to build the raft. I think Braig probably planted some seeds in the children of Radiant Garden. Lea and Isa seemed to know there was more than just research going on in that castle. There was something extraordinary. The Door to Darkness. Maybe the smile Lea had on his face when he looked at the D.T.D. had a sense of irony to it, since it was the very reason he started his journey with Isa in the first place?

Santa: “Before you do, Sora… I believe there’s a friend of yours…who—if I recall correctly—was the one who told you there’s no such thing as Santa Claus?”

Sora: “Oh yeah… He did say that.”

Santa: “Be sure to give him my very best wishes.”

In his mind, Riku thought he always needed to act mature. But in his heart, his desire was to live more like Sora. I found one of the more interesting Riku moments to be when he told Sora there was no such thing as Santa. I always imagined it happened right after Riku found out Santa wasn’t real. And in his sadness, he tried to act too cool to have ever believed in him anyways. He was hiding his true feelings of disillusionment. But Santa knew the truth. He told Sora to give him his best wishes because he wanted Riku to believe once again.

Fairy Godmother: “Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother. I appear to those who believe that dreams come true.”

Aqua: “Then I am honored. But why would you advise me not to fight darkness with light?”

Fairy Godmother: “Strong rays of sun create dark shadows.”

Just like The Fairy Godmother did for Terra and Cinderella. Isa needs to learn how to believe again, too. And he’s surrounded by people who can do just that.

Lea: “I’ll see ya when I see ya. After all, we’re friends now. Get it memorized.”

Ven: “Okay, Lea.”

Isa: “What is it with you and picking up stray puppies?”

Isa was too shy to directly interact with Ven himself, but Lea was there and they all laughed together. He acts cool, like Riku, but he was probably jealous of Lea’s ability to be so open and make friends so easily. But in the ending of KH3, he does smile and play with Ventus. The ice has been broken. He was able to come out of his shell around someone besides Lea. His future arc would be learning how to be more open and forthcoming with his feelings, and become friends with everyone else, too.

Data Riku: “Maybe…I’ve been a little jealous. You’re always surrounded by friends who trust you and are there to support you–”

Data Sora: “Okay, stop right there. First of all, I trust you. Second of all, my friends are your friends, too. Just ask ‘em!”

Despite his sarcasm, Riku was jealous of how Sora was constantly surrounded by friends. He didn’t think Sora’s friends were HIS friends. It’s why Maleficent was able to affect him so badly, particularly while he was under the influence of Xehanort’s Heartless. And Isa is still shy. When Hayner, Pence, and Olette show up, he doesn’t smile and wave to them. He doesn’t think they’re HIS friends. He doesn’t see himself as truly one of the group…yet.

Xemnas: “My my, a hollow puppet that’s managed to grow a heart. Just imagine that.”

Sora: “Pinocchio isn’t anything like you Nobodies. But if Pinocchio could be given one–shouldn’t you be able to have a heart inside you, too?”

Saïx was always calling Xion “broken”. That seemed to be the root of his hatred for her. Maybe Saïx hated Xion for the same reason he hated Axel after he defected? Seeing Xion provokes pain in him for some reason. He can’t even “see” her, but she still has a heart.

“Saïx called her ‘defective.’”

Axel sighed, too. He had his doubts that Saïx realized just how special Roxas and Xion were. How they seemed to process things with an emotional quality that none of the other Nobodies had. Speak in those cold, dispassionate terms to one of them, and it would provoke the opposite reaction—just as if they had hearts.

Saïx didn’t understand that. Despite the lack of a heart, he could imagine what it was like to have emotional responses based on what he remembered from his human life. And he must be able to remember how much trouble it was.

Even a puppet can grow a heart, but he can’t. Axel didn’t understand Saïx. He knew exactly how special Xion was. That’s why he hated her. Axel also grew a heart by spending time with his new friends. But Saïx couldn’t. He didn’t understand his own pain. Axel made him feel like he had some kind of “purpose” that he’d forgotten. And Xion caused him to feel broken and defective. And so he chose to lash out at her like he did with Axel.

Quasimodo: “The people out there would be cruel to me. I’m a monster, you know.”

Riku: “Is that what Frollo told you? Trust me, looks can be deceiving. A good friend sees you for who you are, no matter what face you wear.”

Riku avoided Sora, even though he knew Sora desperately wanted to see him. He knew he only looked that way because he wanted to help Sora, and he knew Sora would accept him no matter what he looked like. But he still couldn’t bear the shame of looking like “Ansem”. I definitely think Isa would deal with a lot of shame over what Saïx did, especially to Roxas and Xion. It wasn’t really him, but it was still his body and appearance. I think Riku and Isa could become very good friends, since they have a lot in common. Isa would need encouragement that the others don’t see him as Saïx.

Can you tell us a little about Pinocchio’s world that was originally intended to be in the game but was taken out? What was it going to be like?

Nomura: Set in a circus and playing off the story of Pinocchio, a puppet with a heart, and the Nobodies who possess no heart, we planned for a sad episode with Roxas and Xion looking for hope for themselves.

I always wished they kept the Pinocchio world in Days, since replicas are so often compared to puppets. The Blue Fairy from Pinocchio is similar to Fairy Godmother and Santa Claus. She has the power to bring puppets to life. They all encourage someone to believe. Roxas and Xion could empathize with Isa’s feelings. They were always told they had no heart. They felt sad and hopeless, too. They would not blame him for what Saïx did and they would become very good friends.

Also, writing about the Pinocchio world brings back memories. Fun Fact: This question was from a fan Q&A on the Square-Enix Members site shortly after the game came out. And that was actually my question! Several people asked about the Pinocchio world, but they used my specific phrasing. ^_^

Scrooge: “Ye’ll have buckets o’ fun there, or my name is not Scrooge McDuck. There y'are–enough for you and two grown-ups.”

Ven: “He said to– He said to take two grown-ups.”

Aqua: “You mean us?”

Ultimately, I see Isa as a mix of Riku and Aqua. When he truly moves on from his past, I see him becoming fully a part of the group. He would be a friend and equal to all of the older members. And, if Lea is the “dad” to the younger members, then Isa would be the “mom”. Kind of like how Terra and Aqua are to Ven, which embarrassed them…but also seemed to make them secretly happy.

Riku: “I try too hard to be the role model. It’s more fun to just listen to my heart. Which is Sora-esque.”

Isa would be a responsible and empathetic caretaker who offers good advice, like Aqua. And he’d keep everyone on their toes, like Riku. But he’d be able to let loose and have fun more. I also think eventually, Isa would become a Keyblade wielder and he would be directly involved in the action. If all it takes is a strong heart, I think Subject X passes the test with flying colors.

[bleusarcellewrites]

It's Not Destiny Who Chooses

Wrote this last week, and I thought I might share it here too, so ~ 

Long post. 3k, just below the ‘red more’, so I’m adding the Ao3 link in case someone wants it!  Ao3 clicky me

Disclaimer: Voltron doesn’t belong to me. 

Lance squeals when strong arms wrap themselves around his small waist and then he’s laughing as his brother hold him way up above his head.

“Tony! Tony, no! No helicopter!” Lance shouts, giggles escaping his mouth as his older brother continues to spin him around.

“But Lance! Our audience demanded a maiden in distress, didn’t you, guys?” The seventeen years old turns to the small audience a few feet from them, all of their big eyes wide and entranced in curiosity, nodding their small heads at the question, some of them even cheering for the teen.

“Sorry, hermanito, the audience has the last word.” Tony smirks and tickles Lance on the side, earning a loud laugh from the seven-year-old.

