Serious Leisure

“A hobby is an activity undertaken purely for its own sake, but technology attempts to monetize it. A friend used to make beautiful earrings occasionally. Almost ritualistically, she would buy the beads, and carefully craft the small, colored jewels in a quiet workspace. Then came Etsy. Now she makes beautiful earrings and sells them, ships them and manages this business along with a full-time job and a family. What was leisure became labor.”

Who killed the weekend?

(via Jocelyn)

2 Comments leave a comment below

  1. I really wish there wasn’t a pressure to make hobbies like this into businesses. I’ve found myself doing this almost subconsciously, and then wondering why the joy has been sucked out of making or doing something. Maybe it’s also because my mom’s hobbies are now part of my career—don’t get me wrong, I’m so appreciative of the freedom and privilege to pursue a creative path, sometimes I just want to turn it off and create!

  2. There’s a fine line between enjoying a hobby and monetizing it, some people are lucky to accomplish this and still enjoy being creative, and I guess there is a flip side, were something fun and enjoyable become’s more business-like, worrisome and competitive. It’s a blessing if you can turn a hobby into an income and your creativity and passion remain’s pure, doing something you love and acquiring income for it has got to be the ultimate life accomplishment.