Hobby, Obsession or Career, Who cares?

So many memes on Facebook and Instagram about collecting art supplies and craft materials but it does beg the question, are you a craft/art addict?  As a species, we tend to go in different directions to find comfort and happiness.  People use food (guilty), alcohol, nicotine and other things to bring feelings of peace into our lives, of all of these things, collecting craft and art materials seem to be a lesser of all the evils.  Of course, when you can't even reach your sewing machine or even find the materials in your stash; it might be a problem.  

Hobby is when you do it for fun and are organized.  You might take classes here and there, people expect homemade gifts from you.  Obsession is when you keep buying supplies, taking any class you can, and have a room larger than your bedroom with all of your supplies.  You might have even moved to a craft cottage on your property, but there are supplies that haven't made it there yet and are waiting by your front door, in your car and spilling over off the kitchen table.  Career is when you have gone from obsession to keeping records so you are selling and paying taxes.

The ultimate concept to keep in mind is, if it isn't hurting anyone in your family; it doesn't really matter.  Problems come in when you pay for education and supplies before your bills.  No judgements, god knows I have been guilty a time or two of juggling payments for great deals.  If you want to make a career, figure out how to make it pay but I will warn you that it might rob you of some of your joy.  Isn't that all we need to weigh?  How much joy does this bring you?

Be a grown up and make smart choices but have fun.  Glue won't hurt unless you want to sniff it and most crafters won't waste adhesive material.  That stuff is expensive!  Of course so are pastels.  As long as you don't push into your spouse's space and interfere with regular meals, family should be fine about it.  Art can make the world beautiful, consider it community service and keep creating!