Vocation vs. Avocation: What I Learned From My Great Experiment

If you've been following my journey, you know I stepped away from my full-time professional job last year to pursue my passions—just to see where they might take me if I had the time and space to explore them. You may have also noticed that I'm now looking to go back to a full-time role to extend my professional career.

So, you might be asking: Why?

I've had so many people tell me they admired what I did and were "jealous" that I took that leap. At the time, I felt appreciative of those comments and proud of myself for taking a chance on me. In my adult life, other than maternity leaves, I'd never taken time to explore other avenues. I needed to do it—to understand what I was meant to do and discover if there was some purpose I wasn't exploring.

Now, after eight months, here's what I've learned about myself, who I really am, and whether it all adds up to my ultimate "purpose."

The Difference Between Vocation and Avocation

I realized they are both me!

The terms vocation and avocation sound similar, but they couldn't be more different.

A vocation is your profession—your "calling" (from the Latin vocare, "to call"). It's aligning your interests and talents with work that generates income.

An avocation is a hobby or pleasure activity you do to relax and find joy—not income.

I was trying to walk the line between the two, assuming that what brought me pleasure (avocation) might actually lead to vocation. But here's what I learned: when you push your avocation into the space of vocation, it starts to lose the joy and excitement it once brought.

When the Joy Started Fading

At first, I burst with excitement over every blog post, new recipe, and farmers market signup. I put my heart and soul into preparing for shows—building out my booth plan, preparing and pricing goods for weeks.

But as things go, I never sold out. Some shows were just plain flops. I started to feel that what was once my avocation was becoming work—without the returns. I felt defeated. The motivation to keep going got tougher and tougher.

Being a sole proprietor has its perks—I call the shots, plan my own schedule, decide what my next big thing is. But it also has downsides. It can be lonely without the colleagues I was used to interacting with each day. If you can believe it, I actually missed my meeting-packed days where I'd jump from call to call with little break in between.

What I Was Missing

As more time went on, I started to realize I hadn't appreciated all the time, training, education, and effort I'd put into getting where I was with my vocation.

I'd read professional blogs and news stories and realize I had opinions about how I would or wouldn't have done things. I watched from afar the professional interactions happening in an industry I was once part of—but didn't feel part of anymore.

I realized I longed for what had been my "purpose" for a long time. I just hadn't realized it before.

Finding the Balance

I've also reasoned with myself that I might actually start to re-love those avocation activities more if I did them alongside a professional career I longed for. They could bring me joy and pleasure without the pressure to make them my career. I could enjoy trips to Michaels or Hobby Lobby again without calculating the ROI on every purchase!

No Regrets

So, as I venture into getting my professional career back off the ground, I have a new appreciation for my "great experiment." I have absolutely no regrets about doing it. It came at a time when I needed it, and it's re-energized me as a mom, wife, and professional in a way I didn't know it could.

Now, I'm looking forward to going "back to work" when the right opportunity comes along, ready to give my 100% again. I'm also looking forward to my next crafts and recipes (which lately all seem to be related to my daughter's upcoming wedding!). I'll balance the joy with the camaraderie and appreciate the workplace as much as my craft room.

In the end, if you want (or need) to do something like I did—do it. You never know where it will lead you. Sometimes the lesson isn't that you found your new calling. Sometimes the lesson is that you already had it all along.