passion project
/ˈpæʃən ˈprɒdʒɛkt/
Very CommonA project someone works on because they deeply care about it, not primarily for money or career advancement.
Sometimes used to soften the awkwardness of unpaid or unfunded work. When someone says 'it's a passion project', it often means they're not making money from it and have made peace with that.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | I've been writing this novel for four years. It's a passion project. I'm not expecting it to sell. | The work is sustained by love for the craft, not commercial expectation. | reddit, 2024 |
| 02 | She told me it started as a passion project and now it has 50k monthly users. | Something built purely for love grew into something with real scale. | x, 2023 |
| 03 | Don't call it a passion project in the funding pitch. Investors want to hear it's a business, not therapy. | The framing signals low commercial ambition, which can be a liability in investor conversations. | reddit, 2024 |
| 04 | Every musician has that one album that's a total passion project. No features, weird tracklist, just them. | A creative work where the artist prioritized personal expression over commercial strategy. | x, 2024 |
Use it when
- Someone works on something that matters deeply to them, independent of financial return.
- Someone wants to distinguish intrinsic motivation from work done for money.
- Someone is explaining why they're investing time in something that isn't paying them.
Do not use it when
- The main goal is revenue or career advancement.Use “side project” instead.
- The work is done for an employer or client.
Passion project vs side project
passion project
Passion project signals deep personal investment and intrinsic motivation.
VS
side-project
Side project is neutral on motivation and often implies some ambition to ship or monetize.
Origin and context
The phrase has roots in general use but became particularly common in creative and tech communities in the 2010s. Often appears in artist statements, startup pitches, and interviews as a way to signal authentic motivation.
- First seen
- 2010s
- Confidence
- low
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/passion-projectUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0