emmagrant01 | On that Fandom-as-a-Hobby Thing (Reply)

A couple of days ago I made a post with a poll asking people if they viewed fandom as just a hobby or as a stop along a career path, and the results were interesting. I had hypothesized that older fen would be more likely to view fandom as just a hobby, while younger fen would be more likely to think of fandom as a place to try out skills they might be able to turn into a career. People seemed to take the wrong polls, so I don't think the numbers are all that reliable, but the comments made were pretty interesting.

Here are a few in particular that really made me think about how fandom has affected my career -- and yeah, now that I think about it, it really has. And I knew that before, but I think I was trying too hard to make the question answerable in a poll -- and thus I oversimplified the issue. :-P

irisgirl12000: Fandom writing and editing is a hobby, and I don't plan to try my hand at writing fiction for money. I'm a scientist, and I like science most days. But... given the experience I've had editing fanfiction and my colleagues' papers, I've considered applying for a couple of scientific copy editor positions.

That's absolutely true for me. I do a lot of writing and editing of others' work in my job, and my experience as a beta reader and as a fan fiction writer has definitely had an impact on that. I am better at giving and taking criticism than I was before I was in fandom, but I also know A LOT more about writing than I used to. I can pick apart what's wrong with a piece of written work now in a way that's made me a pretty good editor and reviewer.

luminousmarble: I can definitely say that my reading, writing, and communication skills have improved because of fandom--as have my marketing, public relations/publicity, organizational, time-management, legal, general business, and management skills. It's not just fic/art! But, of course, whether in or out of fandom, it's more than just participating in something that improves career skills; it's actively identifying areas to improve and then actively improving them.

I think that's a very good point, and one that's easily overlooked. I think it starts to get hard to separate how RL career skills and online skills develop, but they must affect each other as they do. I think I also gravitate toward many of the same activities in fandom as the activities I enjoy in my job, which is interesting. So I'm getting better at those activities in two very different arenas, which can only be a good thing.

alchemia: Fanfic/art is hobby, but I consider everything in life- hobby, chores, work, etc to be something to learn from and develop skills from, to be used in the future- be that a career, family, or another hobby! I have worked in media before finding fandom, and skills from that I think helped me in fandom, and skills from fandom might one day help me with another hobby, writing a book, a family issue- who knows. :)

And

oddnari: I've learnt a lot in fandom - on the nature of writing, about writing for audiences, general and select. And I've learnt what kind of writing I am capable of instinctively, and what kind I need to work at. All those things which I perhaps would have learnt only in some class. I personally felt that fandom's rather like a creative writing class (wank et al included). And since learning remains life-long, am sure there are several things which I'll be learning, irrespective of my age, from fandom.

Oh, I absolutely agree with these comments. I'm also one of those "I'm always learning" people, and I know I've learned a heck of a lot from being in fandom. I mean geez, the web skills I've picked up are insane! Everyone I know asks me for help sorting out computer stuff now, and I can usually help them. So yes, there are definitely a lot of "life skills" I've learned in fandom that also translate into things that help me at work.

aubergineautumn: I see it as a hobby for bad writers (irregardless of age) and a place to relax and hone their craft for writers that are very good. I expect good authors to eventually publish their own original work AND stay in the fandom.

I guess that's the sentiment I disagree with, that if you're any good as a writer, you should try to publish original fiction and that if you don't there's something wrong. The fact that I do this as a hobby doesn't mean that I'm not working hard at it and trying to improve. I don't think I'm a bad writer, but I also have no desire to write an original novel. I'm just not interested, and I think that's okay. Part of what I love about writing fan fiction is the community of it, and that community just isn't the same for professional writers. It would be lonely and a lot less fun than fandom. And hell, I get paid pretty well to do what I do now. It's really hard to make a living as a writer, so why should I sacrifice a job I enjoy and make decent money at for one I would enjoy less and make no money at? Do people who move on to professional writing also keep writing fan fiction? I'm not sure, but if I had to give up fandom for professional writing, I'd pick fandom. No contest.

These two comments about the age divide made me laugh:

jedirita: When you're younger, you might be a bit more susceptible to other people's comments of, "You should publish!" Whereas older folk might be more inclined to say, "Fuck that, I got a mortgage to pay off."

glasshouseslive: Young people want to use fandom to move into the professional art/writing world, because Life(tm) has not yet crushed their spirits into paste.

Bwahahaha! Oh, so funny... ;-)

And

shadowpryde sums it up nicely: I love Fandom. It's my life. In some ways it's a hobby, in other ways it's a lifestyle. Professional, probably never, but hey, it never hurts to dream the impossible dream.

Fandom is definitely a lifestyle! And maybe that's the best way to think about it. :-)

Thanks for the comments!