As someone who also likes to write for fun, I’ve noticed that the quality of my writing is impacted (and is probably degraded) by the pressure to perform. Writing on LessWrong is fun and my personal standards encourage me to create the best post I can make. Writing college papers was stressful because I was no longer writing for myself, but for a grade and to impress my professor.
To an extent you’re touching on extrinsic vs intrinsic motivation.
The same is true for other hobbies like playing piano. Growing up doing competitions was stressful, but writing music today as an adult is fun.
Ultimately it’s about authenticity.
The extrinsically motivated person is obligated to create a product.
The intrinsically motivated person gets to create art.
As someone who also likes to write for fun, I’ve noticed that the quality of my writing is impacted (and is probably degraded) by the pressure to perform. Writing on LessWrong is fun and my personal standards encourage me to create the best post I can make. Writing college papers was stressful because I was no longer writing for myself, but for a grade and to impress my professor.
To an extent you’re touching on extrinsic vs intrinsic motivation.
The same is true for other hobbies like playing piano. Growing up doing competitions was stressful, but writing music today as an adult is fun.
Ultimately it’s about authenticity.
The extrinsically motivated person is obligated to create a product.
The intrinsically motivated person gets to create art.