“Angie!” Lance shouts in distress, laughing bubbling, making him shake, “Angie, help!”

The twenty-year-old rolls her eyes but smiles softly at her brothers as she makes her way towards the pair. “Okay, alright, Tony, stop tormenting him. It’s almost time for dinner, anyways. Come and help before you continue playing, deal?” She asks, looking down at her brothers before turning towards the small children, “Who is ready for a warm Christmas Dinner, guys?”

The small children cheer louder at her words, most of them raising their hands enthusiastically as some of them stumbled on their own steps to stand up.

Angie giggles fondly at them before she raises her head and her eyes meet a small body on the other end of the room, face hidden from her as he looks down on the ground and rubs his arm nervously, almost as if hugging himself.

It’s not the first time that one of the kids in the orphanage they volunteer at is closed off or distant. Christmas is always a hard time for orphanages, especially for the kids. Angie understands that, she’s been volunteering along with her family most of her life, and she had been so good to befriend and include every single kid back when she was their age.

Now, at age of twenty, it’s difficult for kids to confide in her easily. It’s no one’s fault, it’s just a clear line between adult and kid and sometimes it’s difficult to find a common ground.

Angie purses her lips, deep in thought, before a body crashes into her middle. She huffs out of surprise before she looks down and the bulb inside her head lights up as soon as her little brother’s blue eyes look up at her.

“Ups, sorry!” Lance says, rubbing the back of his neck.

Angie waves him off and she kneels down quick to grab her little brother’s arm as he was about to follow the small crowd behind her.

“No, wait, Lance,” She calls, moving her head around until she caught her brother’s eyes. Angie nods once she decides he’s paying attention to her before she continues, “Do me a favor? You see that kid over there?”

She points with her head subtly and she wants to facepalm herself when her brother turns around abruptly towards the direction and screams his concerns.

“Angie, why is that kid all alone? Is he sad? Why is he sad? It’s Christmas! Does he know it’s Christmas?” He questions with a small pout, not pleased that someone wasn’t having fun like the rest of the party.

Angie hushes him quietly. “Well, I don’t really know, buddy. Maybe he doesn’t like partying?”

“But why is he alone?” He asks, tilting his head to the side in confusion and Angie pushes his bangs out of his face.

“Maybe because he needs a friend?” She suggests, shrugging her arms and giving him a small push with a smile, “Are you up on being a friend, buddy?”

Lance blinks before he beams and nods his head. Angie laughs at her brother’s enthusiasm and drops a quick kiss to his temple.

“That’s my Lance.” She praises softly before she pushes him gently towards the kid, “Now go. Please tell him dinner is almost done and then it’s time for gifts, alright?”

“‘Kay!” Lance shouts back over his shoulder, making his way. He dodges and avoid the big bodies around the room, mumbling and shouting at the same time quick ‘sorry’s’ when he’s not quick enough.

“Huh,” Lance says out loud as soon as he arrives, standing behind the kid, “You have a mullet! Cool!”

The kid stiffens and he’s quick to turn around, meeting Lance’s eyes for the first time and the brunet doesn’t hesitate to wave at him innocently, offering a big smile.

“Hi! Sorry, I just looking at your hair and it reminded me of my Tio’s hair. He says it’s a mullet with style, and that only cool guys like him have one, but my mama says it’s something only old guys wear. She says my Tio is still living in the eighties, even though he lives like five houses away from us, and there are no streets named like that, but that’s okay! As long as he visits during the weekend, of course! Yours look like a mini mullet though and you are not old –”

“Um,” The kid cuts off, unsure but his posture still tensed at Lance’s presence, “Who are you?”

Lance blinks and then perks up. “Oh, yeah! I’m Lance McClain, hi! I always forget to introduce myself, duh! I’m seven, how old are you? What’s your name? Why are you in the corner? Were you put in timeout? That’s not nice, it’s Christmas!”

“Uh,” The young black haired kid murmurs again, this time narrowing his eyes in suspicion, “I’m Keith Kogane. I’m seven too and I’m here because I don’t like...crowds. There’s too much noise.”

Lance hums. “Oh, well that’s okay! We can play here!” He decides, grabbing Keith’s hand to bring him down to the floor.

“You...you wanna play with me?” Keith asks softly, surprise taking over his face and Lance frowns in confusion.

“Yeah! Why not? You are cool! And you have a mullet, and my uncle said that anyone who has a mullet is cool!”

Keith puffs his cheeks, a soft red color taking over his cheeks as he stick out his lower lip and crosses his arms over his chest. “I don’t have a mullet.”

Lance shrugs, smiling playfully. “I see a mullet.”

“It’s not!”

“It is, it is, it is ~!” Lance sing songs, laughing when Keith launches at him, “Ah! Keith, not fair!”

“I win.” Keith declares happily as he hovers above Lance, pinning him against the ground, “You didn’t even try, Lance!”

Lance gasps. “Psh, yeah alright but I could totally win against you in a swordfight!”

Keith’s eyes light up at the words. “I love sword fights!”

The brunet’s annoyance evaporates just like that. “Really!? Oh man, I brought two of my lightsabers, do you wanna play Star Wars?”

“Yes! I wanna be Luke!”

“Okay! And I will be Han Solo!”

“But Han Solo doesn’t have a light saber.” Keith says bemused and Lance waves his hands off.

“He’s Han Solo, he does what he wants.”

Keith shrugs, accepting the reason.

“Be right back, I’m going to get them!” Lance says, jumping on his feet before crossing the entire room in a flash. It’s not five minutes later when he comes back, panting hard but a big grin on his face.

“Okay, so you want blue or red?” He asks and Keith points at the blue one, “Nice! That’s my favorite but I can share, because I like you.”

Keith’s chubby cheeks flush at the blunt confession but he smiles back at the brunet. “I like you too, Lance.”

“Cool! I can’t wait to tell my Tio I have a Mullet friend!”

They end up playing for half an hour, going on and on about different scenarios for their adventures in space. At some point, they both decided that Star War was boring and moved on with Space Explorers, two young astronauts who find a legendary castle that inside hold the Universe’s biggest weapon.

“The Princess was alone inside the castle, yes? And then we come in and rescue her and then she gifts us with two powerful lions!”

Keith opens his mouth in wonder. “Okay, but like, are they she-lions?”

“Of course they are she-lions!” Lance answers, “Mine is name Blue!”

“Oh, mine is Red, then!”

“We are going to be like, Space Partners!”

“Yes!”

Mr. McClain chuckles under his breath as he watches his son continue playing with the young orphan. He walks towards his wife and settle the plates he was carrying near her, nodding when she mumbles a soft ‘thank you’.

“Have you seen this?” He wonders, tilting his head back to where his son is playing.

Mrs. McClain pauses and turns around, her smiles turning soft and loving at the sight. “He has always had that charm to make friends.”

Mr. McClain nods proudly. “That he does.” He murmurs before he cups his hands, “Lance, son, please come closer! It’s time for dinner. Bring your friend with you, alright?”

“Okay, Papa!” The seven years old shouts back, not wasting any time before he grabs Keith’s hand and drags him along, “Come on, Keith!”

Dinner is warm and comfortable. Lance and Keith sit together on the kid’s table, the rest of the party forgotten for them as Lance goes on and on about their Lions and their special abilities and nods when Keith inserts his own two cents on the matter.

Soon, it’s time for the presents and Lance stands on the back with Keith as he watches his family giving out the gifts they had brought for the kids.

Lance bites the inside of his cheek, hesitating for a second.

