Making money off what you love — but at what cost?

Can you turn a hobby into a side hustle without completely killing all the joy you find in it? With videos all over social media of people turning their passion into profit, it can be tempting.

“Marketplace Morning Report” host Sabri Ben-Achour spoke with Reema Khrais, host of the Marketplace podcast "This Is Uncomfortable,” who tackled the subject head-on in a recent episode. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.

Sabri Ben-Achour: So, you have some personal experience with this. What is your hobby?

Reema Khrais: I really love crocheting. I make these little plush stuffed animals for the babies in my life. Just this weekend, I started making this little bunny. It's a lot of fun, but yeah, there was a time when I considered monetizing this hobby, but then ultimately decided against it.

Ben-Achour: Why did you decide against it?

Khrais: I think, like a lot of people, I was feeling this pressure to take on a side hustle. I saw this Bankrate survey that one out of four American adults take on side jobs on top of their full-time jobs. And then you log on to social media, and you've got these platforms reinforcing this message that, hey, it's actually really easy to monetize your passion. Then you're fed video after video of people claiming to make thousands of dollars in their spare time. So it starts to feel like, “Well, if I'm already doing this, then why not?”

Ben-Achour: The question then becomes, well, if I turn my hobby into a side hustle, does it inherently change my experience of that hobby?

Khrais: I talked with a creativity researcher who told me that when you introduce things like money, recognition, deadlines — what psychologists call extrinsic motivators — it can actually start to chip away at your intrinsic motivation, which, of course, is that internal drive to do something simply because it's enjoyable or satisfying or personally challenging and meaningful.

Ben-Achour: On the other hand, are there exceptions, like, does chasing an external reward ever actually somehow enhance the joy we get from something? He asked, hopefully.

Khrais: So surprisingly, yes, there are exceptions, and what it really comes down to is your mindset. So if you stay grounded in that internal drive, you're doing it because you love it, then it could actually work in your favor. So you have to treat the reward as a bonus, not as the goal.

Ben-Achour: You actually spoke with a woman for your episode. Her name's Camilla Klein. She lives in Connecticut. She makes accessories like belt buckles, pillboxes, pocket mirrors. She sells them on Etsy. She got laid off from her other job, and her Etsy shops have been this kind of place where she finds a sense of accomplishment. Here's a clip of you and Klein talking about this:

Camilla Klein: That confidence thing is important because, you know, my husband makes so much more money than me, and he has a purpose. OK? So his purpose is to support this family and educate our children and put food on the table. So what's my purpose?

Ben-Achour: So she's finding, like, a sense of empowerment in turning her hobby into a business?

Khrais: Yeah, which is a sentiment I heard a lot. And while, of course, it can be, you know, risky putting a lot of emotional weight on a creative outlet, it can also be really meaningful to build something that's yours, to feel like you can support yourself in a different way.