Inspired by Passion!

Do you have a passion for something? You know, like some people have a passion for volunteering, or educating others about a subject they love, say, beauty for instance? Is your passion so strong that you could pursue it without financial gain even if it meant sacrificing your time and energy? Some people live their whole lives without experiencing true passion for anything other than their significant other (if that).

Passion is defined as: "a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept." I admire anyone who follows their true passion against all odds. It may start with an idea, followed by an attempt to bring that idea to life, maybe the first attempt fails, followed by a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, maybe a 7th, but nevertheless they persevere. They make revisions & keep trying because it's their passion, which makes the mere thought of giving up simply unimaginable.

Today, I met two young men with incredible passion. They share a passion for building an entertainment conglomerate with established branches in the areas of music, publishing, promotional modeling, event planning and multimedia. Together, Morris Brent and Robert Bell operate SoRaw Design & Entertainment based here in Chicago. After responding to an open call for freelance writers through "that website I love to peruse in my spare time", I received an invitation from Morris to attend an orientation meeting to join the "Ultimate Entertainment Resource". Naturally, I immediately paid a visit to the SoRaw Design and Entertainment website to get a better idea of the company, especially the magazine.

After visiting their site, I thought I had a clear idea of the magazine's concept as well as the company overall. At first, I thought "another Vibe, XXL, or The Source, mixed in with a little King" but after attending today's orientation, I realize my initial impression was grossly underestimated. The committed driving force behind SoRaw can only be described as: passion lead by consistent motivation resulting in measurable success. I was impressed to say the least!

Throughout today's presentation, Morris & Robert were professional, organized, honest, down-to-earth, and open to sharing the company with their staff. Although Morris is the CEO, he said SoRaw's organizational structure "runs horizontally not vertically" & after a decade spent dealing with corporate politics & ruthless ladder-climbing, that was a breath of fresh air to me. See, writing is not my day job, (well, in a sense it is, but not on my terms by any means) it is my passion! And to receive the opportunity to contribute to an established organization of artists with so much left to accomplish and explore, well, that just intensifies my passion ten-fold!

I have a good feeling about this..... Promise to keep you posted!