This blog post could have probably just been an Instagram caption…😂

So, let’s talk about choosing passion over perfection.

During lockdown so many people have turned their hobbies into a business, and I think that it’s incredible!! If you love your hobby enough to take it full-time and start earning money – to me that’s absolutely amazing! However, I do sometimes feel that there is a sense of pressure that if you’re good at something you must start selling it and making money – because money is the only thing worth doing anything for… Obviously, if you want to pursue your hobbies and make money from it – then definitely go for it! But if you want to keep your hobby as a hobby then do it!

This blog post has been inspired by a number of things. Mainly, conversations with friends & family, social media posts and a number of articles that I’ve read recently. Lockdown has been a great time for many people to finally take the plunge and launch their own business. However, it has sparked a bit of negativity in some people who feel like they’re wrong for wanting to keep their hobbies as hobbies. And a few people mentioned that they’re not even particularly good at their hobbies – they just do it because they enjoy it.

The number one reason that I’ve found for people regretting turning their hobbies into a career is the lack of time they actually have to do said hobby. Say for example you create cards as a hobby – birthday cards, Christmas cards, Valentine’s card etc. When it’s your hobby you get to spend as much time as you want on doing it. However, when it becomes a business, you have to do all of the admin, social media, website design, collecting money, sending invoices etc. that goes along with it. Therefore, often reducing the amount of time that you actually get to do the hobby that you love so much!

Blogging is definitely a hobby for me right now. I would like to make this a part-time job as I love doing it so much and would love to have more time to dedicate to it. But I would also like to have some sort of job in social media helping other people – but I guess we’ll see.

Let’s dive more into hobbies.

What Is A Hobby?

After reading a number of sources to see how people would define a hobby. The general definition of a hobby is doing an enjoyable activity to relax. Sadly, binge-watching Netflix doesn’t count as a hobby.

So, let’s discuss the benefits of having a hobby.

Easy Way To De-Stress
Finding ways to de-stress is always important as life is stressful – especially with everything going on right now. Obviously, if you want to spend your down time watching the telly then go for it. But if you want to do something really enjoyable that also helps to reduce your stress – then a hobby might just be what you need.

New Challenges/Explore Other Talents
I’ve put these two points together as they link. Having hobbies allows you to try new things and learn new skills. When life gets a bit mundane and boring we often look for a challenge that’ll help keep our brains in gear. And, who know, that hobby that you decide to try could have been that hidden talent that you’ve been looking for!

Could Be A Great Way To Socialise
Obviously, this isn’t true for all hobbies. But hobbies that you do as part of a class or can create a group out of is a great way to socialise. You’ll be with a load of people who are interested in the same hobby as you, which I think would make it easier to make friends (because creating adult friendships is hard). You could join a Zumba class, start a book club – there’s so many out there. And lots of these are happening over Zoom too.

Encourages You To Take A Break
There’s such a culture of ‘hustle hustle, hustle’ that makes you feel like if you’re not working and being productive then you’re useless. And I for one am definitely not about that life 😂

If you have a hobby that you enjoy doing, it’ll encourage you to take a break and just relax. Rest is just as important as productivity and no one will convince me otherwise.

I guess to summarise this I just want to say that whether your passion is a hobby or a business – choose the enjoyment from it over trying to make it perfect. You don’t have to be good at your hobbies to enjoy them and you don’t have to have a business degree to start a business (although I do have one and would love to be able to use it more). Choose your happiness over everything.

I hope this post makes sense and isn’t too much of a ramble! I’ve been planning it for ages, but found that I struggled to get my words out.

If you have any thoughts, please leave them in the comments below🧡

Cerys x

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