Thursday, 15 March 2007

When your hobby becomes something else

Very often people come to me while I am demonstrating and say how lucky I am that I get paid for just seat and play. It is true, I am lucky. It is not true, however, that I just sit and play. Any fellow professional crafter will know and tell that, as much as it is an enjoyable and beautiful job, it is a job non the less and more importantly, when your hobby becomes your job, it is not your hobby anymore.
Don't take me wrong. It is wonderful to design projects for articles, classes or to demo and teach. But that is simply not play. There are few things I enjoy more than working on crafts, but then again most people tend to enjoy their jobs. That is why I understand why Donna Downey and Cathy Zielske are such a big fans of knitting: it is their new hobby. (Well actually I am guessing that, since I don't know either of them personally.)
As I see it (and of course I can be very wrong as often I am) most papercraft designers are part time professionals. I mean they tend to have other jobs (better paid, I would imagine, crafting pros don't get much unless you are a HUGE star) or have children to look after (the hardest job ever, also the most important provably). That way they keep the magic of crafting alive, it is still somehow their hobby. I know a few like me, no young children (as cute as he is, Wasabi doesn't qualify) and no other job than teaching, designing... Some of them have made it big, some others like me just kind of survive.
Would I change it? No way. I really love my job. But it is my job, not my hobby anymore.

2 comments:

Sarah said...

And very good at it you are hun!! Congrats on your new book!! Now if I were a card maker I would be buying it now! Instead I will tell all my card maker friends instead.

Sam Currie said...

Oh I soooo know where you are coming from Paula! So glad you are enjoying your new job with Dawn
Sam xx

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