Baking, crocheting, gaming, pottery, language learning, reading, painting, and writing. Either a list of hobbies or a list of possible side hustles. Student life is costly and budgets are restrictive, oftentimes students resort to interesting ways to try to earn money to supplement or completely support their lifestyles. Some students have been resourceful enough to consider their hobbies and reframe them as a means to make money and improve their financial situations. From booking a guitar gig at Altum Bar to selling a R50 crochet beanie on campus, there are various ways to manage this transition, but what is the cost of old hobbies becoming new jobs (besides the R50 for the beanie, plus tax)?
In a world where everyone has to work to survive, hobbies have always been an outlet, free from expectations. People could express themselves without the need to be particularly good at it and, without the impetus of a paycheck. They also offer a range of benefits: hobbies are effective stress relievers and overall mood boosters and they can contribute to one’s self-improvement on a large scale. Needless to say, having hobbies makes you a more interesting person, engaging in activities without the promise of money or other external reward makes for compelling stories and a diverse skill set. With the rise of side hustles and the resulting blurred lines between home and university life, it is hard to even find the time to invest in hobbies. Consider online gaming which has transformed from a leisurely activity, with little to no money to be made to a very lucrative side hustle. According to Statista, the global online gaming industry amassed $17.3 billion in revenue in 2019, including the earnings of streamers and competitive gamers. This number is projected to reach $32 billion by 2027.
When there is no separation between leisure and work activities, there is no clear reason to prioritise one above the other and as a result, people end up dreading both their work/productive activities and their pastimes (many of which used to be relaxing). It sounds like a broken record when “capitalism” becomes the scapegoat for every social ill and “because of capitalism” becomes the pejorative answer to every question. Capitalism, though, has framed societal views around work in such a way that relaxing isn’t an option, either because of economic conditions which make it impossible not to work whenever you have the chance to, or because it also teaches the fad that anything outside of productive activities is not worth investing in because it has no monetary value. The German Historical Institute published a document titled “The Character of Leisure Time in Capitalism and Socialism” that claims, “Under capitalism, the entire organisation of leisure time is overshadowed by existential fears, at times this occurs more strongly than at others, but it is invariably so.” This reflects in the way people think about their free time. ‘Hustle culture’ refers to immersing oneself in so much work that there is no time for anything else. While hustle culture has the positives of the obvious monetary benefit, encouraging success by any means and teaching resourcefulness, working to the bone at the expense of one’s hobbies and interests can lead to more harm than good.
What is the solution? How does one decommodify their time and claim back their hobbies as creative outlets removed from capitalistic expectations? According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the word ‘hobby’ refers to a pursuit outside one’s regular occupation, engaged in especially for relaxation. To restore the meaning of this word, it is important to find activities that both induce relaxation and interest you enough to keep doing them unpaid. Taking a pottery class and not selling the bowl, playing the guitar and not booking a gig, or reading a book and not selling a review.
