Talent

So here you are, sipping your overpriced smoothie, doomscrolling through your feed while someone you barely know slides into your DMs with yet another “Have you ever considered turning your hobby into a side hustle?” pitch. Cue the eyeroll so hard it practically triggers a migraine.

No, Linda, I haven’t considered ruining the one thing in my life that doesn’t feel like a chore by turning it into work.

Let me tell you something: the pressure to commodify every hobby, every talent, every shred of creative joy is peak capitalism. You paint because it feels good? Cool. You learn Spanish because you like how it rolls off your tongue? Amazing. But somewhere along the way, some bootlicking overlord decided that “fun” isn’t good enough. If it doesn’t boost your LinkedIn profile or bankroll your retirement, then why even bother, right? Wrong.

One of the things I love is painting, and I'm pretty good at it if I'm being honest.

But I have no interest in a side hustle as a painter. I don't want to spend my weekends waking up at 6am to work on some commission for an overbearing client and their bitter relatives. I don't want to spend my holidays and downtime trying to gently explain to 16-18 year old girls that there is no amount of money that will make me work faster so that they have a piece to show off for their November photo dump so their Instagram story can be lit... and thinking of how I can delicately say "what you are looking for is a magician, not an artist". 

Because suddenly, it’s not about the way the colors blend or the satisfaction of creating something from nothing—it’s about pricing, marketing, and dealing with Linda who thinks she deserves a discount because “art isn’t real work.”

Your friend? The one who sketches on her iPad? Yeah, she gets it. She just wants to draw goofy memes and aesthetically questionable cartoons for herself. But nah, some wannabe entrepreneur rolls up with unsolicited advice about “scaling her business” and “building her personal brand.” Personal brand? She’s just trying to draw frogs wearing cowboy hats.

And don’t even get me started on your other friend—the one learning Spanish. She’s out here conjugating verbs and rolling her R’s like a pro, not because she needs it for her career, but because it makes her happy. But of course, someone had to rain on her parade with “What’s the ROI on that, though?” ROI?! The girl just wants to understand Bad Bunny lyrics without Google Translate!

Here’s the thing no one seems to get: not everything has to be about productivity or profit. Some things are just good for the soul (yeah, I said it). Painting a canvas no one will see. Learning a language you’ll never master. Dancing in your kitchen like a total idiot while your dog judges you from the corner. These are the moments that keep us human.

But nah, hustle culture would rather you wake up at 5 a.m., down a green smoothie, and spend your “free time” grinding. Because if you’re not monetizing your existence, what even is the point?

Well, here’s the point: joy. Rest. Peace. Doing things purely because they make you feel alive. You’re not lazy for wanting that. You’re just human. And that’s not something you need to monetize, no matter what Linda says.