MY MEMOIR Hustle Culture is Hurting Us

HUSTLE CULTURE IS HURTING US

Rahima Adeel, 27

Home barber shop. Event-planning business. Desserts. Dessert tables. Dessert carts. Customized calligraphy and paintings. Family photography. Graduation photography. Wedding photography. Henna. Customized t-shirts and mugs. Hijabs and accessories. Academic editing services. Self-taught MUA.

“♥♥♥ Hey guys! I recently started a business. Like, follow, and share. Show some love! ♥♥♥” Sound familiar? Over the past half decade or so, we have seen the rise of numerous young businesses on social media. Many of these are owned by us and our peers. I have had one. Ambition is great. Being your own boss has lots of benefits. And curating your hobbies and talents into profit can only mean a win right? Wrong. I believe hustle culture is eroding our self-worth, clarity, and intentions.

Not only are we pressurized to perfect our craft, but also our social media brand. There is a looming subconscious demand to ensure our posts are pristine, witty, and eye-catching. In fact, how many items do we make as business owners and buy as consumers, almost purely for the benefit of sharing it with our friends and posting it on social media? Do you find it difficult to enjoy an aesthetic ice-cream cone, watch a sunset, or attend a party without capturing the best angles? My point exactly. We have become swept away with details and flawlessness to the extent we produce and consume for vanity.

Personally, I have received pressure from well-meaning people in my life to develop my hobbies and talents into profit. I give a half smile. It’s not like I haven’t thought of it before. But, it’s the pressure to do and be everything for an end that makes me uncomfortable. I wish some of the things that bring me joy, like art and DIY, could just be for me. Right now, these things are for me and I am not ready for them to be judged and critiqued or thrown numbers at so that it has a quantitative value. Maybe, in the future, I could explore art and DIY as professional ventures. However, that is when I am ready and willing with clarity and intention.

I wish we would stop complimenting each other’s hobbies and talents with the insinuation that they are not whole until there is recognition and financial profit. I know business owners dedicate a lot of time, energy, resources, and love into their businesses. But I wish we also acknowledged that the people who are doing the same things, perhaps for fun, self-care, or de-stressing, also have value, even if there is no financial output. Can we stop measuring ourselves and our friends’ worth based on the beauty of their social media or the successes of their business?