Is it a hobby or a passion?

"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." - Howard Thurman

I grew up hearing and seeing people share their passions, and back then I equated that with hobbies. Fast forward a couple of decades later, I understand that it’s much deeper than simply liking something. So what if you love something but aren’t sure whether it’s a hobby or passion? Here are some questions I asked myself to answer just that, in relation to my journey with the piano.

1. How much of your free time do you spend on it?

The answer to this uncovers whether it’s a priority in your life.

I started playing piano twenty years ago as a requirement from my parents, but after a few years, I actually started to like it: learning new songs, making up my own chord progressions, and even signing along. I would often play on the piano after school while I waited for my parents to pick me up, and then again at home in the evenings - it was an integral part of my daily routine.

After graduating high school, my life changed (a lot) and I became self-conscious about practicing or playing in front of others, so in my college dorm the lack of genuine privacy immediately translated to spending less time at the piano and more time on other things. However, no matter where I moved to, I never failed to take a keyboard with me (or purchase one when I was overseas) because even though I wasn’t playing on a daily basis, it was there for me when I needed it.

If you’re passionate about something, whatever it may be, you’re going to voluntarily spend your time on it and find a way to do it, even if overtime the length of time or frequency varies.

2. Why do you spend time on it?

It’s not just about spending time for the sake of spending time, so ask yourself, why are you really spending time on this?

There are many reasons I enjoy playing piano: the sound of the instrument (digital or acoustic), the satisfaction of playing the right notes after practicing tens or hundreds or thousands of times, the stories behind centuries-old compositions, translating your personal emotions into sound, playing chords to your favorite songs to sing along… the list goes on.

If someone is requiring you to do something, it’s an obligation, not a hobby or passion. If you’re doing it for the purpose of making money, it’s not a hobby or passion. If it’s part of your job, it’s not a hobby or passion (unless maybe if you do it for fun outside of your job ). If it's what completes you though, it might indeed be a passion.

3. Do you consider it part of self-care or self-gain of any kind?

Passions can be selfish, in a good way. Their purpose is to fulfill something within, even if it can be shared with others.

Although I’ve performed at recitals and a couple venues, entered a piano contest, and taught a few students how to play piano, at the end of the day, I would fully embrace this instrument even if no one else could ever hear me play again. In fact, after moving out in college, 99% of my practice and experimenting at the piano has been done when I know no one is around to hear me.

Would you abandon your hobby/passion if you had to do it in secret forever? Or is just you and this hobby/passion enough?

4. Could you talk about your passion for an hour if you were put on the spot right now?

You don’t need to know all the technical terms, but you probably need to know enough to talk about it for a while to others.

Even though I can’t tell you what century Beethoven was born in, I’ll nerd out about how he crafted such emotional depth in the piece Moonlight Sonata. Or even though I have no idea who made up the staff and why it’s built like that, I can teach you how to read music off of it, and why we don’t call F sharp a G flat in the key signature of G. I had the privilege of studying music theory and some music composition for years with several different teachers, and that certainly helped me better understand the music I play and why it’s played in such a way. It’s not just rules for the sake of rules: it’s about using music theory as a tool to enhance music playing and music writing.

If you’re comfortable talking about your hobby/passion for at least an hour (without having to prepare prior), then you’re pretty knowledgeable about it and/or have vast experience with it.

5. Does it provoke a strong emotional response?

Even if you spend hours on it voluntarily, and have accumulated skills and knowledge, passion is about your soul more than just your mind and/or body. Does even mentioning the name of it spark a little fire inside of you?

Piano has been with me through most phases of my life: new friendships, heartbreaks, life transitions, deaths, genre-evolutions, etc. It’s my comfort and rock when I feel like everything else is uncertain, and it’s the way I express myself through sad times. During family gatherings, my personal highlight is always playing and singing with my loved ones, because it brings about genuine happiness. Spotting a piano in the wild generates feelings of excitement, curiosity, and a bit of nervousness as I think about playing it (doesn’t mean I actually do though, since I’m still working on building my confidence again to play in front of others.) Ultimately, piano is a source of emotion but also a means to express already-there inner emotions.

Think about the emotions your hobby/passion brings: happiness, peace, connection, creativity, fulfillment, satisfaction?

6. Do you explore beyond the structure given to you?

If you’re in the visual and performing arts world, have you created original art? If you’re in the sports world, have you made up your own routines or games? If you’re in the culinary world, have you combined ingredients to form a new recipe? In other words, no matter what your hobby/passion is, have you embraced your own version of it by taking the basics and putting something new together?

Most of my piano sessions involve creating something new, alongside practicing the current repertoire that I’m working on learning. To be passionate about the piano doesn’t mean I have to record and release an album on Spotify; personally, when it comes to innovating on the piano, it’s all about the constant new song ideas that pop up in my head, that I often try to get out on the piano or at least on my voice memos.

Exploring beyond what’s given to you by others shows that you’ve willingly taken those extra steps to embrace that passion, because you want to and feel right doing so.

In conclusion...

It seems that the distinction between a hobby and a passion is not always very clear at first, but the questions I've reflected on, and that I encourage you to reflect on as well, offer a deeper insight into what truly defines being passionate about something.

A passion isn’t always apparent to others either, especially if you’re more reserved about it. However, it should be apparent to you, because of the emotional and personal fulfillment that it brings into your life.

Despite the opinions of others, my journey with the piano has been a rollercoaster, but it’s a ride that I continue to jump on, because I truly believe it shapes me into the person I am and allows me to express myself uniquely.

Passion is more than just a deep interest in an activity: it's a reflection of your innermost self, your desires, and ways of interacting with the world. In embracing that passion, you connect with your true self, so if you’re lucky enough to have found yours, don’t let anyone take that away from you.