If you have a hobby you enjoy or a leisure activity that engages you, congratulations, you’re enhancing your well-being. But there are also downsides to having a hobby (especially if you’re good at it) because today, there is tremendous pressure to monetize our hobbies.
Whether your talent is knitting the cutest baby blankets for friends, taking wonderous photos on vacation, or even reading voraciously, you can make money doing it. But just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. And there are many reasons why.
Hobbies are healthy
Having activities that you enjoy during your personal time is good for you—especially ones that emphasize creativity. Your mental health and well-being are enhanced by creative pursuits, according to a study in The British Journal of Clinical Psychology. And doing creative activities boosted positive emotions, according to research from The University of Otago.
And even just taking time for yourself has been shown to have significant benefits. A study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that when people spent time in leisure pursuits, their well-being increased.
One reason having hobbies is good for you is because it adds variety and dimensionality to your life. When you have a greater variety of things you enjoy doing, and more activities that give you enjoyment and meaning, you have more opportunities to find happiness and discover new joys. And I strongly believe that doing things you love outside of work is crucial to striking a healthy balance.
Side hustles are everywhere
While having activities to do outside of work may nurture you, the siren song of monetizing them admittedly can be very compelling. With so many platforms on the market to sell, create, or influence, it’s almost impossible to think of something you can’t monetize these days.
If you’re an amazing cook, you could become an influencer sharing your recipes. Or if you love to rock climb, you could sell tips on the best places for rock climbing or the best gear. In another example, one gentleman had tremendous success losing weight. Now he recommends weight-loss products and reaps the rewards when people order them through his website.
According to research by Lending Tree, 44% of people have a side hustle—up 13% compared with 2020. And Fiverr found that 73% of people say they plan to start or continue freelancing work. As they do, they’ll be part of the 36% of all U.S. employees who are gig workers, according to data from Zety. Stats from the U.S. Census Bureau demonstrate a 23% increase of new business applications since 2020, up to 5.4 million. If you want to make money doing your own work, the channels exist for you to enter the market.
But capitalizing on your hobby may not bring you happiness, health, or wealth. Here’s why you shouldn’t monetize your hobby, just because you can:
Why you enjoy your hobby
It’s worth considering what you love about your cake-decorating or wine-tasting hobby.
People choose their leisure activities for all kinds of reasons, according to a study from the University of Florida. Certain activities may offer you a sense of belonging (think: your knitting group) or sensual enjoyment (think: hiking). You may enjoy team sports or playing cards for the competition. Or you may like attending concerts because it contributes to your sense of status. Perhaps you like to volunteer with your local community center’s art program because it nourishes your creativity and also your identity as someone who is socially conscious.
However, if you monetize your hobby, your motivations will change. You’ll be seeking to make money, gain influence, earn clicks, or build your brand rather than just enjoying the activity for the intrinsic rewards. You’ll move from a situation where there are no metrics to a dynamic in which your time is dictated by outcomes. For instance, if you love to enjoy tons of activities in the beautiful place where you live and you start selling itineraries for others to also enjoy your locale, the motivation will change from enjoying the activities to the money you’re making or the number of new customers you acquire.
Research in the Journal of Research in Personality found that when people had to do something, they experienced less motivation than when they wanted to do something. If you shift your hobby to a side job, your “want to” will turn into a “have to.” You’ll need to respond to inquiries, consider customers, and deliver great service—all of which will require managing and scheduling your time differently. In fact, research from Ohio State University found when people scheduled time for leisure, they had less fun. For example, when you’re under the gun to make your artisanal bars of soap and get them packed up for customers, you’ll lose joy in the process.
How you spend your time
Another consideration in monetizing your hobby is related to the activities that fill your time. The activity you love—painting portraitsm for example—can become overshadowed when you seek to make money.
You’ll have to spend time investigating the market, applying to be part of art shows, purchasing a booth apparatus, securing a business license, and hiring help for your weekend shows. You may love painting, but you won’t necessarily love all the other rigmarole that goes along with making it your side hustle. You’ll be mired in details that have nothing to do with the elements of the activity that make you happy.
It’s important to keep in mind that the workload may be more than you anticipate and monetizing your hobby may mean doing things you don’t necessarily love or excel at.
Who you spend time with
When you’re engaged in your hobby, you’re likely primarily interacting with friends and family. But if you start to expand your hobby, you’ll potentially be engaging with strangers and even critics. Your handmade birdhouses your family thinks are works of art, may receive demoralizing critique from a stranger.
In addition, your interactions won’t be a source of connection based on mutual enjoyment, but rather they’ll be transactional, which won’t be as rewarding in terms of relationships.
Increased pressure
Perhaps the biggest reason to avoid monetizing a hobby is because it won’t be a hobby anymore. You’ll lose the benefits of having a leisure pursuit, and instead you’ll face the stress associated with delivering, achieving, and accomplishing rather than relaxing, rejuvenating, and enjoying the activity.
In addition, if you’re thinking of making a living by monetizing your hobby—or even just making the rewards a major proportion of your earnings—it may be tougher than you think. According to research by Zety, only 26% of those who do gig work have the money they need. And 60% say they can cover the basics, but don’t have a lot left for saving. In addition, the lack of healthcare or other benefits is a struggle for 39% and the instability of their income is a challenge for 35%. People also report they have to spend money in order to do their sideline, with 34% saying additional costs (such as supplies) add to their personal expenses.
Hobbies have a strong link to happiness and well-being. But it’s not just the activity that creates the conditions for joy; it’s also the nature of choice. We don’t have to engage in hobbies, but we choose to because it’s something we enjoy, and can do so on our own terms.
Your friends may enthusiastically encourage you to sell your great products, brilliant thinking, or your unique idea, but take their recommendations simply as positive feedback and encouragement rather than as the impetus to act. It bears repeating: Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Instead, embrace the joy of doing what you love, just because you love it.