“I will be right back.” He tells Keith before he walks towards his mama. Lance purses his lips, taking a deep breath and then he tugs his Mama’s jeans, catching her attention.

Mrs. McClain looks down at her child. “Yes, sunshine?”

“Mama, can I choose a gift for my friend?” He asks, innocently pointing towards Keith.

Mrs. McClain puts his pointing down but her gaze is firmly placed on the small seven years old in the middle of the ocean of children, shifting nervously under his feet as all the kids open and play with their new toys.

Mrs. McClain’s heart melts at the sight. She doesn't hesitate to crouch down at her child’s height and she smiles proudly at him.

“Of course, amor.” She says, patting him on the cheek tenderly, “Be sure to choose wisely, okay?”

Lance nods with a grin and then looks down the big bag her mama puts in front of him. It actually takes him ten seconds before he shouts in surprise and dives into the bag.

“This one!” He announces loudly and Mrs. McClain allows herself to take a quick look at the box in her son’s arms before she nods approvingly.

“Nice choice, sunshine.”

Lance giggles. “Thank you, mama!”

“Now go, your friend is waiting for you.” She says, smiling knowingly as she easily catches the not so subtle glances the small black haired child keeps making towards their direction.

Lance nods before he turns around, waving the box in the air proudly. “Keith! Keith, I got your present!”

Keith eyes snap open at the words, red taking over his cheeks, almost resembling his long sleeve sweater he has on. “Um, what?”

“A present, Keith!” Lance repeats kindly, smiling with excitement, “And I got the perfect one! I hope you like it! Merry Christmas, Keith!”

The seven years old stares, almost dumbfounded at the small box Lance pushes against his chest. He looks up, meeting Lance’s bright blue eyes and the brunet limits himself to nod at him, urging him to open it.

He starts opening the box slowly but soon enough, a smile creeps into his face and then he’s grinning, matching Lance’s enthusiasm.

“Woah.” He whispers in awe when he takes out a small red plastic guitar, the strings a little loose at the touch and the color is a little faded but Keith falls in love with it at first sight.

“It used to be my brother’s, but he said he didn’t want it anymore because he got a new one.” Lance says, hopping on the couch behind them and patting his right side, “Come on! I can teach you, if you want. Tony taught me my favorite song.”

Keith climbs the couch and settles himself besides Lance, guitar still close to his chest like something precious. “Okay.” He whispers, smiling sheepishly.

Lance smiles back and takes his pale hand, placing the guitar correctly on Keith’s lap before he starts moving Keith’s fingers with his own.

“It starts like this,” He whispers softly before he starts singing, “Estrellita, donde estas. Me pregunto quien seras.”

It’s not the humming that catch his attention, it’s the lullaby itself.

Lance stops short on his tracks, head turning around out of curiosity and his eyes widen at the sight of another student, sitting cross legged under a tree near the campus’ green area.

He can’t see their face, but there’s something familiar on the way their shoulders move and how their fingers caress the guitar on their lap, gently and yet with a purpose.

The stranger continues to hum the lullaby’s melody under their breath, no lyrics in the air but it feels oddly familiar, having in mind that it’s not that common to hear your childhood lullaby out of nowhere in the middle of your campus’ area.

He’s about to shrugs his shoulders and continue his way when he notices the mullet.

Lance pauses, smiles and prays to God he’s not about to make a fool of himself.

He makes his way towards the guy, ice tea still on his hand as he stands beside him quietly and he tilts his head to the side, enjoying the music coming from the musician’s fingertips. Lance waits until the guy is done playing before he speaks up.

“Keith Kogane?” He asks with a wary smile and he almost jumps when the guy’s head looks up at him abruptly.

“Uh,” Keith lets out dumbly, blinking confused before he continues, “Keith Shirogane-Kogane, actually.” He replies, almost in automatic before he narrows his eyes, “And you are…?”

Lance beams and raises his hand. “Lance McClain, nice meeting you again.”

Keith stares at the hand and then something shifts in his gaze.

“Lance McClain?” He repeats slowly, and the brunet nods.

“Yeah! I mean, I know it’s been a long time but I used to volunteer at Shack Street Orphanage when I was young and there was this one Christmas, my first time volunteering, that I met a kid and,” Lance hisses under his breath, internally wincing when the guy’s eyes just get wider and more confused than before, “And now I’m thinking I’m an idiot and I’m rambling now because I probably got this wrong and I’m making a fool out of myself, but you look a lot like a kid I knew back then, and I taught him like, ‘twinkle twinkle’ with a plastic guitar, yes, I’m that talented, but I never saw him again and – yeah, okay, should I stop talking? I should. I am. Shutting up now.”

They stand in silence, Lance still shifting nervously on his feet while Keith puts his guitar down, eyes never leaving Lance’s. Then, he smiles, growing into a grin, and soon after he’s barking laugh, arms around his stomach as he shakes.

Lance just stares and then he pouts, a small flush taking over his cheeks.

“Okay, no need to laugh.” He huffs and makes a move to leave but Keith is quick to stop him.

“No, no! I’m sorry, I’m just – You’re Lance! Parrot Lance! I mean, sorry, shit! It’s just that, the rambling, man! I remember the rambling.” Keith says, taking a deep breath to control himself, “I’m so sorry, I’m just surprised because, damn, I never thought I would see you again?”

Keith hums, shaking his head in disbelief, still incredulous at the turn of events. “I mean, it’s such a wild concept that I would meet the very same person who helped me find my passion in music because he gave me a plastic guitar the Christmas before I was adopted, again! I’m just...woah, you know?”

“Tell me about it!” Lance shouts back, chuckling and flopping himself on the ground besides Keith, pulling his knee up, “I can’t believe you actually continued playing. I mean, the plastic guitar wasn’t even tuned, you know? The sound it made still haunts my dreams.”

Keith shrugs, his smile never leaving his face. “It got stuck in me, I guess. I liked it.”

“Aw, was I special to you, Mullet?” Lance jokes, easily falling into a familiar banter with the black-haired man, his grin only growing when Keith shoves him on the arm.

“Psh, you wish!” He shouts back.

“It’s actually...really nice to meet you again, Keith.” Lance confesses quietly, nudging him on the shoulder.

Keith smiles. “It’s a nice turn of events, I have to admit.”

“It sure is.” Lance muses, “Okay, but now you gotta tell me about what happened after that Christmas. My best buddy disappeared right after we were about to save the Princess, what the heck, Keith!”

They chat for a few minutes, words flowing easily as the first time they met. Keith goes on about how he got adopted and was brought as the youngest member of the Shirogane Household just before New Year’s Eve. He told Lance about how he kept the red plastic guitar even after his adoption and how he practiced the same song he taught him over and over again until his parents decided to sign him up for lessons.

“I even taught my brother, Shiro, to play it.” Keith says.

Lance arches an eyebrow, smiling knowingly. “Did you make him learn it with the plastic guitar?”

Keith winks and smirks mischievously. “You bet.”

Then it’s Lance talking. He goes back on the different years he went volunteering, always on the lookout for his friend but never having any luck. The tell Keith about how he still goes to Orphanages, in between the school year, whenever he has time to hang out with the kids. Lance offers to bring Keith with him one day.

Keith easily agrees.

“Okay, alright, I know this might sound insane but,” Lance pauses, shaking his cold beverage in the air, “My friends and I are going to hang out at my best friend’s dorm right now, you know, chilling and video games, probably a pizza. Maybe you wanna join us, Keith Shirogane-Kogane?”

Keith pauses before he smirks. “My mom told me to never leave with strangers, you know.”

Lance gasps out loud, hand over his chest for dramatic effect. “How dare you, Keith! We’re childhood friends!”

“I don’t think spending one Christmas’ eve together when we were seven counts as childhood friends.” Keith replies flatly.

“It’s close enough, though.” Lance challenges and he smiles in victory when Keith’s mouth twitches upward.

The black-haired man laughs and shrugs, faking being nonchalant. “Sure, why not. Lead the way, Lance McClain.”

“Alright, you better prepare, man, because I’m going to swipe the floor with you!”

“Hah! You wish, McClain! You wish!”

“Okay, but should I be worried that you recognized me even after fifteen years apart?” Keith teases, narrowing his eyes in suspicion as he looks up at Lance, point at the brunet with the end of his pizza.

Lance scoffs and waves his hand off at him, leaning down to grab another slice from the box. The shouts of his two best friends get louder on the background, still on their own game competition but Lance just scootch closer to Keith as he replies, not wanting to raise his voice.

“Please, man. I could recognize that mullet from space.”

Keith frowns, his lower lip out in a pout and Lance can easily picture him with the chubby flushed cheeks, bigger eyes and small scrunched nose he used to have almost a lifetime ago. “Not a mullet.”

Lance hums and takes a bite from his own pizza.

“Once a mullet, always a mullet!”

Keith flips him off with a smile.

[yes-dal456]

How 7 People Turned Their Passion Projects Into Successful Side Jobs

When Le’Donne Morris began his career in graphic design and web development, he felt like something was missing. So he began to brainstorm a side job that would provide a creative outlet and a chance to channel some of his personal interests into a concrete product.

The result, Limited Time Offer, is an enamel pin design business that draws its inspiration from his long time passions: pop culture and professional wrestling.

“Personally, I started this because my day job lacks creativity, it helps fill that void,” said Morris, who prefers to go by Don.

Of course, taking more than one job is nothing new and is often a means of survival. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that in 2016, the number of multiple job-holders hit a eight-year record high with more than 5 percent of all employed adults taking on extra work, USA Today reported.

In this context, a passion project is a privileged pursuit rather than a matter of making ends meet ― a chance to flex muscles not used during a day job. For some, the goal is to transition from a day job to a full-time position in their chosen field. For others, having a creative outlet that is self-sustaining is payment enough.

And many young people seek the opportunity to express themselves while making a little extra income: A survey from Career Builder found that workers between the ages of 25 and 34 were twice as likely as those 45 to 52 to have a second job.

No matter what your goals are, it’s hard to know where to start and how to fit a new enterprise into an already full life. But if you’re considering turning your passion into a side hustle, you’d do well to heed the advice of Morris and six other creatives who have successfully made the jump: 

1. “My side job has led to more priceless, life-changing, unreal adventures than I could have ever imagined.”

Name: Crystal Sagan

Age: 35

Location: Boulder, Colorado

Full-time job: Owner of Cocktail Caravan, a mobile bar

Side hustle: Freelance writer/photographer at Powder Magazine

Why a side hustle? Having something outside of my real job as the owner of Cocktail Caravan, forces me to use different parts of my brain I wouldn’t otherwise engage on a daily basis. I’ve found that it’s changed things with my real job for the better because creative parts of my brain are primed and ready, and I’m able to approach things within my everyday office life with a more creative approach than I otherwise would.

Other than that, the actual process of telling stories has led to more priceless, life-changing, unreal adventures than I could have ever imagined. I didn’t always know that this is where I wanted to end up, but I knew what felt exciting and made me happy.

How does the money work out? There hasn’t always been a paycheck involved, but the deeper I get, the more rewarding, financially and experience-wise it becomes.

What’s been the hardest thing and the best thing? At the end of the day I’m constantly amazed at the people and experiences that I’ve crossed paths with because I took that first step. For me, the side hustle is about following something that brings me a deep level of satisfaction.

It’s hard work, and 95 percent of the time you’re already exhausted from your real job, life, and responsibilities, so you need to have some level of passion or it’s hard to find the energy to see things through.

What advice do you have for others? Taking that first step to committing to do something is scary and exciting and you never really know what you’ll encounter along the way that can have profoundly positive influences in your life.

2. “Don’t be afraid. Just start.”

Name: Noah Jacobs

Age: 28

Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Full-time job: Preschool teacher

Side hustle: Writer

Describe what you do and why: I’m a full-time preschool teacher in Minneapolis and use what limited time I have during breaks of peace and quiet at work to check my phone and say connected with cultural happenings and what I can write about as a freelance writer. Still, I contribute weekly to Splitsider’s “This Week In Comedy Podcasts” feature and have begun writing longer pieces for them when I can, which translates to once a month or so. I stumbled into teaching in mid-2012, and started contributing to The A.V. Club’s podcast roundup Podmass with a one-sentence review of Julie Klausner’s podcast that posted on Aug. 19, 2013. Splitsider welcomed me late last year after I left Podmass due to some freelance cutbacks.

How does the money work out? Being a preschool teacher is my main source of income. Writing provides income but whatever I make, I use to treat myself.

What’s been the hardest thing and the best thing?: The thing about working with young children is that sometimes they respond to your love with anger and sadness. They can’t express appreciation like a grown-up can.

On the other hand, my words are everywhere on Andrea Silenzi’s press page. “Marty & Sarah Love Wrestling” did, like, a twenty minute bit about how excited they were when I named Sarah Shockey and Ryback “Cutest Couple” in 2016. As Frank Burns said on M*A*S*H, it’s nice to be nice to the nice.

What advice do you have for others? Don’t be afraid, just start your side-hustle, or ask someone if you can do it, if that’s something you need to do to begin. I had nothing to point to online when I started as a freelance writer and sent my pitches to an editor. I’m just fortunate and humbled that they responded and took a chance on me. It’s easy to be excited about what I’m doing when I’m excited about what I’m writing. I do what I know I can handle.

3. “I try to remind myself to be excited that I’m getting to do what I love.”

Name: Brian Davis

Full time job: Coffee roaster/barista

Side hustle: Filmmaker and owner of Motion Distillery

Age: 28

Location: Oceanside, California

Describe what you do and why: I split my time between working as a coffee roaster/barista for a small coffee company called Revolution Roasters and being a filmmaker. A few years back I started a brand/portfolio of my film work under the name Motion Distillery. I help brands, artists, and companies tell their stories through short films—essentially short commercials harnessing the essence of who they are.

I’ve been making films since I was kid, really, but professionally I’ve been at it for about five years. At the same time, I’ve worked in the speciality coffee industry in one way or another and it’s always been a steady side gig for me. It allows me to keep my dream alive of getting to pursue filmmaking. I really do love roasting and serving coffee, but I see filmmaking as my longterm career path.

How does the money work out? It’s paid off in experience. I used to get really down on myself for having to work in coffee to supplement my filmmaking, but now I see it as an opportunity to support myself and the passion I have for my craft.

What’s been the hardest thing and the best thing? It’s tricky to balance it all. I feel very fortunate to get to do something on the side, like coffee, that I quite enjoy, so that’s a positive. Lately I’ve been burning at both ends. I work three to four days at the cafe making coffee then the other days I’m out shooting, editing, or working on film projects. It takes a lot of energy to balance both schedules and make it all happen and it can be super overwhelming and even stressful. I just try to remind myself to be excited that I’m getting to do what I love—in both areas.

What advice do you have for others? Follow your passion project even if it begins with baby steps. It takes a lot of patience and time but it’s worth it to be able to pursue your passion, and it doesn’t hurt to have the extra income on the side. Staying passionate is hard at times, but it’s something I truly love, and it’s my art so I find ways to create and do it. Community is really important and it helps to surround yourself with other creative people who will spur you on to keep creating.

