Nature of the Creative Passion

In any creative endeavor, there is price to be paid. That price is inescapable and unless it is paid, the creation cannot unfold. Because a creative endeavor takes one into the unknown, we don't, and can't, really know what will have to be sacrificed to pay that price. Often there is a reluctance or even fear at moving forward into the unknown.
A creative passion, or a passionate desire to create what we desire, along with supplying the energy to catalyze the creative effort, will cause one to confront their fear and find a way to move forward. It can confront the fear wisely or blindly. Sometimes it can even be reckless in it desire to move forward. Reckless action that is confined to an individual's life and does not affect anyone else, may be judged as unacceptable but it does not really concern another until the other is in some way affected.
The problem is that the price to be paid has an internal and external component. As a result of the nature of the creative process, part of that external component will need to be paid by another. Hence the other's fears, concerns and expectations become entwined with what we desire to create. How much the are entwined and can influence the creative endeavor depends on what we are choosing to create. When our creative passion is wise and can effectively deal with another's fears, concerns and / or expectations, any problems that arise can usually be effectively addressed. However, when our creative passion is blinded especially to the concerns of the other, enormous difficulties will arise and often the creative endeavor will be able to unfold. Or, if it does unfold, it will be much less than what it can be.
Because the creative passion can be blinding, passion has not always been seen in the most favorable way and / or complimentary way. Often it is seen in another or experienced as fanatical, reckless and / or blinding. Often one is blinded to the world around them when in passion. In this blindness one is not necessarily sensitive to the needs and / or concerns of others. It is here the creative passion is seen as destructive when in fact it is only trying to pay the price that must be paid for the creative endeavor to unfold.
If we look at the typical definition, we find the weakest definition of passion describes it as a strong desire or affection for some object or cause. In this regard, the object of such a desire or affection is called our passion. From a creativity perspective, our desired creation is our passion and our desire to create causes a passion to arise within our being.
Yet, there is definition of passion that is much stronger that what is state here. Passion is also said to be any intense, extreme or overpowering emotion or feeling. It is often associated with ardent affection or love if not outright intense sexual desire or lust. In keeping with this definition it is also seen as an overwhelming anger or rage and / or an outburst of strong feeling, especially and outburst of violence or anger. In fact, in the past the use of the word passion in philosophy and psychology referred to the state or condition of being "acted upon." That is, the passion overtakes an individual or where one in a passion is experienced as though they are possessed by some spirit.
There is, of course, a truth in this understanding about passion. But what is described here is really no different that enthusiasm for what is desired. The difference between enthusiasm and passion is really only whether or not that energy that gives rise to passion or enthusiasm is experienced and judged destructive.
When you are enthusiastic you entire being is enthused with energy. You are enthused with what you desire to do. Your whole life and being become animated within the enthusiasm. Yet enthusiasm is seen in a much more favorable light than passion. Enthusiasm is about having a keen or animated interest in something or a preoccupation with something. Yet to be preoccupied is only another way of say one is blinded to other things. Similarly when one is enthusiastic, one has an eager devotion to, or a fondness for, something and it causes an intense, lively interest within one's being. But that is not really any different than having an ardent affection to something. Similar to the concept of passion, there is an older use of the term enthusiasm where enthusiasm was perceived, or viewed, as supernaturally caused giving rise to religious fanaticism. Here again, that is not really any different than saying someone is possessed. The only issue is the degree of possession or control the energy exerts over the individual.
Enthusiasm is really no different than passion and a passionate single point focus. If you look at the definition of each above, you can see what is described are essentially the same thing. The real difference most often appears to be how that energy - that passion or enthusiasm - is experienced by another. In particular if that other see what one is doing as somehow threatening it is said the individual is in a blinding passion. If another is not threaten, we say the individual is just enthusiastic about whatever it is on which they are focused. In reality there is really no different between the enthusiastic and passionate individual. It is just how the energy being expressed to pay the prices of the creative effort .. How that energy is judged by another, why the energy is being expressed the particular form that it is, and how that expression is affecting the individual's life and those with whom the individual interacts are the real questions. Their answer can made the different between creating a painful transition or a faster, easier and gentler way.
What needs to be understood, as discussed under the topic of "Energy - an invariant within the creativity perspective" and "A price to pay and the minimum set of requisite experience," there will always be a sacrifice in a creative process. Something of the old must be given up to create the new. When something we don't really want needs to be sacrificed we tend to readily let go of whatever it is. However, if something we want needs to be sacrificed for the new creative effort, we then to hold onto the object rather than face the loss. What we see as negative or destructive in our creative passion or the creative passion of another is something we simply do not what to let go and are unwilling to face what we need to give up for a new creation to unfold.
It needs to be remembered, whenever one sees expressed in either the enthusiastic or passionate individual, the energy of one's creative spirit seeks to give another what itself seeks. The energy that is driving the passion or enthusiasm does not seek to harm. It seeks only to unfold the new creation. The energy seeks the free expression of its truth and seeks the same for others. It does not seek the destruction of another. However, there are facets of the existing form that may have to be destroyed to make room for the new. So there are facets of the creative process that look as thought this passion seeks to destroy. Some find this quite paradoxical. Yet it is realizing that Creation is magical enough to allow each of us to live true to the truth of our own being and yet allow the other to remain free to do the same. That includes being magical enough to find a way that can address the concerns, fears and attachments that make paying the price of a creative endeavor seem destructive.
How an individual acts in response to the energy and how they go about destroying the old to create the new is another question. It can be done in a faster, easier and / or gentler way if we set the intention to do so. However, as stated previously, most are creating subconsciously so they never really pay attention to what they are doing and why. For almost all situations, there are faster ways, there are easier ways and there are gentler ways. The question is are you or the other sufficiently creativity aware and awake to create that faster, easier and gentler way.