Turning hobbies into careers?

[Wuzzums]

Hello,

 

I'm writing this because I'm at a time in my life when some important decisions have to be made and making them without this community's input seems imprudent.

 

Like most people, I have had many hobbies which I was passionate about yet one of them evolved from being something I wanted to do to something I needed to do. Drawing (or illustration) is my passion and it is that by which I quantify time. Time spent drawing is time well spent. Time spent doing anything else is time not spent drawing. It's always at the back of my head.

 

Currently I work as a surgery intern, or a surgeon in training to be more clear. The job is not that bad and it promises a great future but it's very time consuming, and a future in which I'm spending less and less time drawing doesn't sound that great of a deal to me. People basically work really hard, for a really long time in order to enjoy lavish long vacations. I myself spend my vacation time catching up with all the drawing I didn't do because I was working for so long. I'm not putting this forth as a complaint, I'm just pointing out I would rather draw than go on a vacation.

 

It's my first job (first statist-esque job that is) and I'm only 8 months into it. I got it in my head that after one year I should spend the next one solely focusing on turning my hobby into a job. 

 

Does this seem wise?

 

Please keep in mind that this is not a money issue, you will laugh out loud at how little I make as an intern thus my reluctance to give up my current job does not stem from that.

 

A lot of success stories are of people of working in some job they don't particularly care about to sustain themselves and after a long painful haul they finally turn their passion in a career. So I've been thinking, doing things you don't want to do is just training yourself into doing those particular things you won't want to do in your "dream job" but which are essential for success. Basically, is the job the catalyst that might help you succeed in your passion, or is it the thing that's holding you back?

 

 

Do you go to work thinking you would much rather do anything else? Is this the "normal" mindset of having a job? If it's not, how did you achieve the opposite mindset? How did you manage to get a job in which the reward is the job itself?

 

Another thing I'm thinking about is that maybe I'll be much happier working as a doctor. It's a concept that puts a smile on my face, but if that's true I might not be able to succeed as one because my current passion is what's holding me back. If I had the same drive in my current job that I have in drawing I would easily be on top. Maybe I'm not working in the field I should be working in, or maybe I'm just confusing the temptation of doing whatever I want with the drive to succeed. Maybe success is just willpower with rare sprouts of motivation.

 

I really want other people's input on this.

[NumberSix]

The talk of following your passion is mostly a fantasy.  When people love doing something it most likely pays little.  This is especially true for art.  There are very few people looking to buy art at a price you can make a living off of.  

Good jobs are hard to come by these days, so don’t carelessly give one up.  First you should finish your training and become an accredited surgeon.  After that, if you want to change; try moving into an administrative position or a teaching position.  Look for more free time and then use the time for your hobbies or to start a business.  

The best thing to do is be an entrepreneur.  In everything else you are dependent on others to give you work.  After a few years in health care you may see an opportunity for a related business.
 

[russoft]

There are those wild success stories of people who struck it rich doing what they love to do.

 

I think those are by far the minority. I think you should pursue your passions, but keep your day job.

 

My cousin works as an animator/artist in Seattle. He can't give up his day job as a lead art director because the job covers his health insurance premiums, but despite his job very similar to his hobby, all he wants to do is come home at night and work on his comic books. He just doesn't make enough on comics alone to do only that.

 

My wife does professional quality cake decorating, but when she breaks her projects down into per hour wages, she realizes that she can't make enough to do that alone. The money would come in high quantity output, rather than high quality. She enjoys high quality work. Highly customized designs for her customers. But there's just no money in that, so it remains a hobby that earns her a little money on the side.

 

Scuba instructors apparently have a great life, except they get paid a pittance for the work they do. Their success ends up boiling down to how good a salesperson they are, as their livelihood comes mainly from commissions on equipment sales. Sure, if they're lucky they get to live somewhere nice and warm, but it's not exactly a way to provide for a family. Most of them still have a day job which pays the bills.

 

As for myself, there are days that I love my job and days that it's the last place I want to be. There are days I want to give it all up, move somewhere tropical, and take up the aforementioned profession. But I know that long term, my current job is more meaningful and will take me further in life. In my spare time, I continue to pursue my various hobbies, though I haven't even made the equivalent of one month's rent in the past 10 years doing what I have a passion for.

 

Career choice has to be pragmatic. If you have good reason to believe you can "make it" as an illustrator, then go for it. If not, keep it on the side and build your portfolio for now. There's nothing to stop you from turning your hobbies into second and third jobs. Of course, we're all different. I know that my interests wax and wane with time, so all I have to do is be patient at work during the times my job is unpleasant and I'd rather be doing anything else. I know that if I wait, work will get fulfilling again. But if your job never brings you any joy, maybe it is time for a change.

[Carl Green]

Financial success can give you a sense of comfort for the future ahead but it doesn't guarantee happiness. This is a personal desires and subjective question so really it's just a matter of putting the two (or more) sides on the scales and seeing what weighs more. Neither is right or wrong. Just keep in mind that the one thing you don't get more of is time, so use the very limited amount that you have as wisely as possible for your goals in life.

 

I think pursuing a career in art often gets a bad rap because so many artists are unsuccessful at it. While it's often assumed that people just don't wanna buy art, it's not necessarily the reason an artist fails. In my experience most artistic types (me included) are pretty lacking in the "setting up the books and running the business" side of things which is pretty important for being successful at selling your talent. It's seemingly a saturated job market since there are a lot of people that would like to live off of their talent but if you're good and also good at being a salesperson of your work you might be able make a decent enough living and be very happy doing it. You should definitely seek out and speak to artists that are currently successful at doing something similar to your art

 

In the end, would you rather risk ending up with a life of a surgeon which you possibly wish you spent more time drawing, or a life of an artist in which you wished you had more financial success throughout.

 

Being a less successful surgeon because you're not as devoted to it as other surgeons, but having enough time to satiate your creative desires seems like a real win-win if that's possible.

 

What about being a medical artist? Drawing the various illustrations of areas of the human body and such?

[Wuzzums]

Thank you all for all the great responses. It's comforting to know that my reluctance in making a "no turning back" decision is well founded. I guess I needed a reminder that life is a zero sum game and succeeding at it is like a balancing act.

[mthenke]

I'll just use this example: only the Penny Arcade guys can be the Penny Arcade guys.

 

They have been incredibly successful, but no one can enjoy similar success, not while they're still kicking.