I remember proudly showing my friends and family my first-ever crocheted granny square tote bag. I worked hard on it and I was eager to show it off, then I heard, “you should start an Etsy!” I felt my smile drop.
It’s common for many hobbyists to hear this phrase or some variation of it. “You should start an Etsy,” “You should sell this stuff on Redbubble,” “You could start a business.” These suggestions typically come from good intentions, however, a lot of the time people don’t realize exactly what it means to monetize hobbies and the negative side effects that follow.
Every day we are pushed the idea that, if we aren’t grinding and making the most out of our free time, we’re doing something wrong. I’ve always felt guilty about my free time. I always think what else could I be doing right now? Homework? Work? Am I being productive? This mindset has carried onto my hobby of crocheting. I started crocheting when I started college, and I’ve been doing it almost every day since. While I am, technically, doing something that isn't seen as productive. Unless I monetize it of course!
“Do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” is a common phrase I’m sure everyone at some point in their life has heard. Ideally I could start a booming Etsy business and sell my work but then it becomes a job, something that I am forced to do or I can’t pay the bills. Does that not make it a hobby anymore?
One thing I love about having a hobby separate from school or work is that I control when I do it. One day I could crochet all day then not at all the next. Monetizing my hobby can take away that autonomy. I find that whenever I have an obligation to do something my passion dwindles and it becomes a chore. The same logic can be applied to monetizing hobbies: if I have to crochet this bag within a certain time frame it creates a time limit that otherwise wouldn’t be there.
Many start a hobby from a place of passion and love. This relationship with your hobby can quickly dwindle once the idea of making money is thrown in. The thing you once loved to do whenever you could becomes a burden. Many people can’t make a full living off of hobby monetization so you’re doing all of this on top of another mode of income. The expectation of constant productivity can create toxic expectations that push people to feel useless if they're spending their time doing anything else other than earning money. We often find ourselves pushing this narrative that if we try to push someone we care about into selling their work or doing something with a specialized skill, thinking it could benefit them.
While monetizing your hobby has negative side effects, people shouldn’t be completely discouraged from doing it. Thousands of hobbyists make their living off their hobby and find it works perfectly for them and that’s great! It’s just important when considering monetizing your hobby, whether that is as a side hustle or your entire income, to recognize how drastically the relationship you once had with your hobby can change.
As someone who is extremely passionate about crocheting I’ve come to the realization that making an Etsy just isn’t for me. If you think that it might be something for you, go ahead and try it. Just don’t find yourself stuck in the trap of constant productivity; it can take a toll.
Haylee Leasure is a freshman studying journalism. Please note that the opinions expressed in this column do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk about the column? Email Haylee hl125421@ohio.edu.
