It might help you too idk.
For pretty much all my life I thought hobbies had to be creative or at least produce something. E.g. guitar, drawing, photography, creative writing, playing sports, etc.
I think this is the case for many people, we believe that a hobby has to produce something at the end of the process, or teach you something, to count as a hobby.
I also thought that you had to spend a lot of time doing something to count as a hobby, or that you had to be an expert in it. And that you could only have one.
It was while playing a video game that I realized hobbies were something completely different, and the devs didn’t even intend for it lol.
Hobbies are basically anything you like to spend time on. Keeping up with world news, spending time with friends, discovering new things (music, cool places around town).
It can even be more abstract: organizing information (if you like to collect things), becoming more efficient (less time spent on one task), solving math problems… even daydreaming might be a hobby.
I think a hobby is more accurately defined as something you do during your leisure time somewhat regularly. It doesn’t need to be your whole thing, it doesn’t need to be something you intend to become great at, and it doesn’t need to be something that you’ve done since childhood and will do until you die. It might not even be something you particularly enjoy doing over something else (e.g. daydreaming - I imagine most people do it naturally and don’t really think about it).
I grow chili pepper plants for example in a single pot and I’m starting to consider it a hobby. This hobby is not gardening; it’s taking care of my one chili plant. It’s one of my many hobbies, I’m not going to scale it up (well, maybe just a little bit) or become a gardener, and that’s fine!
Anyway, you might find this useful.
Very nice, I had similar impressions because of this too. I think it’s kinda a bit of bourgeois ideology in each of us, because we try to convince ourselves to be “more productive” even in our leisure time
I think you’re right… it’s the same thinking that leads to thinking hobbies should become “side hustles” once you get reasonably good at something.
And sure, if you like making cute dingbats and selling them to people, go for it. We could all use a little extra cash anyway. But at the same time, don’t think it any less valid to spend time absolutely not participating in commerce. If your hobby is sitting on a park bench and watching squirrels run around, you’re not less than the dingbat seller.