Do we have true hobbies anymore?

Hobbies and personal projects are important. They can break up the routine monotony of working and familial life. It’s like the splash of colour, the icing on the cake of everyday life.

Google definition of a hobby, “an activity done regularly in one’s leisure time for pleasure.”

Trouble is, a lot of us feel the need to monetise or share our hobbies online, to the point where it becomes more serious. When it’s done in this way, I’d argue it’s not a hobby anymore. It’s not just a fun project that’s for you. It becomes something that’s for others. Or something that you want to serve another purpose.

Don’t get me wrong, that’s not a bad thing! It’s beautiful and exciting when something you did just for fun can make you money or provide you with an audience. It means you get to do something you love professionally. Not everyone gets to do that. But once you’re doing it professionally, it’s not a hobby anymore. It’s your profession, your career, even your job.

So that means you may need something else to come along and fill that leisure gap. A different hobby that you do that’s just for fun, pleasure and relaxation.

Writing hasn’t been a hobby for me for a long time. I don’t make money from my blog, but I do have a small audience and I do hope to one day expand that audience. However, I don’t take my blog too seriously. I want it to be an outlet. A way to share my voice without gatekeepers or perfection. So in a way, the blog is a hobby. Novel writing though, not at all.

Reading is my hobby, but I get stressed out when I’m not reading fast enough! I’m off work for summer, so naturally I planned to read a lot more. But that’s not worked out. I’m only just nearing the end of my first book and we’re on week 3! Plus, reading is technically part of my job as a writer. It’s a way to know the craft and the market. I love the quote that for a writer, “reading is breathing in, and writing is breathing out”.

Yoga is my hobby. It’s very fun and relaxing. However, I do take it seriously. It’s a healthy habit I ensure I tick off everyday, if not every other day. It’s also something I’m actively trying to get better at. Again, that’s fine. That in itself doesn’t stop it being a hobby, but I would argue it’s starting to step into the realms of being something perhaps more?

Journalling is a hobby of mine, but when you do something for your health (like with yoga), does it still count as a hobby? I definitely enjoy journaling and don’t force myself to do it just for health reasons, but again, it toes the line.

Running and cycling could be my hobby because I don’t do them all the time, I find them fun, and it’s a leisurely activity instead of being too serious. But again, it’s for my health! When something is about health and wellness, it’s less of a hobby to me. I doubt I’d go running long distances (5km is long for me), if I didn’t know it was good for me. And I always look at the stats for my running, so clearly it’s not just for fun.

My point is, I don’t know that I have a real hobby! Something that is 100% just for pleasure, leisure and relaxation that means nothing more than those things. Something that I’m not trying to monetise, be celebrated for, or do for health reasons. Something that is just pure indulgence, freedom and excitement. And this is vitally important. I wonder, in this modern world, is it harder to have a hobby that’s just a hobby anymore? Is everything about side hustles and monetisation and growing on social media in a niche?

There’s an account on Instagram or TikTok and the like for everything that used to be just a hobby…

ReadingGardeningCrochetingCollectingPaintingClimbingTravellingPhotography Scrapbooking Fandoms Thrifting Upcycling things Glassblowing Carpentry CyclingSkating

Again, there’s nothing wrong with this. It’s provided so many people with a means of sharing their passion, finding likeminded people, getting better at the skill, and finding a career in it. It’s fantastic.

I just mourn for that freedom, that ability to do a thing just because. For it to remain precious and yours without anyone knowing or without you stressing about making it into something worthy. I worry that we’ve gotten to a point where we no longer think it’s okay to do things just for us. That anything that’s not shared online or monetised is a waste of time.

No wonder so many of us can’t relax. We’ve lost our pleasure for pleasures sake.

That’s quite sad.

Sincerely,

S. xx