Yes. Friends and family usually aren't interested in my hobbies. Which is fair. I am not that interested in their hobbies either. 🤣 So I don't push it on them. But my Mom comments sometimes. And my wife will occasionally comment to me, in person, on a story.
Actually, I just wrote an essay about this very topic yesterday called Writing Is My Hobby. I have been wavering about whether I want to post it, though. "Oh, he is just a hobbyist writer. Unsubscribe." But I see hobbies as great things that improve our lives. They bring us joy and can result in new friends. And they are good for our mental health. Money is the thing that ruins them.
I think the common trend to try and monetize our passions is a great way to suck all the joy out of them. It is sometimes better to do things for the love of doing them. That doesn't make them any less worthy or valuable. But that seems to fly against common thought in the side hustle culture we live in. Substack is all about monetizing your writing. I guess I am walking on the fence.
PS. My own substack, 🌿LEAVES, is not about monetizing at all. And I don’t pressure myself to keep to a schedule. And I am not interested in Notes or Chats. Writing is just plain fun and I hope to keep it that way. BUT I do understand the drive of the younger, often delusional, younger writers, and sympathize with their desperation to make it big time.
I think that drive has become part of the Internet Age. Everyone wants to cash in on what they do for fun. There are so many videos screaming that very idea. "Start a YouTube channel now!" "Substack is THE PLACE for creatives to monetize." "Influencers get stuff for free!" It can be great if you make it before burning out, but the odds of riches are not great for most people.
This statement reminds me of my earlier days in a rock band. We had such a great time composing and making music until we left the garage and started hustling up jobs, always needing new equipment, having to play in venues we did not respect, driving long hours in an old car to get to a gig, etc. Trying to make a business of our passion spoiled all the magic.
Exactly. The reality of the grind can be a dream-breaker. My current band started with me asking a friend I played in bands with over the years if he wanted to do some open mics for fun. Then, we met another guy and he joined the group. He introduced us to TikTok. Suddenly we were making $75 to hundreds of dollars per livestream. Everything changed. It became more about getting popular on TikTok and making money and less about playing for fun.
But as more people have started "cashing in" by livestreaming, the money has dropped off by about 75%. Which is good in a way. We can focus on just playing for fun again.
What band were you in? I didn't know you were a musician.
The plot thickens....
(PS I love it that your mom reads your stories and makes comments. Such a sweet thing. I like to think my mama would have done the same.)
Yes. Friends and family usually aren't interested in my hobbies. Which is fair. I am not that interested in their hobbies either. 🤣 So I don't push it on them. But my Mom comments sometimes. And my wife will occasionally comment to me, in person, on a story.
I never thought of your writing as a hobby, Mark.
Well, $400 per year is certainly not a career. 🤣
Actually, I just wrote an essay about this very topic yesterday called Writing Is My Hobby. I have been wavering about whether I want to post it, though. "Oh, he is just a hobbyist writer. Unsubscribe." But I see hobbies as great things that improve our lives. They bring us joy and can result in new friends. And they are good for our mental health. Money is the thing that ruins them.
I think the common trend to try and monetize our passions is a great way to suck all the joy out of them. It is sometimes better to do things for the love of doing them. That doesn't make them any less worthy or valuable. But that seems to fly against common thought in the side hustle culture we live in. Substack is all about monetizing your writing. I guess I am walking on the fence.
PS. My own substack, 🌿LEAVES, is not about monetizing at all. And I don’t pressure myself to keep to a schedule. And I am not interested in Notes or Chats. Writing is just plain fun and I hope to keep it that way. BUT I do understand the drive of the younger, often delusional, younger writers, and sympathize with their desperation to make it big time.
I think that drive has become part of the Internet Age. Everyone wants to cash in on what they do for fun. There are so many videos screaming that very idea. "Start a YouTube channel now!" "Substack is THE PLACE for creatives to monetize." "Influencers get stuff for free!" It can be great if you make it before burning out, but the odds of riches are not great for most people.
This statement reminds me of my earlier days in a rock band. We had such a great time composing and making music until we left the garage and started hustling up jobs, always needing new equipment, having to play in venues we did not respect, driving long hours in an old car to get to a gig, etc. Trying to make a business of our passion spoiled all the magic.
Exactly. The reality of the grind can be a dream-breaker. My current band started with me asking a friend I played in bands with over the years if he wanted to do some open mics for fun. Then, we met another guy and he joined the group. He introduced us to TikTok. Suddenly we were making $75 to hundreds of dollars per livestream. Everything changed. It became more about getting popular on TikTok and making money and less about playing for fun.
But as more people have started "cashing in" by livestreaming, the money has dropped off by about 75%. Which is good in a way. We can focus on just playing for fun again.
What band were you in? I didn't know you were a musician.
1968 - 1971. Uncle Ben. Lead singer. No tiktok. No nothing.
Can you hear me now? ✌️
Dooh! “Oh, what tangled web we weave…”
love the story so far, just got caught up with it. anxious to see what happens next
Thanks, Mom. Two more parts. 🤓
Daniel should have texted only. That's what my adult children do. He can include this incident in his novel, like you did here.:)
Texting would have been smart. Maybe his agent called him. No one to blame but himself.
Just as I suspected! Sometimes my intuition is spot on. 🤭
Let us see what happens next!
Clever girl. 🤓
Uh oh, trouble in paradise. Can't wait to see how he resolves this issue!
Or if he does…. 🤓