Passion is a quality associated with creative practitioners. In the arts and creative industries, it is considered a desirable attribute and recognised as a predictor of resilience and emotional intelligence (Suchy, 1999), ambition (Richardson, Jogulu & Rentschler, 2017), and a strong sense of purpose (Bridgstock, 2005). In the context of these claims, passion can be conceptualised as an emotional resource essential for a sustained career in the arts and creative industries, alongside technical skills and theoretical knowledge. But can the kind of “harmonious passion” (Vallerand et al, 2003) that leads to rewarding engagement with creative practice be taught?
This paper outlines the design, implementation and student learning outcomes from experimenting with integrating ‘passion’ as a learning object throughout a tertiary creative industries course. The qualitative research methods utilised in this study included observation, reflection, and textual analysis of written material.
The findings suggest that by positioning passion as an emotional resource alongside recognised theories such as ‘flow state’ (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990) and Noller’s theory of creativity (Parnes, Noller & Biondi, 1977), and frameworks such as design thinking and radical creativity, harmonious passion can be identified and fostered as a learning object. As an emotion it is deeply individual, but this study demonstrates that students can recognise their passion as having legitimacy and utility beyond the driver or motivation that initially drew them to creative practice.