Passion doesn’t have to be big and bombastic.

It's just one way we describe feeling alive.

And different people feel alive in different ways.

Writers know this, because we cultivate observation. We practice empathy through characterization.

Sometimes, because we’re paying such close attention to our stories, characters, and scenes, we might forget just how passionate we are.

And... that writing makes us feel alive.

This week I spoke to my friend Carrie Klassen about writing, aliveness, and ordinary citizen activism.

She embodies passion: she’s a writer, ghostwriter, mother, web designer, flower intuitive, and social activist. She’s a multi-passionate empath who knows how to create conditions in her life and work for passion — I’ve seen her prioritize it, and I have been taking note for years, learning from her.

When I reached out to her to see if she’d be willing to have a conversation about passion, she sounded surprised! But once I explained my reasoning, she understood.

You’ll see: she really is the writer to talk to about this stuff.

Our conversation goes to some deep places, and it is full of aliveness. We explore the whole spectrum of the human experience as writers, from death to tantra, Catholicism to peace rallies… and beyond.

Light a candle, pour yourself a warm bath or a glass of wine, and have a listen.

With love,

(The transcript of this conversation can be found here.)

Notes from the podcast:

• Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown
• Rouge by Em Demaison
• World as Lover, World as Self  by Joanna Macy
• Medicines to Help Us by Christi Belcourt
• The Wisdom of the Universe (image) by Christi Belcourt In our chat, Carrie mentions this mural, and I reply that it is painted on the back of a local church here in Picton." 

About Carrie Klassen:

Carrie Klassen is a writer, ghostwriter, and professional communicator. She is also a city girl who grows tomatoes, harvests plantain, and feels most understood by the wild phlox that sprang up in her backyard one summer. She helps people take care in finding the words for hard, beautiful, and important things. And she helps people use intentional language to deepen relationships with nature, ourselves, and each other. You can learn more about her work, writing, favourite flowers, and her efforts at making the internet a better place of belonging at carrieklassen.com and on Instagram at instagram.com/care.klassen.

Photo credit: Kwang Javier on Unsplash.