Hobbies used to be a word for relaxing past times that we did after work. Now they’ve become part of our attempts to avoid work with something we feel we can enjoy more.
That might sound judgemental but it’s also a huge truth about the world we live in online and it’s true of myself. I know that in my country there is a shortage of nurses, doctors, paramedics, care staff and teachers but there is definitely no shortage of musicians.
I know full well that I am teaching online and playing at weddings, as I did last night, as a means of avoiding a low paid/hard graft thankless care job with anti social hours dealing with the physical hardships of being human. I know that I’ve tried to make a job out of my teenaged hobby, the one I preferred to maths homework. (disclaimer…I did work in the hospital for 18 months as a porter during covid lockdown).
I go online and I can see so many people doing the same. Uploading millions of songs to social media sites in the hope that it might one day take them away to some special place of their dreams. I don’t know what to say.
I can also see the constant barrage of self marketing gurus offering the solution to the more mundane existence of regular employment with a promise of excess earnings though passive income or simply doing what you truly love. Less hours, more control, more pay.
For me this renders the word “hobby”as obsolete in its old sense. It’s become more of a gesture or a profile category than a relaxing aside and even then the competitive individualism of our society make the word “hobby” imply an aspect of socia success and private achievement propped up by accessories.
Iron man contests, snowboarding, skiing, long distance cycling, mountain biking appear to be adrenaline fuelled white knuckle rides. In contrast there’s the vast array of deliberately obscure niche hobbies which seem to hold the social prestige of out doing others in their quirky individualism. I can’t bring myself to research any of them this second (oh, go on then… geo coaching, duck herding, extreme ironing, beetle fighting, tree shaping, bee keeping, brewing, quidditch, suing, soap carving etc etc …google them there’s a tonne of blogs based on niche hobby blogging)
We’ve come a long way since pottering on the allotment while growing a few veg or doing a quiet jigsaw on the kitchen table and I no longer associate hobbies with the ideal of relaxing after work. Personally, I don’t have a hobby that isn’t work as I don’t have the money for the accessories or the time to spare. That’s my point.
The thing is, with regular employment came the benefits of paid over time and enough money to cover the bills. Now live in a world where employment is irregular and even full pay (for the jobs I mentioned earlier) does not cover the bills. Side hustles are the new unpaid over time.
Hobbies have moved on too. They’re now more about competitive achievement than relaxing or even consumer identity extended to include the label of quirky individualist attached to an obssession with an obscure past times.
I’m being disingenuous though. My hobbies include reading the papers, reading lots of books, watching Bolton Wanderers play live now and then (while drinking beer), watching live music while drinking beer, running, upper body, the gym and not looking at my phone. Oh yeah and writing songs. I’m just having fun really with the wordpress prompt to write and seeing what comes out…
“In today’s fast-paced, hyper-connected world, it’s easy to get swept up in the hustle of work, responsibilities, and endless to-do lists. But amid the whirlwind, hobbies offer us something priceless: time for ourselves, a mental break, and an opportunity to nurture our passions. Whether it’s painting, hiking, baking, coding, or knitting, hobbies are more than just time-fillers—they’re a vital part of living a balanced, fulfilling life.”
This was a freestyle blog of thought flow. If you want to check out one of my songs …
Mike Kneafsey Guitar 