passion = excitement

ok, so tomorrow is valentine's day. and rather than thinking about valentine's day as the hallmark industrial complex, i want to think about valentine's day as renewal of one's passions. whether those passions are art, fashion, sports, the man in your life, your children, or your dog. it's a moment to celebrate what gives you newness and excitement everyday of your life. 

i also like looking at passionate people for inspiration. luckily some of the people behind the lines that we carry at scarpa are infinitely inspiring. take dvf. the moment she knew she was going to marry a prince, she decided to have a career. she made the iconic wrap dress. then she made the meatpacking district cool by building her corporate headquarters and the above penthouse there (featured in this month's AD). she worked actively to start the high line. she was a muse to people like andy warhol and chuck close. and she did all of this when she could have just sat back eating bon-bons and being all royal. 

this re-affirms my belief that cool, creative people are cool and creative no matter where they find themselves. cool, creative people dress stylishly, have interesting homes that reflect their natures, are involved in activities that they care about, and are generally pretty fun to be around. i think this generally stems from a place of passion. these kinds of people are excited about life and what they are doing in it, and that oozes into every aspect of their being. 

it was once explained to me that passion = excitement, which is the opposite of boredom. i think we can all benefit from both thinking about and cultivating those things in our life that make us excited. after all, what's the point, if we aren't here to do that? 

back to valentine's day. part of valentine's day is getting out of the ordinary routine and doing things that are more exciting than what we do on a daily basis: drinking champagne, giving flowers, eating chocolate. while we can't do this everyday, why save the excitement for just one day? we all might take a line from diane's book by bringing a little passion to the everyday. we can start by imitating her: prancing around our house in fabulous clothes, drinking vintage champagne out of an indian tea glass, and generally doing what pleases us. this is much better than what i do at home: don light blue pajamas that make me slightly resemble a smurf and sit in front of the boob tube. diane's version is infinitely more exciting, is it not? 

how do you celebrate valentine's day? who inspires you to be passionate? what are you passionate about? 

Comments

[amy]

great post! I love reading what a young but old at heart person, wise person has to say. I feel passionate about making spaces beautiful and being a kind, patient person. I feel passionate about making other people feel good whether it's in a space or in a moment.