The 'Do What You Love' Pressure

Hustle culture got this one wrong!

Prologue: Ideally, one might imagine a writer's collaboration taking place in a cozy café, warm with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and bathed in soft sunlight. Perhaps they’re perched by a window, hunched over the tabletop, eyes deep into the notebook between them. But this isn’t that kind of story.

This collaboration is between two writers with wildly different styles who’ve never even met in person. They come from different paths and perspectives, yet find themselves united by a shared discomfort with the relentless “do what you love” pressure.

2 goofballs beginning a new project

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Mo: Abhishek, isn’t it wild how much society pushes us to turn our passions into our paychecks? Like, “Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life”—it’s everywhere. Honestly, I’m kind of over it.

Abhishek: Oh, don’t even get me started. It’s like YOLO got rebranded into “monetize your hobbies or die trying.” I don’t buy it. I’m not out here trying to make my hobbies another LinkedIn achievement.

Mo: Exactly! My hobbies—painting, writing, yoga—they’re what keep me sane.

My word’s live in gardens. They’re sprawled across brown McDonald’s paper bags, tucked into fat overflowing journals, even scribbled on receipts. Everywhere I look they are trying to teach me to monetize my skills. Turn everything into currency. But some (or rather MOST) of my passions are off-market.

I love money, yes! I love a stress-free, deadline-free creative process more.

What can I say? I have too many hobbies! I don’t need them to pay the bills. That’s what my day job is for.

Abhishek: Same. Look, I’m a Product Manager. Is this the job I dreamed of as a kid? Nope, mostly because it didn’t even exist back then. But here’s the thing—I enjoy it. It funds my life. Without it, I wouldn’t have the mental bandwidth or financial freedom to write or pursue other things.

Mo: So, you’re saying your job is, like, the silent MVP of your creative life?

Abhishek: Exactly! My writing thrives because my job doesn’t depend on it. And I can keep writing bad puns without worrying if they’ll sell.

Mo: But don’t you feel that societal pressure to turn everything you love into a business? Like, I paint these messy, free-spirited pieces for fun. If I had to think about selling them, it’d kill the joy.

Abhishek: Oh, for sure. The moment you slap a price tag on something, it starts to feel like work. And honestly, I’m not saying don’t chase after clients or deal with rejection emails saying, “Your writing doesn’t fit our needs.” But, I’d rather eat Doner Kebabs and write for myself.

Sure there are people who have made their entire business out of their hobbies or things which they love to do and that’s great. However, it is not everyone’s cup of tea, or coffee, or extra virgin Olive Oil (whichever they prefer).

I personally feel that attaching a KPI (Key Performance Indicator) to your hobby might not be the best thing as then it kills the sheer pleasure of doing it. There is joy in doing something without thinking about what others would say or will I be successful in that? Making a warm cup of tea for yourself when there is a light drizzle outside and the clouds are rumbling in between to make their presence felt is completely different from when you have guests over and you’re asked to make a ‘mind=blown tea’ for them. Adding pressure often spoils things.

Not every carbon is meant to turn into a diamond. (Damn I’m a philosopher now!)

We might look like those sadist grumpy humans who sit outside their house and scold everyone who seems happy. We’re not that, trust me. And it might look like we’re advocating to not monetize or drop the idea of making money from something you love working on. We only want you to ease the pressure off your hobby. Enjoying your hobby comes first and money later (if you want to). But enjoying it in a carefree way is non-negotiable! All I want to say is that-

All I want is nothing more,
To hear you knocking at my door
'Cause if I could see your face once more
I could die as a happy man I'm sure

Thank you for this amazing song Kodaline! Now can you put a random song in a random essay all of a sudden if you weren’t doing it for fun?

Mo: I love Kodaline!

What started as a casual chat turned into a full-on rebellion against the pressure to make everything we love profitable. I kind of love where we landed.

Not every passion needs a pitch deck. Not every hobby needs an audience. Some things deserve to stay just yours—imperfect and joyfully unmarketable. The best part of creating is doing it for no one but yourself.

Like Abhishek said, not every carbon is meant to turn into a diamond. And maybe that’s the whole point. Let your creative self breathe without the weight of performance goals or income potential. Paint, write, knit, cook, dance—do it because it feels good, not because it fits into a spreadsheet.

And if you ever feel the world nudging you to slap a price tag on your joy? You can smile, sip your tea, and carry on.

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Poetically this collab would’ve ended with us in a cafe sipping coffee and talking about our favorite hobbies, literature, jokes and how old we are. And you know what? That day isn’t far!

What's one thing you love doing just for you?

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This is my first collaborative post on Substack & I'm so glad it's with

Abhishek Singh

! He's the poster boy for humor mixed with relatability. He writes the kind of stuff that makes the reader chuckle inwardly and spreads an automatic grin across their face while reading. It's good to put yourself in different shoes from time to time so you can grow with each experience & that's exactly what happened during this collaboration. I tried something new with a stranger whose work I admired & he is now my writing-buddy! Isn't that how community is formed?