They say a passion project is something that you work on for no other reason than the fact that it
makes you happy. But what others fail to mention is that it's difficult to start and even much
harder to continue. When you are surrounded by deadlines, you often drop the things that you
feel could wait.

Ayen and Rachel knew they both loved taking photographs and exploring places. Back in college,
they would go on photo walks together and dream of publishing adventure books. But then they
had to look for jobs and set aside their creative pursuits for 'adulthood'.

Two years ago, Ayen thought it might be nice to make her own Christmas gifts and so she
messaged the one person she knew could help her. Rachel said yes and they created a travel
planner in the span of 10 days. It was imperfect but they thought of sharing it online to see if other
people might like it.

To Ayen and Rachel's surprise, tons of people bought WTN planners and brought it with them as
they climbed summits and watched sunsets at the beach. They posted photos. The word spread.
They kept their day jobs but they also committed to making time to cultivate their other passions.
After more than a year of 'making it work' with two planners and a new one launched recently for
2017, we asked Ayen and Rachel for some advice on how to start (and follow through) with your
passion projects. Here are three key lessons they picked up:

1. Explore what you're curious about
Rachel: We often hear the words “Follow your passion”, “find out what you love” and it all sounds
nice but it can also be stressful if you don’t have an obvious answer. A friend once told us about
an alternative solution from the author Elizabeth Gilbert. If you're one of those people who don't
know yet what their 'life purpose' is, Elizabeth asks you to forget about it. Don't think about your
passion. Follow your curiosity instead.

Ayen: One of the interesting things about success is that we think we know what it means. But our
definitions are influenced heavily by forces like the media, advertising and successes of others.
It's good to research on what others have done but make sure you define what success means to
you.

Rachel: There was a time when WTN's sales and followers were growing but we were unhappy.
We compared ourselves to big brands and felt like what we achieved was insignificant. But
whenever Ayen and I have those low moments we try to remember why we started WTN in the
first place. Our big WHY is to inspire other people to travel with passion and purpose. And if what
we do motivate people to take a few steps forward then that would mean we were succeeding.

Ayen: Curiosity is your desire to learn. It is accessible to anyone at anytime. Where To Next exists
because Rachel and I finally made time to pursue something we've always been interested
about. If you are curious about something, go ahead and try it. Who knows, it might eventually
lead to your passion.

2. Define your own success
3. Find your tribe

Rachel: The reason why we continue doing what we do is because we have an awesome
community that supports our crazy ideas. A community is not meant to protect your ego or
shower you with praises, it's about finding friends who challenge you and who can point out your
mistakes.

Ayen: Instead of keeping stuff just between Rach and I, we often go to our friends to ask them
which design they like the most. They help us make captions and plan itineraries. We're both
grateful to have people who constantly push us to be better but also pat our backs when we
stumble. So if you're going to start a path that's winding and uncertain, make sure to have good
people around to make the ride worthwhile.
WTN is an online community of creatives based in the Philippines. WTN stands for Where To Next, a question often asked by people who love to travel. It is also the driving force of the brand as it creates products, curates stories and organizes events that aim to inspire others to travel with passion and purpose. Learn more about WTN: www.wheretonext.ph and @wtn_wheretonext on Instagram and their official FB Page.