Whenever people ask me why I became a writer, my answer usually sounds something like this: I was interested in too many things. Through writing, I could explore it all.
This is how I found myself a jack of all trades and a master of none. I love hobbies. I love picking up new skills and interests and deeply investing in them for a few intense days or months or years. I never fully abandon them, but I might put them by the wayside, in order to pick up a few new skills. I suppose I just want a taste of it all. Perhaps you’ve come to realize this over my sparse posts in this newsletter over the past five (!) years.
I’m always thinking about getting into something new. But as I’ve realized over time, there are few better ways to discover something new than by word of mouth. And that, in short, is why I am pivoting the focus of this newsletter. to focus on you: What are you thinking about getting into?
Going forward, this newsletter will be an interview series. My intention is to interview interesting people about the interesting things they do in their spare time, completely unrelated to their jobs—with no financial incentive.
In our late capitalist era etc. etc. the pressure to have a side hustle and passive income and multiple streams of income is omnipresent. The tension between work and hobbies is also irrefutable—and can become complicated, especially for those who do find a passion and sense of identity in their careers.
I’m not pretending that I myself am immune from those pressures or that it’s anything but a total luxury if a person doesn’t keenly feel those pressures in their day to day life. But I am interested in how we carve out time to ourselves in spite of them. In the few moments when work, chores, family obligations, and unceasing errands don’t dictate our schedules, how can we make room to explore? To learn a new skill that has limited utility in our everyday existence? To find joy in the discovery of a new niche topic? To be a beginner at something and try something new without facing the pressure to optimize?
So: I want to know how other people are doing it. How they got into their hobby, what it brings to their life, what investment they’ve made in it, if it’s brought them new friends or communities, how other people can get into it, and so on.
Hopefully, that can inspire others to explore new topics or develop new skills that they never even imagined getting into. Our time may be limited, but it’s still ours; how do we make it special and fulfilling?
This is all to say that I am in search of pitches for interviewees. Do you know a fashion designer who loves to bake complex pastries? An entrepreneur who knits up a storm? An interior designer who plays competitive chess? A human rights lawyer who never misses a good surf? A sommelier who’s learning to play the cello? A publicist who also sings opera? A chef who paints watercolors? A doctor who does woodworking?
I’m sure—as the limitless potential of human beings suggests—these people are all out there in this world of ours. But who do you most want to hear from? Email me with pitches and ideas at thinkingaboutgettinginto@gmail.com.
Talk soon.