Lucía was nervous. Tonight was the first time she would perform with the women’s choir. She had studied her parts and attended every rehearsal (except for one because she had to attend a family dinner). As she was fixing her hair and vocalizing to warm up, her boyfriend tried to calm her anxiety. “You’re not even going to be paid for this, Lu. Nobody is expecting anything more from you than what you’ve done already. You’ll be great. It’s just a hobby.”
This guy was not being very helpful. For her, the newly rediscovered passion for singing was occupying her thoughts at home, she would talk about it on dates, she would practice at any opportunity she had. Yes, it was a ‘novelty’ in her life, and it was not the first time that she dove intensely into a novelty, but this one felt different. It really was a hobby. She knew so. But why did she feel like she cared way too much about it? Why was this hobby an activity of such relevance in her life? The answer is: because that’s what real hobbies are.
Welcome to today’s installment of the Kitsch & Murphy Theory of Transformative Hobbying. We have tons of material to learn, discuss, and understand. A lot of our exploration will be centered around hobbies and what they do for us, but… how can we talk about the dynamics of hobbying if we don’t understand clearly what a hobby truly is?
People often give simplistic definitions of ‘hobby’, because they’re not interested in what constitutes a hobby, but what the person enacts as part of their hobby. And that’s ok, yes: in the end, we will also pay a lot of attention to those matters, but the fact is that it could be troublesome to just assume that certain activities are hobbies when, in fact, they’re not. And the trouble can be big.
This is why I’m very excited to share with you the newest definition of a hobby, according to our Theory. Our Theory is of a practical approach first; therefore, as you finish reading this article, ponder about all the activities in your life, those that you believe to be your hobbies, and see if they fit the description completely. You might be surprised at what you find.
As Lucía steps onto the stage, her heart races, not from fear, but from a profound sense of fulfillment. This moment crystallizes what a hobby truly means: an endeavor that enriches our lives in immeasurable ways.
So, let’s define ‘Hobby’ once and for all. Here we go: a Hobby is the positive synergy of a Hobby Subject and a Hobbyist Style.
I love the word “synergy”. According to Oxford Languages, synergy is: the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects. Talk about potential.
If you want to simplify this definition, you can read it as: a true hobby is a good fit between what you do, and how you do it.
A Matter of Subjects
Today, we will focus and analyze the what, because it has an enormous weight on the examples and studies that we will be posting in the future. Next installment we’ll focus on the how.
A Hobby Subject is not just any activity. It needs to check a few characteristics in order to qualify as a proper subject. Therefore, I’ll offer a definition for the subjects as well, in order to understand, analyze, and ponder whether our chosen activities are hobbies or not.
The definition for Hobby Subject is: an enjoyable and active endeavor that is non-essential for survival, requires a voluntary investment of time, intellect, and affection, and positively impacts the hobbyist’s psychological well-being without negatively affecting others.
Let’s analyze this definition piece by piece.
An enjoyable…
If you’re not enjoying it, it is not a hobby. Now, there are hobbies that can seem stressful or borderline excruciating to others, but the hobbyist will find (and feel) a particular and specific definition of joy in doing it.
…and active endeavor…
Even if a hobby involves no apparent physical activity (cinephiles or audiophiles usually find themselves motionless as they enter their flow state), there is always an action to be taken towards the execution of this hobby. Whether it’s researching, analyzing, preparing, or executing a specific task, a hobby has to be acted upon.
…that is non-essential for survival…
You can toss in theories about essential components for human well-being. The key point here is that a hobby is not the activity that brings in the means for the hobbyist (and their dependents) subsistence.
Also, it’s worth pointing out that a hobby should never interfere with those essential components. If a hobby is causing any imbalance on the well-being of a person, it stops being a Hobby and becomes something different (that we will explore later).
Some people are fortunate enough to work doing something that started out as a Hobby for them (or that they enjoy similarly to a hobby). However, the moment a Hobby Subject becomes the means of survival for someone, it changes categories and becomes something else (see our upcoming post on the Four Stages of the Engagement Journey).
…requires a voluntary investment of time, intellect, and affection…
The spectrum is too big for it to be analyzed (in one blog post), but no matter how much time your hobby takes (an hour per week? 3 hours a day? 8 straight hours every two months?), no matter how “in-depth” you want to go about learning the details of the activity and the industries behind it, or how much emotional attachment you have to the activity, you have the three components in play.
For Lucía, choir became a very heavy emotional investment, but not everyone feels the same towards a hobby. Either way, this investment is always voluntary. You can be a participant in a hobby, but if you’re not invested in it, then it’s not your hobby.
…and positively impacts the hobbyist’s psychological well-being…
Another massive spectrum. The benefits and the scale of the benefits are so diverse that it can (and will!) take several posts to begin to comprehend it. From releasing stress to productivity, from comfort to life purpose, hobbies have to bring a benefit, even if it’s just a small one, to the hobbyist. We will study some of those benefits, but you can be sure that hobbies can (and do) improve mental health and even save lives.
…without negatively affecting others.
You know who you are. Sometimes, the things that we like can be criticized, even ridiculed by others. No hobby is invalid. No hobby is a “waste of time”. However, there are certain activities that enter an open conflict with others and their point of views or lifestyles.
Regardless of the validity of the reasons behind activism or other confrontational activities, they cannot be considered hobbies. If your whole time is used in activism without a hobby, your life will be missing a key component for balance and success. If you take a look at the lives of the most influential people in history, you will always find a hobby there. Fight for what is right, and keep a hobby in your heart.
Lucía’s music fills the air and, when the sound is finally gone, the myriad of feelings inside of her validates her choice to complete her life with that missing piece for true happiness: a hobby.
So, as you ponder the activities that fill your days, those that you might call ‘hobbies’, ask yourself: Do they bring me joy? Do they enrich my life? Am I investing my true self in them? Are others being harmed by my actions? If you find yourself hesitating, perhaps it’s time to explore new hobby subjects, to find your own choir, and to discover the profound impact a true hobby can have on your life.
Now that we have defined what a Hobby Subject is, we have the other part of our definition to handle: the Hobbyist Styles. Once we review this fascinating topic, it will become crystal clear what a hobby is and what it’s not, and then you’ll have all the tools to evaluate whether or not you have a hobby in your life, which is the primary purpose of this theory. I’ve hinted at a few other topics in this post already, but all of them will come after we complete our study on the definition of “Hobby”. I can’t wait to discuss this with you. See you next time!