4. “The hardest thing is feeling overwhelmed.”

Name: Don Morris

Age: 29

Location: Los Angeles, California

Full time job: Graphic designer and web developer

Side hustle: Co-founder of Limited Time Offer

Describe what you do and why: For a little more than a year, my brother and I have run an online storefront selling enamel pins focused on pro wrestling. I’ve been into enamel pins for a while, even before it was a trend. Originally we started by focusing on pop culture designs, but pro wrestling was my brother’s idea. There’s a lack of decent merchandise available and we just want to make stuff for people like us.

How does the money work out? I work on my side project on top of my day job. My side hustle isn’t my main source of income but it’s financially self-sustainable.

What’s been the hardest thing and the best thing? The hardest thing is just feeling overwhelmed. I was stressing about running our social media accounts earlier this week, but I try to avoid this by staying organized. For instance, I have a notebook to help schedule stuff out and jot down notes or sketches. 

The most rewarding thing is seeing customers’ photos on social media. It’s awesome knowing people like our stuff enough to wear it or post a picture on Instagram.

What advice do you have for others? You definitely have to love whatever you’re doing to pursue a passion project. If it isn’t fun in some way it probably isn’t worth doing. I almost gave up after releasing our first designs. They were irrelevant and relied too heavily on nostalgia. It’s okay to fail though, without failing we wouldn’t have found our niche. It also helped that we were able to adapt our original ideas to fit a new theme.

5. “I’m working to one day make the transition so that my side hustle can be a full-time job.”

Name: Brett Shumaker

Age: 30

Location: Pittsburgh, Pa

Full time job: Barista

Side hustle: Promoter/founder of Don’t Let the Scene Go Down On Me! Collective

Describe what you do and why: I kind of fell into being a promoter and show booking. I was in a band of my own ten years ago and was booking our own shows. When the band broke up, I still wanted to be involved in that process.

How does the money work out? My day job is the way I pay my bills but I’m working to one day make the transition so that my side hustle can be a full-time job.

What’s been the hardest thing and the best thing? There’s always that one show every now and then that does way worse than I imagined and I lose a lot of money and I wonder for a second why I still do this, but then I remember all the good I’ve done with this and I just keep moving right along and try harder. The most rewarding part is watching people enjoy the shows I book and the bands telling me how happy they were with the show - that really keeps me going.

What advice do you have for others? It can be hard to find the balance between your day job and your side hustle, especially when your day job is paying the bills. Making other people happy is what keeps me going. As I try to make the transition to just doing my passion project, I’m taking on more of a workload, so feeling overwhelmed is something I am learning to deal with. If it’s something you love, don’t give it up.

6. “Music is something that feels like a calling” 

Name: Claire Morales

Age: 27

Location: Denton, Texas

Full time job: Graphic designer

Side hustle: Musician

Describe what you do and why: I’m a graphic designer for my main job. My passion project is music. I play guitar and sing in a band that’s billed under my name. I kind of think of myself as double majoring in life, half design, half music. I was 13 when I started playing shows at coffee shops and have been writing songs and making records and performing since then.

How does the money work out? Graphic design is my main source of income. I make money from album and music merchandise sales and live shows, but pretty much all of it gets funneled back into producing new records.

What’s been the hardest thing and the best thing? There was a time when I was working and commuting about 60 hours a week all together for my day job. Finding time to book shows and write songs and have band practice was extremely difficult. I kind of woke up to just how stressed I was and how bad my quality of life was becoming. I went freelance so that I could basically stay sane and be more in control of my own time.

I love graphic design, but it never feels very personal to me. It’s always for someone else. Music is something that feels like a calling, something that’s in me that I should be doing, and it’s a great feeling.

What advice do you have for others? Find meaning and satisfaction in the process. Realize that just like a regular job, you have to put in a lot of time and effort in to get the most out of it. Try to find ways to enjoy that work and find fulfillment just in the act of doing it and doing it well. I find that keeping a mix of small, more realizable goals and also bigger more broad ones helps me to keep dreaming and also get stuff done every day. Don’t compare your progress to others. I try to be excited that there are so many great musicians around me. I think it’s better to inspire one another and think of others in your field as peers rather than competitors.

7. “When you’re ready to give up, that’s the time to dig in further into your passion”

Name: Heather Quinn Gage

Age: 26

Location: Fort Worth, Texas

Full time job: Development Manager (fundraising) for a nonprofit theater company

Side hustle: Consulting for nonprofit organizations

Describe what you do and why: My first day job definitely matched what I wanted in a job, but as I got further out into the workforce I realized that there will never be a perfect job that marries what I want to do with the right culture and meets my personal goals; I needed to create it.

The way I started my consulting was to do three things every day that led me to clients or work. That’s how I stayed motivated and felt like I was accomplishing something each day.

How does the money work out? My side hustle is funded by my full-time job. I pursue it more to pursue a location-independent lifestyle and have my time be more valued than a traditional job.

What’s been the hardest thing and the best thing? There are times when I do feel overwhelmed, especially when I am having more issues in my personal life that I feel I need to focus on. In these moments, my best advice is to focus on self-care. If you feel your business is important to your future, don’t drop it in these moments. That’s when you double down on investing in your business and taking care of your physical and mental health.

The best part is feeling like I’m using a broader set of my skills than just the ones I use in my day job. I can help people in ways that feel more authentic to me.

What advice do you have for others? When you’re ready to give up, that’s the time to dig in further into your passion, it’s not time to drop it. In the end, if it’s what fuels your fire and fulfills you, it will ultimately make you stronger in weak times. I suggest making your own checklist for what you know makes you feel the best mentally and physically and what the necessities are for doing your best work. During a hard time you can look at it and see if you’ve met your own criteria for showing up your best.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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[ongames]

How 7 People Turned Their Passion Projects Into Successful Side Jobs

When Le’Donne Morris began his career in graphic design and web development, he felt like something was missing. So he began to brainstorm a side job that would provide a creative outlet and a chance to channel some of his personal interests into a concrete product.

The result, Limited Time Offer, is an enamel pin design business that draws its inspiration from his long time passions: pop culture and professional wrestling.

“Personally, I started this because my day job lacks creativity, it helps fill that void,” said Morris, who prefers to go by Don.

Of course, taking more than one job is nothing new and is often a means of survival. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that in 2016, the number of multiple job-holders hit a eight-year record high with more than 5 percent of all employed adults taking on extra work, USA Today reported.

In this context, a passion project is a privileged pursuit rather than a matter of making ends meet ― a chance to flex muscles not used during a day job. For some, the goal is to transition from a day job to a full-time position in their chosen field. For others, having a creative outlet that is self-sustaining is payment enough.

And many young people seek the opportunity to express themselves while making a little extra income: A survey from Career Builder found that workers between the ages of 25 and 34 were twice as likely as those 45 to 52 to have a second job.

No matter what your goals are, it’s hard to know where to start and how to fit a new enterprise into an already full life. But if you’re considering turning your passion into a side hustle, you’d do well to heed the advice of Morris and six other creatives who have successfully made the jump: 

1. “My side job has led to more priceless, life-changing, unreal adventures than I could have ever imagined.”

Name: Crystal Sagan

Age: 35

Location: Boulder, Colorado

Full-time job: Owner of Cocktail Caravan, a mobile bar

Side hustle: Freelance writer/photographer at Powder Magazine

Why a side hustle? Having something outside of my real job as the owner of Cocktail Caravan, forces me to use different parts of my brain I wouldn’t otherwise engage on a daily basis. I’ve found that it’s changed things with my real job for the better because creative parts of my brain are primed and ready, and I’m able to approach things within my everyday office life with a more creative approach than I otherwise would.

