Earlier this year, I heard something on TikTok that made so much sense to me. Someone was talking about the problem today with everyone trying to turn hobbies into jobs and I was mind-blown because that’s been my issue. I have HOBBIES that I really like, but I don’t always feel like doing them on a consistent basis, I like to circle back. The lure of making money off of those hobbies, however, ensnared me into “trying to take advantage of the opportunities,” but the thing about trying to make money off of your hobbies on the internet, or even just making money off of things you’re good at, is that it takes consistency, and it takes strategy. That strategy usually involves appealing to the masses in order to make a profit.
When you try to turn something that you do from time to time for personal pleasure into something that earns an income, the battle becomes that of pleasure versus obligation. Typically what happens is…well, it no longer becomes pleasurable! Instead of a source of escape, it becomes a source of stress— something you want to escape from. Instead of doing it when you feel inspired, you now have to do it to please an algorithm, build an audience, and continue to generate income. Now, I can admit, consistency hasn’t been my strong suit in the past, and I certainly still need to work on it, but hearing this perspective freed me. Some things can just be things that you’re good at, or things that you enjoy doing. Not everything has to be about making money.
So, now what? I feel like now, my goal is to draw a line between my hobbies and the things that I want to do as a job or source of income. Content creation started out as a hobby, and from a very early stage I was set on making money from it. But when your hobby is fueled by a creative engine, consistency can sometimes be an enemy to your enjoyment of said hobby.
I don’t want to bar myself from the possibility of making money off of a hobby, but I do want to protect my hobbies. If I make money from them, that’s cool! But if I don’t, I still enjoy them, you know? Here’s my breakdown thus far:
Hobbies: Digital Illustrations, Photography, Content Creation
Job/Career: Physical Therapy
Both: Writing Books, Blogging
We’ll see how this goes! I hope it freed you as much as it freed me.
