Karl Katzke

It’s funny that I posted yesterday about Kristin’s hobby-turned-cottage-industry, MeanBean Bags, because one of my favorite blogs posted an article entitled “Making and Doing: The Value of Productive Hobbies” yesterday.

I’ve been working to make my hobbies pay for years. In fact, all of my hobbies pay. This blog and my dog blog have google ads on them that generate a small amount of revenue… not much, but it covers my beer money. My gardening produces fruits and veggies (and a discount on rent). I will occasionally get paid to take pictures… or get into a concert or other event for free because I’m taking pictures. My computer programming interests occasionally result in an interesting project or a consulting gig. I started doing all of those things years ago … just like Kristin started sewing and making bags five or six years ago. Now she’s getting wholesale orders from retailers in her area. It takes time for side projects to grow and mature, but they can eventually turn into a full time job like Get Rich Slowly has for JD.

Of course, this wouldn’t be possible if I lived in a larger metro area and had to deal with a longer commute. You still need time to vent and relax and just do nothing but take a nap with a dog’s head nuzzled up against you. Since I live in an area where I don’t have a long commute, and I work for a company that doesn’t require me to work a lot of overtime or odd hours, it’s pretty easy for me to find time. It’s a tradeoff, though, since I definitely make less money per year in salary than I would in a bigger market. I like to think that I actually come out ahead thanks to my lower-stress lifestyle and the work I do on the side.