I've always been passionate about various things. Music, movies, games, books... but many of those passions were for things that weren't necessarily main-stream. One of my earliest interests that I just never talked about was for trains. My grandfather worked for the L&N and bought me a model HO train when I was... well... probably too young to have something that advanced. But I loved it. My dad and I put buildings together. I don't have all of the buildings, but I still have that train and have added new buildings and cars to it over the years. I joke that I'll be a little old lady in an engineers cap, with my basement full of trains. And I'm ok with that.
But there was a time that I wasn't. I can't imagine sharing with my friends when I was in middle or high school that I thought model trains were cool. I didn't talk about the books by Asimov, Wells and Dickens that I devoured. Instead, I talked about Sweet Valley High. I didn't talk about spending hours playing The Adventure of Zelda, Dr. Mario, and the old PC standard, King's Quest. I instead talked about the fighting games I played like Mortal Kombat.
As I've gotten older, I began to care less about how people reacted to my interests. I mean, it was just too much stress to tuck such a big part of my life away. Then, it started to become cool. Star Trek fans weren't ridiculed. The Harry Potter fandom took over the world. ComiCon wasn't just for the kids with pocket protectors and braces. Anime, once hoarded on VHS tapes is now available on Netflix. Ren Faires have had a resurgence. Funko Pops line Game Stop and Hot Topic shelves.
I'm in nerd heaven.
However, it's only been recently that I have begun to embrace my nerdy self in my jewelry and art. I'd dabbled with adding computer parts to some pieces in the past, but now, gears and other steampunk influences can be seen in a lot of my work. I just added Harry Potter-inspired earrings to my store. Heck, the name of my business is based off one of my favorite classes in Dungeons and Dragons (and happens to be the current class I'm playing in our home game).
So, embrace your nerd. Share your passions. And keep an eye out for the beaded DnD bracelet I'm currently designing.
Live long and prosper, my people.