Make Amazing Hobbies Great Again!

MAHGA: because not everything should be done for profit

This one time I wanted to be a karate instructor.

It happened early into my adult life where I felt directionless – in many ways it felt like fate when a new karate club sprung up within walking distance from my home.

Soon the bug bit me, and what started as a new hobby to get out and meet people turned into an ambition to become a sensei.

I upped my training, spent my free time consuming everything I could from magazines to kung fu movies – I lived and breathed my new passion preparing for the day I was ready to teach.

I studied Japanese as a step to travelling the country to go on a martial arts journey to enhance my craft, and it was sometime then my sensei took me aside after class one day, offering an opportunity to take my dream one step closer to reality – to go on advanced training that would allow me to teach as his assistant.

There was no thought to such minor details as how my non-driving self would get to a course that was being held in what might as well have been the middle of nowhere, nor the implications of what the job entailed – I bit his hand off at the chance to get the experience.

After just six weeks training I was ready to go out into the world (well my karate club) and teach.

It was a disaster.

If you’re a long term reader, then you might be aware I have a cynicism towards dreams, especially ones which lack substance, and you could say this situation was an early influence that helped develop this viewpoint.

My dream was nice but I just wasn’t cut out for the realities – of being responsible for training others, to under estimating the business and politics that running a karate club involved.

All I wanted was to be a student again, paying my £5 to train and be ignorant to the inner workings, with a hobby I still enjoyed, instead I had to take the kids class.

Going to university gave me a get out, and although I planned a fresh start to regain my passion at another club, various circumstances made karate and martial arts a thing of my past.

Make Amazing Hobbies Great Again (or MAHGA)

My fundamental mistake was wanting to turn my hobby into a job.

Like many people’s jobs I felt unfulfilled, I knew wasting days away in a post room wasn’t how I wanted to spend my life, and karate being one of the things at the time that enthralled my imagination, created the logic:

“Well, why can’t I turn my hobby into a career?”

I’m not the only one to make this mistake, as of writing if you search ‘turn your hobby into a business’ returns short of 44 million results.

Something else I used to dream about was blogging, but over time I’ve grown to appreciate the creative freedom it offers by remaining a hobby.

I used to take exception to people using the term ‘hobby blogger’ because I found it belittling that ‘for profit’ bloggers didn’t see our experiences as valid when discussing issues around the craft.

But I’ve grown comfortable that the work I do on the side, for, get this… fun isn’t a bad thing.

Instead of worrying about where my posts rank in a search engine, or plastering posts with affiliate links, I get free rein to use this place as a sounding board to write whatever I want that week.

It’s good to have a hobby that lets you escape the day and unwind, and I’m extra lucky because blogging has done so much for my personal and professional growth.

Getting back in touch with my creative side again

When I was forced to take time off due to having eye surgery I didn’t want the only thing to take away from all the extra free time I got resting and recovering was being able to rattle off Netflix ‘must watch’ recommendations.

Prior to the operation I bought drawing paper and colouring pencils with plans to just let loose and pick up a creative side I’d allowed myself to put aside due to personal doubts.

It was a lot of fun trying new things, as a dad to two young girls I got a lot of requests to draw unicorns and mermaids, and now can draw both okay as long as the colour palette is not far off from a shade of pink!

This week I continued the rediscovery of my art skill purchasing acrylic paints – it’s about twenty one since I last put brush to canvas, so my painting abilities are around the level of a teenager.

Not having a clue what to do, I began browsing YouTube for ideas and got some great advice on brush techniques.

Of course once the algorithm picks up that you’re looking at a certain it will shove everything to do with painting in your face.

One of my first recommendations? 

‘How To Launch Your Art Career in 2024 (seriously)’

(Seriously), not seriously – you can’t make this up! I’m just wanting to get some tips on how to acrylic paint a unicorn flying over a rainbow to give to my eldest and I’m getting tactics to get my crappy paintings in the Lurve (or wherever?!)

I don’t care about building my artist social media brand! (I just want to do something for me!)

I don’t want to make money painting as a side hustle! (I just want to relax!)

I don’t want to figure out who my art style is! (I just want to express myself!)

I don’t want to quit my job to start my art career! (I just want to paint!)

Ultimately – I just want to get back into an old amazing hobby I used to have as a kid!

Conclusion: How about we just enjoy a hobby?

Let’s stop this need to turn every hobby into a job, and let’s stop thinking every little thing we do with our spare time needs to be commodified.

It doesn’t! Having a hobby you do for leisure isn’t a bad thing – let’s escape this need for everything to be a hustle, and get back to doing something that allows us to switch off for a few hour, and do it for no benefit except our personal satisfaction (imagine that).

Make Amazing Hobbies Great Again.

Wishing you the best in your success,

James @Perfect Manifesto