I get it, money’s tight and this economy sucks. But not every hobby needs to turn into a side hustle. Sometimes people just want to paint, bake, or play guitar without turning it into content or a small business.
Turning every interest into income burns people out. It’s okay to do things just for fun, even if it never makes a dime.
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I 100% agree
I don’t think this is an unpopular opinion
IMO, this is part of the misguided, horrible, and unsolicited advice people give, which tends to be oversimplified and often misses the mark because regurgitated sentiments are never that valuable since they fall into the illusory effect. I think this stems from the misguided belief that “if you do something you love, you’ll never have to work a day in your life”, which is just idealistic nonsense. It’s a trite platitude. The reality is that work is work, and no matter how much you love it, it’ll eventually become work.
A couple of people like Mark Cuban, and Scott Galloway have shut down this advice, citing (I’m paraphrasing) that it’s idealistic and unrealistic.
The reality is that it helps to believe in what you do, not because it’ll never seem like work because that’s a lie, but because it’ll carry you through the low points because you’ll have a greater sense of purpose. But it doesn’t mean you need to turn a hobby into a job. Scott Galloway believes strongly in doing what you’re good at because if you’re good, then you might be able to make a living. But being good doesn’t mean it has to be a hobby.
Yeah people always told me i “should sell my work” and I didn’t for years. I didn’t want my hobby to be turned into a job. But now I’ve built up so many makes that I need to do something with them, why not sell them to make some money to buy more yarn. I sell on marketplace and do something craft sales every year. I still only make what I feel like making. But yes. I agree with you
Not an unpopular opinion really
agreed. especially for youtube. dont make money from there.
Again, for the people in the back: you do not need to monetize your joy. Not everything has to be a brand, a product, or a passive income stream. You can knit ugly scarves just because it’s fun. You can bake weird lopsided cakes and eat them alone while watching trash TV. You can spend 4 hours making a playlist that only you will listen to. That’s valid. That’s beautiful. Capitalism doesn’t need to touch every single corner of your identity. Let hobbies be hobbies. Let rest be rest. You are not a productivity machine. You’re a person. Again.
Since when did hobby = side hustle? I think most people agree they are very different things
I know there are people like this, but a very large majority are impossible to do so unless social media is involved which I would then say is social media and no longer just that hobby.
For example reading. How tf would you monetize that? Maybe posting audiobooks or getting a job teaching or something, but again, reading itself without taking on addition responsibility or social media is impossible to monetize.
Agreed, I love cooking and I’ve promised myself never to monetize it and keep it pure
I have a 3d printer, and I just make things for people sometimes for fun. Every now and again, someone tells me I could make money selling things that I print. I just want to grab them by the side of the face and whisper “shhhhh, stop trying to make me hate things that I like”.
Same thing when I perform magic tricks for people. I can’t imagine anything less joyful than the pressure not to make a mistake because I’m getting paid for a magic show. I just like impressing drunk people from time to time.
A wise man told me: “if you’re good at something, never do it for free.”
Sure, it doesn’t have to be monetized. It’s good to be able to do things simply because you enjoy them.
But everyone should know HOW to monetize something they’re interested in in case it’s ever needed. I have hobbies that I monetize at a low level so I still enjoy them, but have the confidence that I could turn them into a real income within 30 to 60 days of making that decision. You don’t have to commit to anything even close to full time, but there’s nothing wrong with knowing how to take it to that point ahead of time.
nobody said the opposite
This is why I’d rather try to trade stocks or something. Trading stocks might be boring while drawing stays fun.
Rather monetize trading than my drawings because I have a better chance of making money.