Turning a passion into a hobby, then turning it into a career, can be stressful. Time management can definitely be difficult for creators. If you’re working in a career that has turned your hobby into a full-time job, then it can be challenging to carve out intentional fun. Especially since at the beginning of your journey, creating didn’t require a set schedule or constant deadlines.
While being a creator can be extremely rewarding and exciting, these very things are what can make it stressful. The aim for fame and success can also project false expectations onto your goals. So how can you balance the drive, the schedule, and the downtime?
Balance Your Hobbies
Making time for yourself on top of an already hectic schedule will likely feel uncomfortable at first. That’s why you need to strike a balance between “work mode” and “off mode.” Hustling is inevitable in this era and everything is fast-paced. Even though working for monetary gain is needed, your hobby does not always have to be for that sole purpose. It was never meant to stay that way, your creation is a gift and should be cherished.
On Repeller, writer Molly Conway writes she had come to a realization after saying this to a friend: “You don’t have to monetize your joy.” She follows that up by saying, “Every time we feel beholden to capitalize on the rare places where our skills and our joy intersect, we underline the idea that financial gain is the ultimate pursuit.” And, I could not agree more.
Passions and careers become such a large part of our identities because we depend on them so much to make a living. We move so fast that we become addicted to work and ultimately to being stressed. Intentional quality time with our hobbies can allow us to approach ideas with more ease, and more fun. During that specific amount of time that you carve out for them, note that there are no restrictions. Just let your ideas flow.
Fun needs to be carved out because isn’t that where all the creativity started?
Featured Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash
