A friend recently asked me what my hobbies were. It was perhaps telling that despite knowing each other for more than a decade, they needed to ask. I didn’t have an answer. The good thing about friends, of course, is that they often know you better than you know yourself. Turns out my hobby is cars, according to them. But I don’t think so. 

I had all sorts of romanticized ideas about what my hobbies would be. About a workshop to tinker in, maybe build a replica vintage race car, dabble in painting and sculpture, read more, be a veritable renaissance man. It turns out that many of these interests and desires are satisfied by the day-to-day of SHARP. Hobbies, it seems, are sought and pursued to fill gaps in fulfillment or schedules, neither of which I seem to have. 

SHARP is the confluence of many of my interests, but it’s also much more than that. It has opened my eyes to new pursuits and added nuance to existing ones. In the nearly two decades since we started SHARP, who I am has been shaped more by our content and the creation of it than anything else. Shaped by the knowledge, interest, and passion of my colleagues, clients, and SHARP readers. Shaped by the constant refinement of the creative process and the myriad meetings, projects, pitches, events, and opportunities to learn and exchange ideas. What it hasn’t done, however, is set me deeply into the pursuit of a hobby. 

By its very definition, a hobby can’t be a work obligation and must be pursued during leisure time. So, I can’t take the easy way out and proclaim that work is my hobby, and it would be disingenuous to claim I don’t have any leisure time. If anything, it’s embarrassing to not be interesting enough to have a hobby. I drive a tremendous amount, but mostly out of necessity, so that doesn’t count, even though I enjoy it. I’m not sure consuming all available car content online qualifies either. My aforementioned hobby intentions would, but I don’t actually do any of them — yet. 

Maybe hobbies are something we need to explore more? Let me know by reaching out to @The_Sharp_Man on Instagram or tell me about your hobby. I’d like to know. 

— MICHAEL LAFAVE, CCO & Co-Founder