Saw this very interesting piece (HT @LunchBag) on Twitter today -- some food for thought. Noticing a trend over this last year towards built up skill sets and being t-shaped, a very interesting change from the rockstar mentality of the past. Think that this mindset very much applies to advertising professionals as well. It's not about how talented you are - particularly in the first ten years of your career, it's about how well you can work with others, how well you can follow (& give) direction, and how willing you are to be balls to the wall, the hardest worker this side of the moon. Skills, strategic thinking can be taught. Work ethic can't.
I've been flipping through my library copy of "So Good They Can't Ignore You (Why skills trump passion in the quest for work you love)" by Cal Newport, and I think this mindset is going to become increasingly more familiar as competition steepens and our industry changes. It also calls back to my childhood as a classically trained violinist - many times, it was the ones with the best work ethic and the least amount of talent who ended up on top. This being said - yes, be passionate. Be adventurous, take risks, speak your mind, stand out. Just remember that if you haven't earned the respect first, no one will care how adventurous you can be.