Hobby vs. Work

Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life - Confusius

I'm starting to tell you something that will not come as a suprise; I love everything that has to do with creative expression; drawing, painting, embroidery, design, theater, making music, building, making collages, vinyasa yoga, photography, etc etc. The list is endless. I recently heard the word Multicrafter and yes, that is me.

And then there is my job. I am a Childcare Coach.

My job description is:

As a childcare coach you act as a link between childcare policy and its implementation. You help employees identify bottlenecks in their work, knowledge and skills and together identify their coaching needs. You prepare a coaching plan or help another person with writing, with the aim of teaching daycare staff how they can deal with children better or in a different way, exactly what fits the needs of the child. You contribute to quality improvement by coaching, supporting and advising employees in the supervision of the group of children (also in complex situations) - youchoose.com

It has little to do with drawing, painting, theater, making music, making collages, vinyasa yoga or the rest. And actually I think that's fine. In my work I apply my organizational talent, my listening ear, my ability for questioning and my collegiality. And sometimes my creative brain still comes in handy too. ;)

Yet my job always feels like work and not as a hobby. It is needed to find clarity in chaos, being able to switch quickly and always having space and time for others. Yes, I can get energy from my work, but it is just as often that I am energetically empty.

Being creative as a hobby always recharges me. It gives room to my own need for contemplation and peace. It helps me to assert my own voice and makes it powerful enough for the right moment to return to the workplace. I am therefore very grateful that my hobby is not my job and my job is not my hobby. Let that be separated. I think it is the best for me. This way I can practice in balance in this life. Action and rest. Give and take.

And that remains practise. Every day. And excepting if it’s not a day for balance.

But if I were to be an artist to generate income, it would be a failure to begin with. I can make art with a deadline. I can work with deadlines, but not when I don even know what the end product wil be. And all my art-projects start and I just don know how it will turn out. I made a Valentine box for my husband with a deadline and it is not the way I want it to be. I am even a little afraid to give it to him. (He just have to love me and the idea that I thought of him)

My inner critic is to loud when there is a deadline for my creative brain. Nothing is good enough and stress is increasing.

So give me just the old fashion deadlines at work, where I know what they want (well most of the time) and my freetime to spend freely for whatever project I have in mind.

How about you? Is your job also your hobby? Do you want it to be? Or do you prefer two worlds (with a good balance) like me?