Minting the joy out of it...
It’s been a busy week and I must confess that inspiration has been slow coming. This could be because my body feels a little battered, given I am starting a new regimen.
With no original content to contribute this week, I would like to draw attention to something I read this week that has been at the back of my currently sluggish brain for the past few days — “The Modern Trap of Turning Hobbies into Hustles”.
[I am also really kicked by the coincidence of having my thought space occupied by an article from a website I mentioned in my post last week.]
The article discusses the “monetizing of joy”, noting how we’ve been encouraged by all and sundry to make a living by employing the skills that we once applied to a hobby. This, the writer finds, often ends up leaching the joy out of what was once an activity that gave us pleasure. It raises the question of career anxiety, lack of work-life boundaries, and the “cult of busyness”.
I know people who are hesitant to monetize their hobbies for these very reasons. To this is added the apprehension of exposing something they love to a cruelly critical world. Even writing is like that. For me, writing has always been personal and while I insist on lightly curtained windows at home, I find writing has me drawing back the curtain all the way on my life.
I am guessing that is why the blog post this week has been difficult. The attempt to maintain a blog came from the desire to showcase my English language ability for the benefit of those wondering about my reported skill as a copy editor. All in service of greater freelance work, so I wouldn’t be dragged back into the corporate world and daily commutes. Sometimes, I can forget the goal and natter on about something that fascinated me. Sometimes, my fingers feel heavy on the keyboard, weighed down by the “musts” and “shoulds”. This is one of those weeks, so I will leave you to mull over another’s words instead.
Have you turned something you are good at and enjoy doing into a career? Has it been pleasant or otherwise? I’d love to know. Do share in the comments.
With no original content to contribute this week, I would like to draw attention to something I read this week that has been at the back of my currently sluggish brain for the past few days — “The Modern Trap of Turning Hobbies into Hustles”.
[I am also really kicked by the coincidence of having my thought space occupied by an article from a website I mentioned in my post last week.]
The article discusses the “monetizing of joy”, noting how we’ve been encouraged by all and sundry to make a living by employing the skills that we once applied to a hobby. This, the writer finds, often ends up leaching the joy out of what was once an activity that gave us pleasure. It raises the question of career anxiety, lack of work-life boundaries, and the “cult of busyness”.
I know people who are hesitant to monetize their hobbies for these very reasons. To this is added the apprehension of exposing something they love to a cruelly critical world. Even writing is like that. For me, writing has always been personal and while I insist on lightly curtained windows at home, I find writing has me drawing back the curtain all the way on my life.
I am guessing that is why the blog post this week has been difficult. The attempt to maintain a blog came from the desire to showcase my English language ability for the benefit of those wondering about my reported skill as a copy editor. All in service of greater freelance work, so I wouldn’t be dragged back into the corporate world and daily commutes. Sometimes, I can forget the goal and natter on about something that fascinated me. Sometimes, my fingers feel heavy on the keyboard, weighed down by the “musts” and “shoulds”. This is one of those weeks, so I will leave you to mull over another’s words instead.
Have you turned something you are good at and enjoy doing into a career? Has it been pleasant or otherwise? I’d love to know. Do share in the comments.
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