We need hobbies to survive

Nov 30, 2025

I think I’ve reached peak hobbying. Between photography, records, and audio mixing equipment, I’ve tapped into a creative area that is finally fully funded by my corporate grind.

I’m glad I’ve evolved to more creative endeavors. I remember when my hobbies centered around things like scotch bottles or finding the 120 best burgers in a city. My arteries aren’t built for those hobbies in the long term. Instead, my hobbies are now built around trying to organize or make things out of whatever world I’m experiencing. Pictures of my life as a dad, or the music I find myself humming and thinking about on walks. For whatever reason, I think they are interesting enough for me to spend leisurely time on them and then share them with people who may understand whatever pulsating waves and rhythm I’m dishing out.

There aren’t many.

But hobbies can also be taxing. Making a hobby into the central part of who you are is a debilitating undertaking. The thing you’re intended to do for leisure and relaxation is best situated outside of your core occupation so you can, effectively, have that thing without stress or anxiety. But you want to focus on it all the time. For me, I want to get as good at my hobbies as I am at being a marketer – the thing I get paid to do for 40-70 hours a week. Sometimes I think, if I had 40-70 hours a week dedicated to my hobbies, I’d probably be the happiest person on earth. I’d be around more clutter because my hobbies need things.

But the world isn’t built for hobbyists unless they have the means and time to carve out. Or maybe it is, and I’m just unwilling to sacrifice food or shelter for an audio mixer.

I’ve come to think of hobbies as uncertain explorations that are usually started because of a larger question people are trying to answer. Sometimes it’s about connecting with larger communities. Other times, it’s to scratch a tremendous curiosity itch. When those things combine, it feels like the most honest state of living that I am trying to live. And when I balk at buying a new roll of film or spend a little extra time on a playlist, I can also remind myself that myriad studies tell us hobbies are good for our health.

Do you have any hobbies? Are you on the verge of resolving to have more hobbies in the new year?

Hobby thing 1 (the gear)