Hobbies for Happiness (And the Risks of Mixing Business with Pleasure)
- Words by Peppermint
Ever imagined quitting your desk job to spend your days stitching and crafting by a log fire? Tread carefully, my friend, because turning your passion into a profession can be a tricky business.
words NICOLE MCKENZIE
When I tell people that I make my own clothes, I’m often met with: “You should sell them!” or “Why don’t you start your own business?”. My answer is simple – because if I did that, sewing would no longer be a hobby. And I’m a hobby-aholic: I love hobbies and I really love talking about them (I absolutely adore seeing people’s faces light up as they share what they love to do with their time).
There’s a lot of pressure to turn any interest or skill into an income stream, but maintaining a hobby for joy can be far more valuable than the potential dollar value. Hobbies are scientifically proven to make you happier. A 2023 study of people aged over 65 found that those with hobbies had improved health and life satisfaction. In another study, focused on the benefits of crochet, respondents stated that it made them feel calmer, happier and more useful. They also reported a significant improvement in their mood after crocheting.
Tabitha Carvan’s book, This Is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch, reveals the positive impacts of finding a passion and valuing leisure time as a woman and a mother. She states that women have historically been without a culture of leisure and play, and adds: “When you don’t make that [leisure] time a priority there are huge consequences, emotionally, spiritually, and physically.”
READ MORE: Stitch, Please! Dabbling With Embroidery and Creative Connections
Scientist Kerri Duncan derives great rewards from her hobbies and has no desire to become an expert. Her job requires focus and precision, so she enjoys being mediocre at her hobbies. “When I focus too much on getting better at something, it creates room for failure,” she says. “I don’t want to fail in my relaxation time – I just want to go with the flow and soak in the fun. No pressure, only carefree, uncomplicated enjoyment.”
Marian Bull, who turned her pottery hobby into a business, says that in a world where “traditional careers are crumbling and side hustles are fetishised”, it’s no surprise that many people are monetising their hobbies. However, she adds, “this risks turning hobbies into an illusion, a mirage of leisure that quickly turns to obligation”.
What was once fun becomes bound by the pressures of time, market value and trends. You may be your own boss, but the market decides what you’re worth and what you’ll make. If you do turn your hobby into a business (or if you already have), it’s important to find something else to do for leisure, whether that’s looking at photos of Benedict Cumberbatch or making something for yourself. Marian manages her hobby-turned-business by having “a segment of my work that I make just for myself, without concern for the market – or at least with an attempted lack of concern”.
So, if you can do it, I say go ahead and resist the temptation to achieve perfection. Make a wonky mug, fall off that surfboard and dance wildly for no other reason than the joy it brings.
WANT SOME FUN SEWING PATTERNS TO GET STARTED ON? RIGHT THIS WAY!
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“My piece of advice for makers and designers? Run your own race… make sure your key decisions stay anchored in your brand’s core beliefs.”
- Bec Bligh
Quick show of hands: who’s opened a water bottle expecting a refreshing sip… and instead been greeted by the unmistakable whiff of uh-oh?
Because for something that follows us everywhere (desk, car, hikes, yoga…), the humble drink bottle is strangely prone to becoming a science experiment. Hard-to-clean corners and gaskets. Mystery smells. Bec Bligh and her husband Tim know it well. A six-month sailing trip along the Queensland coast left them with a lifetime of memories and one stubborn annoyance: mouldy water bottles they couldn’t properly clean.
So they did something about it.
Enter @EverVessel. Thoughtfully designed borosilicate glass and stainless steel bottles that keep things beautifully simple: durable materials, wide openings, easy-to-clean parts and none of the techy gimmicks that tend to age badly. Turns out simplicity, done well, is pretty powerful stuff. (Their many design awards agree!)
