I started Promoting Passion years ago. It was a way of bringing together two seemingly opposed words: promoting, and passion. What if, I thought, we could learn to share our passion confidently, and in doing so inspire others to be confident in their passion? How could that change the world?

I started a blog.

And then a convention.

And now a tour.

Because education, inspiration, and community should be accessible. Because without a family of creative weirdos, we too often feel alone. Because why the hell not.

Six weeks ago I set out on the Promoting Passion tour. This tour allowed us to come together as a family of 800. With sponsorship from Sony and Sony Alpha Female, I was able to bring accessible education and inspiration around the world.

I visited: London, Seattle, Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, New York City, Toronto, Vancouver, and Melbourne. Without Sony believing in the message of Promoting Passion, I could not have made this tour possible, and certainly not at the price point I was able to. They went all in to support us.

I just got home from spending 5 weeks on the road. It was a grueling schedule. Travel – event – travel – event – repeat. I would have broken under the pressure of it if not for my best and most trusted friend, KD. She was there every step of the way to support, encourage, and lift us all up. When the curtains closed, she cleaned every event space, made sure I had food to eat at the end of a 12 hour event day, carried bags and boxes, and truly cared about all of our well-being. If you have one goal in this life, it should be to find a friend that comes close to her. It is rare, and she is precious.

The theme of the tour was legacy. How do you cultivate a legacy with all the noise around us? What steps can we take to roadmap our way to being legends?

I laid it out as best as I could: my own personal path to legacy, and an open invitation for others to join me. It was beautiful. There were so many tears and so many laughs. Thousands of hugs. New friends and old. Paths forged before my eyes. Artists blooming everywhere I looked.

Not all of us get to understand the impact we can have on others in our lifetime. But I witnessed on this tour, without a doubt, that we are all making a dent. That we are all touching someone. That we have the ability to exceed our most narrow limitations and to soar above our potential.

But only – ONLY – if you respond to the call. If you respond to your ability to make change.

Response – ability. Take it or leave it. That is the choice we are all given.

Each group was so different. The energies different, the hugs, the talks, the essence of each tour stop. But one thing remained. We are all artists, and we have something to say. With resilience and pride I watched people find their legacy, watched them say it out loud for the first time, or embody it truly.

My legacy is to inspire creativity in others. Or at least, that’s what it is right now. This tour made me feel like I’m getting closer to that legacy. And it made me want to reach higher, gain more, and give more.

I am so very thankful for everyone who joined me on tour. To everyone who gave me a hug, gave me a knowing look, let me know we are connected, let me know I am not alone in my fears. To everyone – you are my creative family, and with each other we raise the tide for everyone.

I will leave you with a quote that I shared in my lecture on tour, one that I hope you are taking to heart right now, and one that inspires me to keep chasing my legacy:

“If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse; however, if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becoming, I help you become that.”
– Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

If you came on tour with me, I’d love to hear your takeaways. And if I didn’t get to see you this time, then next time, it’s for you.

Sending you all my most precious creative energy,
Brooke