An Ode To The Hobby
The value of having a hobby alongside a career, and how that can help you before and after you start working.
The title of this article spoke to me even before I started writing it, so I was really glad to be able to author my ideas on this. I have been raised in a family that valued hobbies above all else. I was the kid in school who played an instrument, danced, did some other random artistic thing, and had foreign language class, and was part of this random science thing too. I always was the one known for doing about 563726468382 things at once alongside school. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t forced to do them, I’d adopt the hobby because I liked it, and luckily, my parents sang the tune with me.
Being born in Romania, when I was growing up, I never felt that the opportunities were lacking, and I have to thank my parents for that, because they always managed to find exciting opportunities, even in the most boring of subjects. It was all a game, and that game stayed with me growing up. I was ‘the involved person’ in all my groups of friends, and in all honesty, having hobbies alongside whatever you do, teaches you a lot about yourself, but also about the service to others. Because how can you know how to help others if you don’t know how to help yourself? And this brings us to this day, at 26, juggling adulthood, a career, some side-hustles, and a bunch of hobbies,
I do sometimes feel overwhelmed, but I always know I have my trusted hobbies to return to for a quiet night in. I do often think of all the things I have started as a hobby that then became more than that, and I also can’t forget all the random artistic projects I have started and not finished (especially around the house). We’re the hustle generation, and we feel that we need to monetize everything we do, but sometimes, a hobby is just a hobby. I have so many things I have started because alongside the countless hours I spend in an office, I need a break. And I’ve never done ‘breaks to just sit around’, they need to have a purpose. And my purpose is to create pretty things and make a better environment for me to live in. The hobby of the month is definitely in the arts and crafts sector, but I have a few on rotation.
The value in having hobbies (not side-hustles) is that you have a great conversation starter, but also that you have constructive things to do when you don’t have to spend your time at work. They can definitely help you learn useful skills that align with your day to day job, if they are similar or related to what you do, kind of like a 2 in 1 purchase, but realistically they don’t have to be. There is value in both, but I find it especially valuable if the hobbies have no relation to your career at all, they are just things you like to do in your free time. I have noticed that the ones related to my career, as much as they help it, also mean that I don’t have that break space when I come back from work. They make me feel like I’m a little hamster in a wheel, and I never stop working, so they have become my side-hustles for when I have time for those.
I love a good hobby, and it honestly makes me happy to see people branch out of their usual work to pursue something they are passionate about, that isn’t a side-hustle. We need to think of these things as a glorified break if we want to, that doesn’t hinder our productivity, but it actually enhances it. They don’t need to bring us monetary capital or return on investment, because we can quantify that capital as the joy and/or calm it brings in our life. Our passion project doesn’t have to have a dedicated Tik-Tok or Instagram page, it can be something that is for us to savour.
There is value in learning, and hobbies, alongside what we do most of our day are well deserved breaks that teach us how to balance the rest. Finding a fulfilling job and career is hard, and sometimes impossible on this planet, as most of the time it doesn’t only depend on us alone. But a hobby does and finding one may sometimes feel hard among all the million things one does in a day, but always keep in mind that it doesn’t have to be Instagram-worthy, it’s for you to enjoy.
Written by Andra Maier
Working in fashion teaches you a lot of things, but it leaves little space for creativity outside of work, because we are ‘always available’. Having a creative space is something important in my ‘switching off’ process, and writing comes easiest, especially in busy times. I love everything fashion and food related. If I am not found writing or scribbling, I am found reading the latest fiction releases, fan-girling over Harry Potter or some pretty shoes, and writing for my blog. Being able to express myself outside of work boundaries is freeing and incredible, and honing the creative spirit is one of the main resolutions I had for 2020.