The Pressure to Monetise Your Hobbies

I’ve photographed LARP and reenactment events for over twenty years. Most people who found this website, came here because of those pictures. A few times, someone even paid me to take photos—at first surprising, later flattering. Occasionally, I tried to pursue it more seriously.

Every time, I was crushed by the weight of everything else: accounting, marketing, pricing, social media, search optimisation. I just wanted to take pictures. I didn’t want to turn my passion into a scheduled performance. It should be a hobby, not a chore.

Those attempts at monetisation pushed me to the edge of burnout. My hobby was no longer an escape from work; it had become a second shift. And it wasn’t fun anymore.

If you’re even moderately good at something creative and don’t monetise it, people will ask why.

Why aren’t you making money from your photography? You should sell those wood carvings! You paint? Start a YouTube channel. Can you write? Host a podcast. And always, the same chorus: build your social media presence. The whole internet whispers: “Publish your content.” It isn’t advice—it’s an instruction manual you never asked for.

What people don’t see is the amount of work it really takes. They see your creations, think of their favourite internet star, and draw a lazy connection. They don’t know how many creators pour endless energy into content that earns nothing. Be honest: when was the last time you did more than like or subscribe to the people who entertain or teach you?

Social media thrives on free labour. The algorithm doesn’t care about you—it only cares about engagement. And your creations feed it, for free.

Of course, monetisation sounds logical. Hobbies can be expensive—consider the cost of cameras, paints, instruments, and materials. However, very few creators ever earn enough to cover their expenses, let alone make a profit. And those who do often lose something vital along the way: the joy of creating for themselves.

There’s a massive gap between “I enjoy this “ and “I can live off this”. Don’t worry, though—there are thousands of videos promising to teach you how to monetise your passion. If you believe them.

I don’t know if there’s a solution—if this is even a “problem” and not just my perception. It certainly isn’t deleting yourself from the Internet (though I did remove my Photography account from Facebook ). Maybe it’s just accepting that you don’t have to turn a hobby into a second job. Perhaps the rarest luxury will one day be experiencing art that was never packaged as content and remained offline.

The first step is recognising the pressure. We’ve lost the cultural concept of productive leisure—activities that create value for ourselves without a market value. We’ve forgotten that some things can be meaningful without being profitable.

I sometimes miss those hectic years when I went to a different LARP every weekend, rushing to process and publish photos before the next event. I miss the energy—but not the pressure.

I still enjoy creating. That’s why I’m back, posting on this blog again. I remind myself I don’t need to post weekly—only when I have something worth saying. I don’t need to design my TTRPG world as a publishable module, even if that would be nice.

The pressure is still here. But at least I can name it now.