I've always fallen into the trap of monetising my hobbies, until recently I realised that if you try and turn everything into money it sometimes takes the fun away from them. So, I made a real effort to separate the things my hobbies from my work - which is still fun.

Tennis

• I've played tennis since I was 13, but stopped for 5 years when I moved to London. When I moved back to my hometown, Canterbury, I rejoined my local tennis club.

• Now I get coached twice per week and play another 2 or 3 times with friends.

Motorcycles

• Motorbikes were never really my thing, they were my older sister's, but I've always wanted to copy her. It was always on my bucket list to learn, but in 2020 I went hard and did a week long intensive course. Now I'm obsessed.

• I used ride a 2021 Triumph Trident and a 2020 Honda Monkey, but sold the Triumph last year.

• Riding is incredible because you go into a complete meditative state. I'm rarely actively thinking about much because you have to focus on not crashing. One mistake and you're gone. It's pretty visceral.

Leatherwork

• I've never been particularly good at doing anything with my hands. I'm rubbish at DIY. But that's not to say I've not wanted to. So when I wanted to start an ecommerce brand selling leather goods and figured out the cost of manufacturing them in the UK, I decided to make them myself.

• I am actively monetising this, but it's definitely still very much a hobby. The feeling I get from handcrafting leather wallets is incredible. As most of the rest of my life is in front of a screen, getting away from it is pretty liberating. I like the feeling.

• It also helps me learn a little bit of ecommerce for my brand, Whitstable Craft Co, and means I can experiment with a bunch of things I couldn't really do for actual work.

Tech

• Have been addicted to consumer tech ever since my dad introduced me to computers when I was young. This may not be the tech most indie hackers are thinking of, but more laptops, iPads, speakers, TVs, smart home.

• I spend a lot of my free time watching YouTubers such as Marques Brownlee, Patrick Tomasso, Canoopsy, The Verge - all who give me my tech fix.

• The wonderful thing about this hobby is that I share it with my dad. We even have a very irregular podcast where we usually talk about everything we've bought since the last episode. I reckon this may even be the first ever podcast I made.

Cameras / Gear

• Sort of an extension on tech, but I've always loved having the newest video and audio gear. First when I was making YouTube videos, then for client shoots, then for podcasting. I always want better and better quality.

• So this is related to work but I see it as a genuine hobby. I spend hours researching the best cameras and gear, how best to use them, how to make the most out of budget gear etc.

Film Cameras

• In 2022 I picked up my first film camera from a local shop. Since then I've fallen in love with the process. I take one of my film cameras everywhere I go to capture family moments.

• I have an Olympus OM-10, Yashica Electro 35 & an Olympus AZ-210 point and shoot (my favourite). I did have a Leica AF-C1 point and shoot, but that broke after the first roll.

Others

I'm always finding new hobbies and interests, so here's a few others that I'm not fully into right now but have interested me in the past.

• Cycling

• Cooking

• Football

• Setups