Other hobbies, professions, what would they be? For me, I still have a lot of other ideas (that I would need to learn first), such as creating a clothing brand, composing classical music, and creating a rehabilitation program for criminals. Bar the above, I would probably spiral into something negative, such as a criminal life or even becoming a terrorist (short lived). But what about you? Who would you be if you did not write? What would you do instead?
If i didnt write in my spare time, i'd be a painter. 2d visual art was my minor in college, and i've doodled and painted all my life. (10th grade doodle.... sophomore year in college sketch before painting..... junior year Edward Hopper recreation)
Probably just play more video games and read more books, heh. Or try to be a professional gambler. Nothing productive or creative, I'm sure.
I like how you went the wholesome, save the criminals route, but could also be a criminal, Madman. Livin' up to your username. As for me, I'd probably just keep doing what I do now. Read a lot more and go to work. I'd probably be really boring.
If not writing, then definitely some kind of visual artist. My love for drawing and painting arose a little earlier than it did for writing, I think. The two were twin passions for many years, but for a long time I leaned way harder into drawing. I was gonna be an Artist when I grew up, don't you know? Well, there came a time when I realized I wasn't up to snuff in the visual field. I think it may have been in my early twenties, when I went to school for the stuff and had occasion to see how much I still had to learn. I was a pretty good artist, all right? I had heaps of potential, at least I thought so, and people kept telling me, so cool. But when I looked upon the art some of these demigods were able to produce, reality hit me and hit hard. I knew I couldn't compete. I knew this wasn't my calling. I'd have to learn about perspective lines, vanishing points and shit. It was too much effort. Count me right out. Don't get me wrong. Art has served me well in life, it's been a boon. I've made a decent chunk of money off of selling paintings and doing various kinds of design work. I still doodle at times, and I try to do a painting a month. It's fun, it's relaxing, and a cherished hobby. But it'll never be my Calling. Writing, on the other hand... I picked that up in a serious way around age 16. At that time I didn't know it was what I really wanted to do, it was very much in the hobby sphere. Thing is, when it comes to painting, there's so much technique to learn. So much fucking math. I love doing it, but I cannot with the strictures. Writing is very different, at this point. Writing feels natural. It flows. On my best day I can compete with Shakespeare, right? Yes, this is hyperbole, I cannot ever actually step to the Bard, I'm making a point here. When it comes to painting, I can compete with Jack Diddly Nobody at my peak. So in terms of sheer proficiency, writing is It. Never mind that I've made twenty times the money off writing that I have from painting, that's not super important. And if both of these avenues were blocked to me, I don't fucking know. I'd be working some menial job somewhere and hating every minute of it. Or maybe I'd find my True Calling in flipping burgers or changing tires or whatever the hell. So right now I just do whatever feels most natural, which is writing. That's where I feel I have any kind of mastery. Still got heaps to learn, I'm barely starting to get good at it, but here it is. That is my path and I'm happy to be on it.
In truth, haven't written much lately, though I aim to change that. If we're talking what would I do if I could do anything, then I'm torn between saying a pirate on the high seas or an astronaut. But, in reality I'd probably game more. Take my camera into nature more than I already do. Or, look to the sky with a telescope. I'll do that more anyhow once I get mine back.
I'm kind of on an involuntary hiatus from writing, save things like this, and spend most of my other free time in yoga, meditating, and reading.
Another thing I am working on is what I call "Scrivenings," keeping small notebooks of insights and observations by other people on all aspects of life -- the sort of nuggets that trigger thoughts and insights of my own. The important thing is I write these by hand, in ink. That matters because I have learned that I tend to gloss over other people's writing when I recall it, or if I simply copy and paste it. So my Scrivenings books have a good amount of cross-outs, where I realized I had begun to substitute particular words or word order that matches my style, rather than that of the original author. I'm amazed how often that happens. Scrivening by hand also has the unexpected benefit of strengthening and improving my always cantankerous cursive handwriting.
If I didn't write (as a hobby) I would do more with my gardening in the fall and winter. I love growing both flowers and vegetables. And we also have a small orchard of fruit trees. We eat good and wholesome for very little money in the spring and summer, just a lot of time and effort. If I didn't write then I would have more time in the winter (and maybe my husband would build me that greenhouse he's been promising me for years. I think he will get round to it this year.