Other than that, the actual process of telling stories has led to more priceless, life-changing, unreal adventures than I could have ever imagined. I didn’t always know that this is where I wanted to end up, but I knew what felt exciting and made me happy.

How does the money work out? There hasn’t always been a paycheck involved, but the deeper I get, the more rewarding, financially and experience-wise it becomes.

What’s been the hardest thing and the best thing? At the end of the day I’m constantly amazed at the people and experiences that I’ve crossed paths with because I took that first step. For me, the side hustle is about following something that brings me a deep level of satisfaction.

It’s hard work, and 95 percent of the time you’re already exhausted from your real job, life, and responsibilities, so you need to have some level of passion or it’s hard to find the energy to see things through.

What advice do you have for others? Taking that first step to committing to do something is scary and exciting and you never really know what you’ll encounter along the way that can have profoundly positive influences in your life.

2. “Don’t be afraid. Just start.”

Name: Noah Jacobs

Age: 28

Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Full-time job: Preschool teacher

Side hustle: Writer

Describe what you do and why: I’m a full-time preschool teacher in Minneapolis and use what limited time I have during breaks of peace and quiet at work to check my phone and say connected with cultural happenings and what I can write about as a freelance writer. Still, I contribute weekly to Splitsider’s “This Week In Comedy Podcasts” feature and have begun writing longer pieces for them when I can, which translates to once a month or so. I stumbled into teaching in mid-2012, and started contributing to The A.V. Club’s podcast roundup Podmass with a one-sentence review of Julie Klausner’s podcast that posted on Aug. 19, 2013. Splitsider welcomed me late last year after I left Podmass due to some freelance cutbacks.

How does the money work out? Being a preschool teacher is my main source of income. Writing provides income but whatever I make, I use to treat myself.

What’s been the hardest thing and the best thing?: The thing about working with young children is that sometimes they respond to your love with anger and sadness. They can’t express appreciation like a grown-up can.

On the other hand, my words are everywhere on Andrea Silenzi’s press page. “Marty & Sarah Love Wrestling” did, like, a twenty minute bit about how excited they were when I named Sarah Shockey and Ryback “Cutest Couple” in 2016. As Frank Burns said on M*A*S*H, it’s nice to be nice to the nice.

What advice do you have for others? Don’t be afraid, just start your side-hustle, or ask someone if you can do it, if that’s something you need to do to begin. I had nothing to point to online when I started as a freelance writer and sent my pitches to an editor. I’m just fortunate and humbled that they responded and took a chance on me. It’s easy to be excited about what I’m doing when I’m excited about what I’m writing. I do what I know I can handle.

3. “I try to remind myself to be excited that I’m getting to do what I love.”

Name: Brian Davis

Full time job: Coffee roaster/barista

Side hustle: Filmmaker and owner of Motion Distillery

Age: 28

Location: Oceanside, California

Describe what you do and why: I split my time between working as a coffee roaster/barista for a small coffee company called Revolution Roasters and being a filmmaker. A few years back I started a brand/portfolio of my film work under the name Motion Distillery. I help brands, artists, and companies tell their stories through short films—essentially short commercials harnessing the essence of who they are.

I’ve been making films since I was kid, really, but professionally I’ve been at it for about five years. At the same time, I’ve worked in the speciality coffee industry in one way or another and it’s always been a steady side gig for me. It allows me to keep my dream alive of getting to pursue filmmaking. I really do love roasting and serving coffee, but I see filmmaking as my longterm career path.

How does the money work out? It’s paid off in experience. I used to get really down on myself for having to work in coffee to supplement my filmmaking, but now I see it as an opportunity to support myself and the passion I have for my craft.

What’s been the hardest thing and the best thing? It’s tricky to balance it all. I feel very fortunate to get to do something on the side, like coffee, that I quite enjoy, so that’s a positive. Lately I’ve been burning at both ends. I work three to four days at the cafe making coffee then the other days I’m out shooting, editing, or working on film projects. It takes a lot of energy to balance both schedules and make it all happen and it can be super overwhelming and even stressful. I just try to remind myself to be excited that I’m getting to do what I love—in both areas.

What advice do you have for others? Follow your passion project even if it begins with baby steps. It takes a lot of patience and time but it’s worth it to be able to pursue your passion, and it doesn’t hurt to have the extra income on the side. Staying passionate is hard at times, but it’s something I truly love, and it’s my art so I find ways to create and do it. Community is really important and it helps to surround yourself with other creative people who will spur you on to keep creating.

4. “The hardest thing is feeling overwhelmed.”

Name: Don Morris

Age: 29

Location: Los Angeles, California

Full time job: Graphic designer and web developer

Side hustle: Co-founder of Limited Time Offer

Describe what you do and why: For a little more than a year, my brother and I have run an online storefront selling enamel pins focused on pro wrestling. I’ve been into enamel pins for a while, even before it was a trend. Originally we started by focusing on pop culture designs, but pro wrestling was my brother’s idea. There’s a lack of decent merchandise available and we just want to make stuff for people like us.

How does the money work out? I work on my side project on top of my day job. My side hustle isn’t my main source of income but it’s financially self-sustainable.

What’s been the hardest thing and the best thing? The hardest thing is just feeling overwhelmed. I was stressing about running our social media accounts earlier this week, but I try to avoid this by staying organized. For instance, I have a notebook to help schedule stuff out and jot down notes or sketches. 

The most rewarding thing is seeing customers’ photos on social media. It’s awesome knowing people like our stuff enough to wear it or post a picture on Instagram.

What advice do you have for others? You definitely have to love whatever you’re doing to pursue a passion project. If it isn’t fun in some way it probably isn’t worth doing. I almost gave up after releasing our first designs. They were irrelevant and relied too heavily on nostalgia. It’s okay to fail though, without failing we wouldn’t have found our niche. It also helped that we were able to adapt our original ideas to fit a new theme.

5. “I’m working to one day make the transition so that my side hustle can be a full-time job.”

Name: Brett Shumaker

Age: 30

Location: Pittsburgh, Pa

Full time job: Barista

Side hustle: Promoter/founder of Don’t Let the Scene Go Down On Me! Collective

Describe what you do and why: I kind of fell into being a promoter and show booking. I was in a band of my own ten years ago and was booking our own shows. When the band broke up, I still wanted to be involved in that process.

How does the money work out? My day job is the way I pay my bills but I’m working to one day make the transition so that my side hustle can be a full-time job.

What’s been the hardest thing and the best thing? There’s always that one show every now and then that does way worse than I imagined and I lose a lot of money and I wonder for a second why I still do this, but then I remember all the good I’ve done with this and I just keep moving right along and try harder. The most rewarding part is watching people enjoy the shows I book and the bands telling me how happy they were with the show - that really keeps me going.

What advice do you have for others? It can be hard to find the balance between your day job and your side hustle, especially when your day job is paying the bills. Making other people happy is what keeps me going. As I try to make the transition to just doing my passion project, I’m taking on more of a workload, so feeling overwhelmed is something I am learning to deal with. If it’s something you love, don’t give it up.

6. “Music is something that feels like a calling” 

Name: Claire Morales

Age: 27

Location: Denton, Texas

Full time job: Graphic designer

Side hustle: Musician

Describe what you do and why: I’m a graphic designer for my main job. My passion project is music. I play guitar and sing in a band that’s billed under my name. I kind of think of myself as double majoring in life, half design, half music. I was 13 when I started playing shows at coffee shops and have been writing songs and making records and performing since then.

