Is This a Hobby or a Job?

Reflections on being a creative professional

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

“So what’s your real job?”

Even as a full-time writer and blogger, I still get asked this question, and it irritates me every time. Often, it’s a matter of simple surprise that yes, someone can make a living as a writer. Sometimes, the source of the question is a basic curiosity about whether or not I’ll ever return to a 9-to-5 job (probably not). Rarely, it’s a thinly veiled insult about the value of this trade.

Then comes the dreaded word, the word that connotes a less-than-serious approach to one’s creativity. The word that divides the amateurs from the pros.

“Hobby.”

There are few things more frustrating than being told, whether explicitly or subtly, that the creative thing you do for money is just a “hobby.” This problem isn’t limited to writers: My artistic friends run the gamut of creativity, and even those who are full-time professional artists get asked when they’ll find a “real job.” Even though I am not a full-time performer, I’m reluctant to call it a hobby.

hob·by1 | ˈhäbē |

noun (plural hobbies)

1 an activity done regularly in one’s leisure time for pleasure: