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Have you ever been discouraged or critisized for your hobby or interest?

Hobbies aren't meant to be a job, so usefulness outside of bringing pleasure or benefit of some kind doesn't matter.

Most of my time goes to writing or reading, and there's a lot of rejection involved in getting published. One small magazine didn't even take the time to respond. Others have been polite and prompt.

Once published, there's plenty more to deal with...
 
I used to talk peoples' ears off about computers and TCP/IP until one day (night), my brother-in-law (whom I thought was into computers as much as me) snapped at me and said, "I'm not that into computers. I just use them for work!"

That was such a shock and cut me so deeply, I haven't talked to anyone about computers since and that's going back around 12 years.

If someone asks me about my Special Interests, well then I figure they're asking for it and I give it to them open slather. But not may people are interested in Myna Birds - in fact, most want to kill them :(
 
ImAnAspie said:
I used to talk peoples' ears off about computers and TCP/IP until one day (night), my brother-in-law (whom I thought was into computers as much as me) snapped at me and said, "I'm not that into computers. I just use them for work!"

That was such a shock and cut me so deeply, I haven't talked to anyone about computers since and that's going back around 12 years.

If someone asks me about my Special Interests, well then I figure they're asking for it and I give it to them open slather. But not may people are interested in Myna Birds - in fact, most want to kill them :(
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I had a similar situation once years ago when I went on a date with a guy, I talked a lot about comic books and movies to him and I thought he was interested he even told me about movies he liked but I never saw him after that date then a while after I found out through my parents that the guy said that I kept on going on about comics and movies and that I was boring,I was really hurt and from that day I am guarded about what I talk about and rarely talk about my interests to people,its hard when not many people like the interests you do and because of that it makes it hard for me to talk and I sometimes end up being really quiet,but it's sad what one person can say or do can affect how you feel on the inside.
 
I'm not literally allowed to discuss finance with my brother or cousin. What interests me occupationally doesn't interest them in the slightest, and they have no problem conveying that to me. Conversely they can discuss anything with me and I've never been inclined to shut them down in such a way over that which interests them. Go figure.
 
When I was first married and working any job I could find to make ends meet I became interested in using my artistic ability to make a living.
I practiced and volunteered my spare time in my field for nearly five years while everyone around me kept glaring, muttering about when was I going to get a proper job and treating me like an immature child.
I then got into an apprenticeship that paid almost nothing, worked my way up to a fair wage in a year and started my own business less than a year after that, immediately hitting a higher wage bracket than anyone I knew.. they were all sure chuffed for me then..

danielcollins said:
Many times, my ex used to regularly lay in to my about my IT skills.

But I think that's a different thing in the sense he was just mean to me, I had a lot of general abuse from him in that sense.
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Shawn D said:
I can relate to this. I have an ex who was verbally and emotionally abusive and wore me down about my passion for veganism and animal rights. He eventually got me to stop being vegan.
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I relate strongly to these experiences - some people are nasty for no other reason than just because they like the power of control!

I used to love tinkering with push bikes, motorbike bike engines, I loved to lose myself in model making, reading, old games console games, website design.. lots of things.

But my ex hated me to spend time on anything but her - even though she was totally cold toward me for years.
It got to the point where I now find it an effort to mess with an engine and I hate model making - my youngest wants me to help him with a model and I just can't do it.. makes me feel sick just to think about it.

I guess there's something to be said for trying to cultivate an interest in socially acceptable passtimes (if you don't find them too dull), just to be sociable.. but I never understood that attitude of disapproval for so-called unusual interests.
 
Spiller said:
When I was first married and working any job I could find to make ends meet I became interested in using my artistic ability to make a living.
I practiced and volunteered my spare time in my field for nearly five years while everyone around me kept glaring, muttering about when was I going to get a proper job and treating me like an immature child.
I then got into an apprenticeship that paid almost nothing, worked my way up to a fair wage in a year and started my own business less than a year after that, immediately hitting a higher wage bracket than anyone I knew.. they were all sure chuffed for me then..






I relate strongly to these experiences - some people are nasty for no other reason than just because they like the power of control!

I used to love tinkering with push bikes, motorbike bike engines, I loved to lose myself in model making, reading, old games console games, website design.. lots of things.

But my ex hated me to spend time on anything but her - even though she was totally cold toward me for years.
It got to the point where I now find it an effort to mess with an engine and I hate model making - my youngest wants me to help him with a model and I just can't do it.. makes me feel sick just to think about it.

I guess there's something to be said for trying to cultivate an interest in socially acceptable passtimes (if you don't find them too dull), just to be sociable.. but I never understood that attitude of disapproval for so-called unusual interests.
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I can relate with struggling with past interests like I use to draw on a frequent basis and people did say I was good at it but my dad use to criticise them and I now struggle to pick up a pencil which saddens me because I have got ideas in my head but I struggle to put them on paper,and my husband can sometimes be funny he always goes on about how he likes to be free to pursue his interests but when I do my own thing he get narky about it,I am trying to get my brain to not sabotage my attempts to draw again but it's going to take time.
 
Adora said:
when I went on a date
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You've been on a date? I'm a 48 year old male and have never been on a date (just a meeting). What's it like? I've always pictured it as disgusting because you've got to get someone else's mouth filth all over yourself - especially in your own mouth. How disgusting! Sorry but, you humans are REALLY vile creatures!
 
ImAnAspie said:
I've always pictured it as disgusting because you've got to get someone else's mouth filth all over yourself - especially in your own mouth. How disgusting! Sorry but, you humans are REALLY vile creatures!
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Sorry, not mouth filth. Saliva! Same thing!
 
ImAnAspie said:
Sorry, not mouth filth. Saliva! Same thing!
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Actually the date I was talking about we didn't even kiss or hold hands which also should of told me the guy wasn't interested but When I did go on dates I was always extremely nervous and for kissing while i do kiss I can agree with the saliva thing,but dates in the past were usually anxiety ridden for me.
 
Adora said:
Actually the date I was talking about we didn't even kiss or hold hands which also should of told me the guy wasn't interested but When I did go on dates I was always extremely nervous and for kissing while i do kiss I can agree with the saliva thing,but dates in the past were usually anxiety ridden for me.
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What were you thinking, going on a date anyway? You've got to give up your own time just to fit into someone elses plans just to wind up with their filth on you? Humans and their diseases aren't worth whatever joy one can get out of just spending time with them. You may end up with a life long infliction for a 360 minute dose of pleasure. Is it worth going out with others?!
 
ImAnAspie said:
What were you thinking, going on a date anyway? You've got to give up your own time just to fit into someone elses plans just to wind up with their filth on you? Humans and their diseases aren't worth whatever joy one can get out of just spending time with them. You may end up with a life long infliction for a 360 minute dose of pleasure. Is it worth going out with others?!
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And God help you if the infliction you get is HIV!
 
My parents were not terribly encouraging about my interests and made it clear that they were lesser-than "hobbies."

Even people I've known in professional settings have behaved this way. I was interested in radio and also voice acting and I never got the courage to submit demos because people discouraged me.

I realized too late that one of my major personality flaws is that I lack confidence so I tend to put too much stock into things other people say.
 
I recall a 1:1000 chance of contracting HIV from a contaminated needle-stick injury, not transferrable by saliva, sweat or contact.

Contracting an empty wallet is far more likely..
 
I don't make any effort to hide my interests but as I don't speak to real people I've never discussed my BIG interests with anyone.
 
People always critize me because I study many different things, but then they say to each other: that guy is a brain, he may do something that makes him rich eventually.
That makes me chuckle, yes I am looking for a way to get rich.
 
I was just going to say my family tolerates my obsessions plenty but when my mom gets angry, she will throw them at me and say how I don't do anything else. Well, that just happened this morning so I'm feeling a little down. :( Everyone criticizes me for my obsessions, hobbies and interests. I don't really have much interactions with the real world other than my immediate family (mom and brother) and my best friend, but when I was in school I did get criticized often there too.
 
Hi Adora , you have no idea how much I've suffered on this, I deleted most of what I wrote I really don't think youall can handle, or would believe my real story on this...it is fairly grim and likely touches everyone somehow.

The original sin was, (coveting too much control over others). It is one that should always be guarded against religiously...the desire for too much control is insidious and leads to much harm.

My best wishes to you all on this stuff I understand all to well how it leaves a hole in ones soul....o_O
 
OP = "I'm just wondering because in the past my dad use to criticise my drawings I use to do and sometimes said that some of my hobbies were useless,have any of you have had a similar situation where someone or something discouraged a interest of yours?"

Certainly.
Sometimes my father tore up things I had written, after he read them.
He didn't like it when I made a paraphrase of Genesis using CB language.
This surprised me. I had supposed he would like it. He did CB radio.
 
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