It's a Hobby and I'm Happy With It That Way

[OpalCat]

Originally posted by Broomstick
OpalCat, hate to repeat the obvious, but your father and grandfather are men. This bullshit I get about being a pilot is based on my being a woman and a pilot. And, I must emphasize, this is NOT coming from other pilots but from non-flying ignoramouses who know jackshit about flying, almost always female.

What I meant was that hobby flying is so "normal" to me that it wouldn't occur to me that anyone would think twice about it. It seems as normal to me as golf or stamp collecting, just more expensive.

[gigi]

Originally posted by auntie em
Anyway, on to my point... I work for a non-profit... can you slip me one of those handmade quilts?

No problem; using a teddy bear and kitty fabric you say?


As far as the "I have no talent" people: I made a quilt on commission (proceeds to be donated) for a friend who is a photographer. "Wow, that's beautiful. That's real art, not like the pictures I take." Why does everything have to be a contest? His photographs are beautiful and represent his talent; my quilts are fine too. It made me very uncomfortable when I know that these things come easily to each of us but the other hasn't tried them. It's not a competition.

[yosemite]

Why does everything have to be a contest? His photographs are beautiful and represent his talent; my quilts are fine too.

Isn't that the truth. I have a friend who is (or was, I hope she's grown out of it) very competetive. I draw and paint well, she does 3-D and design work well. But somehow she still would try to "stick it to me" and prove that she was better than me. But it never worked. She couldn't draw, didn't want to draw, and I could draw. Drawing was what was important to me. I didn't do a lot of 3-D and design work, I wasn't particularly interested in it, and I always praised her work in that area. I thought she did wonderfully. But this never was enough for her. She wanted to "beat" me, and she wanted me to acknowledge that she'd "beaten" me. I think she was frustrated because I just wouldn't play along.

She couldn't get it through her skull: First, it isn't a competition. Second, even if it was a competition, we'd be competing in completely different categories. We were never competing against each other, except in her mind.

[lilelly28]

I am a musician. One thing that gets me is the close mindedness stereotypes you get sometimes.

Usually I'll be in a conversation and tell somebody something like: I'm on the brink of exporing some professional side of playing*.
(*consider they haven't heard me play as well.)

Some people react to that by saying how tough it is to make a living doing that, and that they don't think it would be a very fun scene. Blah blah blah, blah blah.

Being a nice guy I shrug it off and tell them I'm not aspiring to make a living out of it.

But really, I do it as a Hobby. I want people to hear my music and enjoy it. I'm not in it for the cash, or to try and be the next rock star, or to be famous or to get signed by a label. I do it for the pure enjoyment of it. As an aside I'm working on various computer degrees so I can survive nicely, thank you!