“More than just a Hobby”

We all have things we love to do, activities that help us to destress after a long day of work, or things we do just to have fun or feel good about ourselves. Reading, collecting stamps, writing, cooking and playing an instrument are some popular hobbies that people enjoy. But we currently live in an era where a hobby doesn’t just have to be restricted as something we do in our leisure time, it can be much more than that, it can actually even turn into your full time profession. We decided to ask a few upcoming adolescents about their opinion of whether hobbies can be monetised and how they themselves are using their hobbies to determine their future. 

Shenal Mahendra

Popular as the “The Man Behind the Guitar” this 21 year old is a frequent performer at The  “Long bar” at Watersedge, “The Sky Lounge” at The Kingsbury, “In on the Green” at Galle Face Hotel, The Dutch Hospital, Stuarts Pub and Me Colombo just to name a few. Being a talented singer and musician he is making his way surely but steadily into being a popular icon in the music industry.

His definition of a hobby is any activity that’s driven by interest and for him it’s undoubtedly music. 
Speaking about his journey in the music scene he says, “To start off I was doing gigs when I was just 10 as a hobby. Then a few of my friends got together and we started a band and we took part in competitions and played for various social events. Fast forward a few years, I was being called to play in different bands and while being a part of them I also started doing solo performances at events.

For me music is much more than just a hobby now. It’s my profession, my passion.” 

Being a fan of old and country classics he is insistent on reviving this forgotten genre of music. He claims that each performer needs to be original and his speciality is his ability to blend in these old songs with the new and make it sound like a symphony of harmonious melodies. 

The reason he decided to make his once leisure time activity his full time profession is simply because he loves it and he has never once felt tired or bored while doing it. Breaking out of the norm of having to work a full time job to make ends meet Shenal is positive that his one time hobby will surely propel him to greater heights. His advice to aspiring young artists is to Love what they do, give their 200% commitment when performing and never worry about the money. “It’s very important to have patience and heart for what you love.The money will come, it’s the exposure that’s important. That, and giving a killer performance every single time.  

“To start off I was doing gigs when I was just 10 as a hobby. Then a few of my friends got together and we started a band. Then we took part in competitions and played for various social events”

Onara De Silva

Being just 20 years old, Onara is a Star in the making and while she believes that hobbies are indeed things that are done for relaxation she also claims that it can be so much more. Reading, baking and dancing are some of the things that she loves to do. 

When asked whether her hobby can be turned into a profession or even a business she says,  “Although dancing is something that does relax me, I realised it’s something that can also be made into a business as well. So far I’ve been able to teach dance and this way I earned money by doing something I love. In addition, I am able to channel my love and appreciation for dance to others, especially little kids. Moreover, I have been paid for performing at various shows and this shows me that I can still make a living doing something that I’m passionate about.”
I certainly think hobbies help us relax and relieve stress. Especially during this time, I’ve fallen back into my hobbies as a way of finding comfort and familiarity. At the same time, I believe hobbies can be so much more than a relaxation technique. 

Currently studying for her BA in dance at San Francisco state university she also wants to combine dance with therapeutic methods. She is also studying counselling at SF State and she hopes to pursue her masters in dance therapy. “This way I use something that I love to help others,” she says.  

When asked whether all hobbies can indeed be turned into a profession she says, “I think depending on the hobby one has, there is always a way to work around it and make it a business. We might have to make certain compromises, but at the end of the day earning a living by doing something you love tops everything.”

“Although dancing is something that does relax me, I realised it’s something that can also be made into a business. So far I’ve been able to teach dance and this way I earned money by doing something I love”

Ayoob Aboosalih 

Being an ardent fitness enthusiast Ayoob’s idea of a productive hobby is something that exerts on him physically. He also enjoys photography and videography but his main focus is to make it in the fitness industry. Being just 21 years old he’s already studied in depth into the science of physical fitness and is currently trying to pursue a career in personal training. 

“What started off as a few gym sessions just to maintain my health and physique turned into something that I absolutely loved and now is transforming my life and my future” says Ayoob when asked what fitness means to him. 

Having named his coaching platform as “Chikara” he says that although at the moment his coaching and fitness activities are a side hustle, his ultimate goal is to make it his full time profession. “There is nothing more I would love to do than push my own physical capabilities to see what I can achieve and help others to achieve their fitness goals. I hope to empower those that train under me and help then understand the science behind fitness instead of just blindly lifting weights” he added. 

We also asked him whether any hobby can be turned into a profession and if so how should people go about it. “I think that in the 21st century absolutely anything can be made into a full time profession. You just need to be a bit creative and dedicated to your craft. I mean who thought that people would earn money playing video games or making videos for Youtube?” he replied.

“What started off as a few gym sessions just to maintain my health and physique turned into something that I absolutely loved and now is transforming my life and my future”

Like these talented individuals rightly put it, absolutely anything can be turned into a full time profession with a lot of hard work and commitment. But the difference between putting all that hard work into a job you don’t enjoy as opposed to working hard at something you actually do enjoy, will be that you end up being happy, stress free and satisfied with your life. Instead of waking up every Monday wishing it was Friday so that the weekend would come sooner, let’s instead be thankful for every single day and truly “LIVE” and enjoy life in the short time that we actually have.