Entertainment in this world is similarly low-stakes. Instead of binging a dark, eight-hour psychological thriller, the amateur nice lifestyle favors “cozy media”: reruns of The Great British Bake Off , Bob Ross painting happy little trees, or video game streams of Stardew Valley —a game entirely about watering turnips and befriending pixelated villagers.
After years of being bombarded with “optimized” routines, perfectly curated Instagram grids, and the pressure to monetize every hobby, a cultural counter-movement has taken root. It is soft, forgiving, and delightfully unprofessional. It champions the idea that you don’t have to be good at something to enjoy it. For a decade, the side hustle was king. Your knitting wasn’t relaxing; it was an Etsy store waiting to happen. Your love of film photography wasn’t an artistic outlet; it was a “brand building opportunity.” We traded leisure for labor, forgetting that the word amateur shares a root with amateur —from the Latin amare , meaning “to love.” amateur nice tits
So here’s to the burnt cookies. The off-key singing in the car. The garden full of weeds and one brave sunflower. The entertainment that asks nothing of you but your presence. Entertainment in this world is similarly low-stakes
Be nice. Be amateur. Be okay with that.
Millions watch them. Not for inspiration, but for permission. Permission to log off. Permission to be average. Permission to find entertainment in the gentle hum of a washing machine and the last slice of store-bought cheesecake. Psychologists are taking note. Dr. Helen Park, a clinical psychologist specializing in burnout, calls this the “Competence Recession.” It is soft, forgiving, and delightfully unprofessional