“It’s ok for your hobbies to just be hobbies.”
I’ve said this many times in many places. I know that it is true. And yet I have always had trouble actually following my own advice.
When I taught myself HTML as a senior in high school, I found a part-time job at college the following year to maintain a website. When I started working for the student newspaper towards the end of my time at Georgia Tech, I suddenly wanted to switch to media or journalism after I wrapped up my engineering degree. After I started running regularly, I quickly upped my game to doing a marathon. When I got my first digital SLR a decade ago, I immediately started freelancing at local races and even shot a few of them on my own.
Even when I start something for my own personal satisfaction, I eventually find myself wanting recognition or accolades or perceived importance. I want an A+ even though no one’s grading me. I want a gold star.
From August through January, I published a free quilt pattern each month here and in a Craftsy shop. Six months, six patterns. It was a fun personal project but like many of my previous endeavors, I did it with the potential for bigger things in mind and I now find myself thinking about the next step. Because there HAS to be a next step, right? I have to create more patterns and sell them, or try my hand at fabric design, or start entering quilts in shows.
“It’s ok for your hobbies to just be hobbies.” I have been telling myself this a lot, and I still have trouble listening.
I want to sew for myself.
And yet I still want that gold star.
Misti says
Too funny, I sometimes do similar things! Scrapbooking? I’m going to be the next Ali Edwards (this was in like 2006 when that was actually possible!). Hiking? I’ll be the guide for all the cool hikes.
I think some of it has to do with the current work for yourself culture that’s very popular but probably isn’t nearly as common as we think!
Sarah says
I hadn’t thought about that — and I think you may very well be on to something! The majority of the blogs & podcasts I consume are done by people who are either in business for themselves or otherwise making a living from creative work. There’s definitely a bit of “grass is greener”
in my thought process.
Jennifer says
Well, looking back are you glad you did the marathon? And photographed those races? And got your digital media degree?
Now, with two kids, your time is definitely more limited, but you probably still have time for *one* serious hobby. My advice would be to just not expect to earn money out of it. Sewing will never compare to what you’re able to earn as a NASA engineer.
Sarah says
Yes. I am glad I did all those things, including the degree, and have no real regrets about any of them. So I can rest easy in that sense.
In my head, I always wonder if I could get to the point of making X amount of money to supplement our income, or to buy fun stuff with, etc — which then makes me frustrated with myself. The beauty of a hobby is (or should be) that I don’t NEED to make any money from it. I could sew and sew and sew and never make a dime and that would be totally ok because of my day job. But some part of my brain wants to anyway.
Mom says
I have some gold stars if you need one or more 🙂