How does the money work out? Graphic design is my main source of income. I make money from album and music merchandise sales and live shows, but pretty much all of it gets funneled back into producing new records.

What’s been the hardest thing and the best thing? There was a time when I was working and commuting about 60 hours a week all together for my day job. Finding time to book shows and write songs and have band practice was extremely difficult. I kind of woke up to just how stressed I was and how bad my quality of life was becoming. I went freelance so that I could basically stay sane and be more in control of my own time.

I love graphic design, but it never feels very personal to me. It’s always for someone else. Music is something that feels like a calling, something that’s in me that I should be doing, and it’s a great feeling.

What advice do you have for others? Find meaning and satisfaction in the process. Realize that just like a regular job, you have to put in a lot of time and effort in to get the most out of it. Try to find ways to enjoy that work and find fulfillment just in the act of doing it and doing it well. I find that keeping a mix of small, more realizable goals and also bigger more broad ones helps me to keep dreaming and also get stuff done every day. Don’t compare your progress to others. I try to be excited that there are so many great musicians around me. I think it’s better to inspire one another and think of others in your field as peers rather than competitors.

7. “When you’re ready to give up, that’s the time to dig in further into your passion”

Name: Heather Quinn Gage

Age: 26

Location: Fort Worth, Texas

Full time job: Development Manager (fundraising) for a nonprofit theater company

Side hustle: Consulting for nonprofit organizations

Describe what you do and why: My first day job definitely matched what I wanted in a job, but as I got further out into the workforce I realized that there will never be a perfect job that marries what I want to do with the right culture and meets my personal goals; I needed to create it.

The way I started my consulting was to do three things every day that led me to clients or work. That’s how I stayed motivated and felt like I was accomplishing something each day.

How does the money work out? My side hustle is funded by my full-time job. I pursue it more to pursue a location-independent lifestyle and have my time be more valued than a traditional job.

What’s been the hardest thing and the best thing? There are times when I do feel overwhelmed, especially when I am having more issues in my personal life that I feel I need to focus on. In these moments, my best advice is to focus on self-care. If you feel your business is important to your future, don’t drop it in these moments. That’s when you double down on investing in your business and taking care of your physical and mental health.

The best part is feeling like I’m using a broader set of my skills than just the ones I use in my day job. I can help people in ways that feel more authentic to me.

What advice do you have for others? When you’re ready to give up, that’s the time to dig in further into your passion, it’s not time to drop it. In the end, if it’s what fuels your fire and fulfills you, it will ultimately make you stronger in weak times. I suggest making your own checklist for what you know makes you feel the best mentally and physically and what the necessities are for doing your best work. During a hard time you can look at it and see if you’ve met your own criteria for showing up your best.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

How 7 People Turned Their Passion Projects Into Successful Side Jobs published first on http://ift.tt/2lnpciY

[imreviewblog]

How 7 People Turned Their Passion Projects Into Successful Side Jobs

When Le’Donne Morris began his career in graphic design and web development, he felt like something was missing. So he began to brainstorm a side job that would provide a creative outlet and a chance to channel some of his personal interests into a concrete product.

The result, Limited Time Offer, is an enamel pin design business that draws its inspiration from his long time passions: pop culture and professional wrestling.

“Personally, I started this because my day job lacks creativity, it helps fill that void,” said Morris, who prefers to go by Don.

Of course, taking more than one job is nothing new and is often a means of survival. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that in 2016, the number of multiple job-holders hit a eight-year record high with more than 5 percent of all employed adults taking on extra work, USA Today reported.

In this context, a passion project is a privileged pursuit rather than a matter of making ends meet ― a chance to flex muscles not used during a day job. For some, the goal is to transition from a day job to a full-time position in their chosen field. For others, having a creative outlet that is self-sustaining is payment enough.

And many young people seek the opportunity to express themselves while making a little extra income: A survey from Career Builder found that workers between the ages of 25 and 34 were twice as likely as those 45 to 52 to have a second job.

No matter what your goals are, it’s hard to know where to start and how to fit a new enterprise into an already full life. But if you’re considering turning your passion into a side hustle, you’d do well to heed the advice of Morris and six other creatives who have successfully made the jump: 

1. “My side job has led to more priceless, life-changing, unreal adventures than I could have ever imagined.”

Name: Crystal Sagan

Age: 35

Location: Boulder, Colorado

Full-time job: Owner of Cocktail Caravan, a mobile bar

Side hustle: Freelance writer/photographer at Powder Magazine

Why a side hustle? Having something outside of my real job as the owner of Cocktail Caravan, forces me to use different parts of my brain I wouldn’t otherwise engage on a daily basis. I’ve found that it’s changed things with my real job for the better because creative parts of my brain are primed and ready, and I’m able to approach things within my everyday office life with a more creative approach than I otherwise would.

Other than that, the actual process of telling stories has led to more priceless, life-changing, unreal adventures than I could have ever imagined. I didn’t always know that this is where I wanted to end up, but I knew what felt exciting and made me happy.

How does the money work out? There hasn’t always been a paycheck involved, but the deeper I get, the more rewarding, financially and experience-wise it becomes.

What’s been the hardest thing and the best thing? At the end of the day I’m constantly amazed at the people and experiences that I’ve crossed paths with because I took that first step. For me, the side hustle is about following something that brings me a deep level of satisfaction.

It’s hard work, and 95 percent of the time you’re already exhausted from your real job, life, and responsibilities, so you need to have some level of passion or it’s hard to find the energy to see things through.

What advice do you have for others? Taking that first step to committing to do something is scary and exciting and you never really know what you’ll encounter along the way that can have profoundly positive influences in your life.

2. “Don’t be afraid. Just start.”

Name: Noah Jacobs

Age: 28

Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Full-time job: Preschool teacher

Side hustle: Writer

Describe what you do and why: I’m a full-time preschool teacher in Minneapolis and use what limited time I have during breaks of peace and quiet at work to check my phone and say connected with cultural happenings and what I can write about as a freelance writer. Still, I contribute weekly to Splitsider’s “This Week In Comedy Podcasts” feature and have begun writing longer pieces for them when I can, which translates to once a month or so. I stumbled into teaching in mid-2012, and started contributing to The A.V. Club’s podcast roundup Podmass with a one-sentence review of Julie Klausner’s podcast that posted on Aug. 19, 2013. Splitsider welcomed me late last year after I left Podmass due to some freelance cutbacks.

How does the money work out? Being a preschool teacher is my main source of income. Writing provides income but whatever I make, I use to treat myself.

What’s been the hardest thing and the best thing?: The thing about working with young children is that sometimes they respond to your love with anger and sadness. They can’t express appreciation like a grown-up can.

On the other hand, my words are everywhere on Andrea Silenzi’s press page. “Marty & Sarah Love Wrestling” did, like, a twenty minute bit about how excited they were when I named Sarah Shockey and Ryback “Cutest Couple” in 2016. As Frank Burns said on M*A*S*H, it’s nice to be nice to the nice.

What advice do you have for others? Don’t be afraid, just start your side-hustle, or ask someone if you can do it, if that’s something you need to do to begin. I had nothing to point to online when I started as a freelance writer and sent my pitches to an editor. I’m just fortunate and humbled that they responded and took a chance on me. It’s easy to be excited about what I’m doing when I’m excited about what I’m writing. I do what I know I can handle.

3. “I try to remind myself to be excited that I’m getting to do what I love.”