And lately they’ve added a little extra delight: the Artist Series, where creatives like Paola Castro, Ben Miners and Martin Thompson transform these everyday companions into tiny travelling artworks. There are more colabs in the works, too: hydration, but make it joyful! 🎨💧
We chatted with Bec about the sailing trip that started it all, the philosophy behind Ever Vessel, and why the most sustainable product is often just the one you keep using.
Tap the link in our bio to read the full conversation. 🚰
#EverVessel #ReusableWaterBottle
Pull up a chair… there’s room at this table!
For the first time, Feast for Freedom is bringing people together for a spectacular long-table dinner as part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.
A Longer Table is exactly what it sounds like: one beautiful shared table inside the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1), piled with generous dishes inspired by this year’s hero cooks, Noha and Nige.
From 6 to 9pm on Wednesday, 25 March, this is what you can expect:
🍽 A three-course shared feast
🍷 Matched drinks
🎶 Live entertainment
✨ A room full of good humans
Your ticket doesn’t just buy you a delicious dinner. It supports the ASRC’s vital work and helps create a fairer future for people seeking asylum.
Seats are limited, and long tables have a way of filling up quickly – head to @MelbFoodAndWine’s website to book now: feastforfreedom.org.au/mfwf
#FeastForFreedom #MelbourneFoodAndWineFestival #LongTableDinner #FoodForChange
Sew versatile! 🪡
Another great make from Lisa from @SunnySewsEveryday:
My #PeppermintWaratahWrapDress is finished and I’m so proud of it. It has been designed not to flap open and flash your pants in the wind, so I feel confident it will be a great wheelchair or standing dress in English weather.
#PeppermintPatterns #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
Frame your face with the Peppermint Bucket Hat!
Stay safe and stylish in the sun with your very own self-sewn and self-drafted wide-brimmed bucket hat. This beginner-friendly sew is perfect for a sunny day. Get out your pencils – this pattern is created using equations and maths!
This DIY project was featured in Issue 53 and now you can access it for the lovely low price of only $5.
Sun-safe chic is always in style. ☀️
Find it via the link in our bio!
Photos: @KelleySheenan
#PeppermintPatterns #PeppermintBucketHat #BucketHat #BucketHatPattern #DIY
✨ INSTANT CLASSIC ✨
The Peppermint Myrtle Shift Dress is a beginner-friendly make with a few special details based on the ever-stylish shift shape – the perfect dress you need in your wardrobe right now!
Myrtle cuts above the knee with options to customise the length. Don’t think she’s reserved for hot weather either: try a heavier-weight fabric to turn your Myrtle into a pinafore-style garment for layering.
For our fabrics we chose two from our lovely sewing partner @Karmme_Apparel – the bold Rottnest Stripes in a lightweight, soft-drape cotton, and the quality linen in the handpainted Mexico Collection.
Get making the Myrtle – the only question is, can you stop at just one?
Link in bio 🪡
Fabric: @Karmme_Apparel
Sewist: @Laura_The_Maker
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Models: @SerahSews and @Pins_And_Tonic
Location: @ShareTheDignityAustralia
#PeppermintMyrtleShiftDress #PeppermintPatterns
It’s time to Feast!
Some recipes travel a long way before they land on your table to delight your taste buds. This year’s Feast for Freedom invites us to gather our friends, cook something delectable and raise funds for the incredible work of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1) while we’re at it.
The 2026 Feast features recipes shared by two remarkable cooks: Noha, who brought the flavours of Palestine with her when she arrived in Australia, and Nige, a Sri-Lankan Tamil cook whose journey with food began in the most unexpected of places.
You can host your own Feast up until 30 April – simply register online and get planning! Host a dinner, organise a workplace lunch, or gather your community… However you do it, the idea is simple: cook, connect and celebrate the cultures and stories that shape Australia.
Want to find out more? Head to the link in bio to meet Noha and Nige, learn more about their stories, and discover a delicious recipe to try.
#FeastForFreedom #PeppermintMagazine #FoodForGood #ASRC
