Every Strategist Needs a Hobby

Every Strategist Needs a Hobby

Brand architectures, brief templates, perceptual maps… All essential tools for strategists like myself to have stockpiled in their personal Dropbox. But an equally imperative tool we don’t talk about enough is a hobby. Something to do besides sitting hunched over at our desks writing “inspiring” words about culture in a Word doc. Even if it’s as obscure as extreme ironing (yes, that’s a thing), a hobby can help strategists be the best they can be, and agencies should encourage us to get out of the office and do stuff every once in a while.

My hobby is drumming – I’ve spent many hours of my life marching in a drumline or playing funk music behind a kit (or drumming along to Siri). This hobby has provided me with wonderful performance opportunities, but a benefit I didn’t anticipate is how much it has helped me become a better thinker and collaborator.

“But how does smacking buckets with wood have anything to do with being a strategist?”

Hobbies as professional development
Conferences, workshops, and online courses are some of the more obvious methods of professional development, but some hobbies (e.g. writing, design, photography) provide equally fruitful experiences, allowing you to hone skills that you might use on a daily basis. For instance, photographer hobbyists might bring a fresh perspective to creative by suggesting photography-driven concepts with unique angles.

I not only drum, but I create content about drumming for Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. This process has enhanced my ability to storytell in strategy decks and be a stronger colleague to my creative/producer partners.

Hobbies as intangibles development
Not all hobbies are going to have overt ties to job requirements, but many hobbies at least develop the “intangibles.” Perhaps you’re in a local improv club, elevating your ability to speak extemporaneously and answer client questions on the spot. Or maybe you organize a monthly book club or, in my case, are the captain of a world-class drumline… These can influence your ability to lead and give you a much-needed confidence boost that carries over into the workplace.

Hobbies as facilitators of connection and empathy
Hobbies can provide strategists with opportunities to network and connect. Especially after these past few years of pandemic-induced introspection and isolation, these opportunities to engage with others are invaluable. Plus, these connections can be leveraged to share ideas, find potential clients and even do some quick qualitative research.

If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you could try a hobby that immerses you in a community far removed from your own. It is our responsibility as strategists to try to break free from our filter bubbles, and there’s no better way to do that than by surrounding yourself with people that are different from you.

Hobbies as a means to unwind
Arguably the most significant benefit of a hobby is that it’s NOT work. There’s a waning yet still present mindset in our industry around needing to live and breathe advertising to become successful… And if you don’t? Well, you don’t deserve the privilege of working in a creative field like this.

That’s antiquated. Long hours stymie creativity. Getting stuck in the same routines and frameworks stymies creativity. Some of the best insights and positioning lines have come to me during and/or after a drumming session because I was giving my brain the space it needed.

Ultimately, hobbies make us more human. They provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment beyond our desk chairs and slide decks. Strategists are often tasked with representing culture and human behavior… But how can we best represent how humans behave without being one ourselves?

By: Kyle Tsuchiya – Senior Strategist , Barrett Hofherr

  Agency, Barrett Hofherr, Kyle Tsuchiya, Marketing