Name: Brian Davis

Full time job: Coffee roaster/barista

Side hustle: Filmmaker and owner of Motion Distillery

Age: 28

Location: Oceanside, California

Describe what you do and why: I split my time between working as a coffee roaster/barista for a small coffee company called Revolution Roasters and being a filmmaker. A few years back I started a brand/portfolio of my film work under the name Motion Distillery. I help brands, artists, and companies tell their stories through short films—essentially short commercials harnessing the essence of who they are.

I’ve been making films since I was kid, really, but professionally I’ve been at it for about five years. At the same time, I’ve worked in the speciality coffee industry in one way or another and it’s always been a steady side gig for me. It allows me to keep my dream alive of getting to pursue filmmaking. I really do love roasting and serving coffee, but I see filmmaking as my longterm career path.

How does the money work out? It’s paid off in experience. I used to get really down on myself for having to work in coffee to supplement my filmmaking, but now I see it as an opportunity to support myself and the passion I have for my craft.

What’s been the hardest thing and the best thing? It’s tricky to balance it all. I feel very fortunate to get to do something on the side, like coffee, that I quite enjoy, so that’s a positive. Lately I’ve been burning at both ends. I work three to four days at the cafe making coffee then the other days I’m out shooting, editing, or working on film projects. It takes a lot of energy to balance both schedules and make it all happen and it can be super overwhelming and even stressful. I just try to remind myself to be excited that I’m getting to do what I love—in both areas.

What advice do you have for others? Follow your passion project even if it begins with baby steps. It takes a lot of patience and time but it’s worth it to be able to pursue your passion, and it doesn’t hurt to have the extra income on the side. Staying passionate is hard at times, but it’s something I truly love, and it’s my art so I find ways to create and do it. Community is really important and it helps to surround yourself with other creative people who will spur you on to keep creating.

4. “The hardest thing is feeling overwhelmed.”

Name: Don Morris

Age: 29

Location: Los Angeles, California

Full time job: Graphic designer and web developer

Side hustle: Co-founder of Limited Time Offer

Describe what you do and why: For a little more than a year, my brother and I have run an online storefront selling enamel pins focused on pro wrestling. I’ve been into enamel pins for a while, even before it was a trend. Originally we started by focusing on pop culture designs, but pro wrestling was my brother’s idea. There’s a lack of decent merchandise available and we just want to make stuff for people like us.

How does the money work out? I work on my side project on top of my day job. My side hustle isn’t my main source of income but it’s financially self-sustainable.

What’s been the hardest thing and the best thing? The hardest thing is just feeling overwhelmed. I was stressing about running our social media accounts earlier this week, but I try to avoid this by staying organized. For instance, I have a notebook to help schedule stuff out and jot down notes or sketches. 

The most rewarding thing is seeing customers’ photos on social media. It’s awesome knowing people like our stuff enough to wear it or post a picture on Instagram.

What advice do you have for others? You definitely have to love whatever you’re doing to pursue a passion project. If it isn’t fun in some way it probably isn’t worth doing. I almost gave up after releasing our first designs. They were irrelevant and relied too heavily on nostalgia. It’s okay to fail though, without failing we wouldn’t have found our niche. It also helped that we were able to adapt our original ideas to fit a new theme.

5. “I’m working to one day make the transition so that my side hustle can be a full-time job.”

Name: Brett Shumaker

Age: 30

Location: Pittsburgh, Pa

Full time job: Barista

Side hustle: Promoter/founder of Don’t Let the Scene Go Down On Me! Collective

Describe what you do and why: I kind of fell into being a promoter and show booking. I was in a band of my own ten years ago and was booking our own shows. When the band broke up, I still wanted to be involved in that process.

How does the money work out? My day job is the way I pay my bills but I’m working to one day make the transition so that my side hustle can be a full-time job.

What’s been the hardest thing and the best thing? There’s always that one show every now and then that does way worse than I imagined and I lose a lot of money and I wonder for a second why I still do this, but then I remember all the good I’ve done with this and I just keep moving right along and try harder. The most rewarding part is watching people enjoy the shows I book and the bands telling me how happy they were with the show - that really keeps me going.

What advice do you have for others? It can be hard to find the balance between your day job and your side hustle, especially when your day job is paying the bills. Making other people happy is what keeps me going. As I try to make the transition to just doing my passion project, I’m taking on more of a workload, so feeling overwhelmed is something I am learning to deal with. If it’s something you love, don’t give it up.

6. “Music is something that feels like a calling” 

Name: Claire Morales

Age: 27

Location: Denton, Texas

Full time job: Graphic designer

Side hustle: Musician

Describe what you do and why: I’m a graphic designer for my main job. My passion project is music. I play guitar and sing in a band that’s billed under my name. I kind of think of myself as double majoring in life, half design, half music. I was 13 when I started playing shows at coffee shops and have been writing songs and making records and performing since then.

How does the money work out? Graphic design is my main source of income. I make money from album and music merchandise sales and live shows, but pretty much all of it gets funneled back into producing new records.

What’s been the hardest thing and the best thing? There was a time when I was working and commuting about 60 hours a week all together for my day job. Finding time to book shows and write songs and have band practice was extremely difficult. I kind of woke up to just how stressed I was and how bad my quality of life was becoming. I went freelance so that I could basically stay sane and be more in control of my own time.

I love graphic design, but it never feels very personal to me. It’s always for someone else. Music is something that feels like a calling, something that’s in me that I should be doing, and it’s a great feeling.

What advice do you have for others? Find meaning and satisfaction in the process. Realize that just like a regular job, you have to put in a lot of time and effort in to get the most out of it. Try to find ways to enjoy that work and find fulfillment just in the act of doing it and doing it well. I find that keeping a mix of small, more realizable goals and also bigger more broad ones helps me to keep dreaming and also get stuff done every day. Don’t compare your progress to others. I try to be excited that there are so many great musicians around me. I think it’s better to inspire one another and think of others in your field as peers rather than competitors.

7. “When you’re ready to give up, that’s the time to dig in further into your passion”

Name: Heather Quinn Gage

Age: 26

Location: Fort Worth, Texas

Full time job: Development Manager (fundraising) for a nonprofit theater company

Side hustle: Consulting for nonprofit organizations

Describe what you do and why: My first day job definitely matched what I wanted in a job, but as I got further out into the workforce I realized that there will never be a perfect job that marries what I want to do with the right culture and meets my personal goals; I needed to create it.

The way I started my consulting was to do three things every day that led me to clients or work. That’s how I stayed motivated and felt like I was accomplishing something each day.

How does the money work out? My side hustle is funded by my full-time job. I pursue it more to pursue a location-independent lifestyle and have my time be more valued than a traditional job.

What’s been the hardest thing and the best thing? There are times when I do feel overwhelmed, especially when I am having more issues in my personal life that I feel I need to focus on. In these moments, my best advice is to focus on self-care. If you feel your business is important to your future, don’t drop it in these moments. That’s when you double down on investing in your business and taking care of your physical and mental health.

The best part is feeling like I’m using a broader set of my skills than just the ones I use in my day job. I can help people in ways that feel more authentic to me.

What advice do you have for others? When you’re ready to give up, that’s the time to dig in further into your passion, it’s not time to drop it. In the end, if it’s what fuels your fire and fulfills you, it will ultimately make you stronger in weak times. I suggest making your own checklist for what you know makes you feel the best mentally and physically and what the necessities are for doing your best work. During a hard time you can look at it and see if you’ve met your own criteria for showing up your best.

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from Healthy Living - The Huffington Post http://huff.to/2qzOhL7