10.14.2022

Why You Should Let Your Nerd Flag Fly'

 

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It’s a shame that at one point the term ‘nerd’ came with negative connotations, because it’s really describing those who have a passion or a real interest in something that may not be the norm. While you or I may not see the passionate value in sitting at a station and watching trains go by for hours, we can appreciate that those who do really enjoy doing so, get a kick out of the history, and love to see these models in action.

So, perhaps it’s time that all corners of the world looked at nerds with a renewed fondness, and allowed the ability to ‘geek out’ over something mean something entirely positive rather than something alternative and annoying. The best way we can do this is to let our own nerd flags fly, unapologetic and unafraid about the topics we love talking about.

But how can we better do that? In this post, we’ll discuss all of those possible techniques, and how to move forward with care:

There’s A Community Out There For You

You’d be surprised, but no matter what strange little niche interest you have, there’s absolutely someone out there who shares it. You may even find them in the unlikeliest of places. A good place to start, however, is to go online and view places like Reddit, where a forum for every single interest, even a tv-show that’s been off the air for thirty years, will have its adherents and people willing to discuss it.

It can be nice to share your passion with people, because we can’t really expect everyone in our personal lives to go along with every little passion we have. Here you may even be able to share collections, organize meet-ups, and just geek-out in a fun, healthy, and interesting manner.

You May Be Able To Make Some Money

The power of a niche interest is that it can actually become quite valuable. For example, at the time of this writing, there are only around five people who hand-craft snooker cues out of ash wood in England. Modern methods have less to mass production, and as such, the general uniformity of many cues has become more commonly found. For this reason, there have been some practitioners who still wish to keep up this amazing craft, and they do so, selling to many eclectic customers. 


It might be that this principle relates to you, from finding local stamp shops
to better make money from your collection, or traders and collectors you can negotiate with to find that best first edition of a classic book or even value your classic video game collection using this Video Game Collection Tracker. Sure, you don’t get involved in a passion just to make money from it, that’s the opposite of how ‘passion’ is defined, but it’s true that falling in love with the craft doesn’t have to make you destitute - especially when so many good opportunities are available.

Sharing Your Passion Contributes To Preservation & A Craft Shared

It may not feel like it, but people like you allow certain crafts to be preserved and interests to carry on for future generations. For example, think of how many people are interested in retro video games and their preservation, even though a large number of modern devices rarely run them. By keeping this old hardware alive the history of an entertainment medium is more and more understood.

But this doesn’t have to be virtual. Pinball machine collectors that spend time carefully replacing components, fixing LED’s and even donating their collections to museums are, wether they know it or not, keeping alive something quite positive and entertaining, and you’d be amazed at how worthwhile this is. After all, you’re spending your time and energy sustaining positivity - it’s as simple as that.

Others Will Feel Accepted

The more you let your nerd flag fly, unafraid to do so, the more others feel that they’re not so strange after all. Think of two of the coolest and most objectively attractive men in Hollywood, Henry Cavill, and Michael B. Jordan. Mr. Cavill is a PC gaming addict, and even missed his first call to sign for the role of Superman because he was playing video games. Michael B. Jordan is also a huge proponent of the nerdiest anime series out there. 

So - as you can see, these interests are not categorized into ‘nerdy’ or ‘non-nerdy’ just because of what they are. An interest is an interest, and you deserve to be passionate about it. If you do that, perhaps others will feel better about sharing what they know with you, and having a good time doing so.

With this advice, we hope you’ll begin letting your nerd flag fly with the rest of us.


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