Everyday, I wake up with a million ideas and thoughts flowing through my head, with too many to write down. I have many hobbies that include plant life, baking, crafting, art, and some slight tinkering. These hobbies are things I enjoy doing in my free time, for no financial gain.
Unfortunately, most of the time I find myself doing a hobby, and thinking, “I could sell this. People would totally buy this.” One night, I caught a ride home from work with my friend Casey a couple weeks ago. Casey is an awesome photographer, who also has many talents and hobbies she does in her spare time. She mentioned to me that she finds herself always thinking of hobbies to monetize off of. In our conversation we questioned whether or not this was a good thing, and why our mind automatically goes to this. And since it does, where can there be anything left for ourselves?
It’s true that the services we all provide for our work should be valued properly and fairly, but does this also mean that in return, that we lose enjoyment in our hobbies when they become more of a job?
While capitalism sucks, it is still the driving force of everything, and because of this, we gotta go secure the bag. Most young adults need money, and I’m saying I need money. This is my truth, and it’s the truth for many. On a more positive note, I think that it’s great that we have the opportunity to be supported financially for the work/talents that we have. I wake up with a million business, craft, and solution ideas in my head. I write many down, and some I just share with friends in the hopes that they’ll pass it along to someone else.
But, some things I just need to leave for me, and me only. I want to make sure that I continue to make space for myself to earn money from doing things I love, while also being able to go home and keep a little something for me to enjoy. My hope is that we all continue writing, crafting, baking, singing, dancing, and all the things, for ourselves first.
Queen Media Collective 