Avocation
An avocation is an activity that one engages in as a hobby outside one's main occupation. There are many examples of people whose professions were the ways that they made their livings, but for whom their activities outside of their workplaces were their true passions in life.[1][2] Occasionally, as with Lord Baden-Powell and others, a person who pursues an avocation is more remembered by history for their avocation than for their professional career.
Many times a person's regular vocation may lead to their avocation. Many forms of humanitarian campaigning, such as work for organizations such as Amnesty International and Greenpeace may be done by people involved in the law or human rights issues as part of their work.[3]
Many people involved with youth work pursue this as an avocation.[4]
Avocation in literature[edit]
But yield who will to their separation,
My object in living is to unite
My avocation and my vocation
As my two eyes make one in sight.
Only where love and need are one,
And the work is play for mortal stakes,
Is the deed ever really done
For heaven and the future's sakes.— Robert Frost, Two Tramps in Mud Time, st. 9
People whose avocations were not their vocations[edit]
A[edit]
B[edit]
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C[edit]
D[edit]
| Person | Avocation | Vocation |
|---|---|---|
| d'Abo, Olivia | singer-songwriter | Actress |
| Derleth, August | naturalist | Novelist |
| Duncan, Watson | Actor | Professor |
E[edit]
| Person | Avocation | Vocation |
|---|---|---|
| Eriugena, Johannes Scotus | Theologian | Poet |
F[edit]
| Person | Avocation | Vocation |
|---|---|---|
| Fermat, Pierre de | Mathematician | Lawyer |
| Franco, Veronica | Poet | Courtesan |
| Ford, Harrison | Carpenter | Actor |
G[edit]
| Person | Avocation | Vocation |
|---|---|---|
| Getty, J. Paul | Art collector | Oilman |
H[edit]
| Person | Avocation | Vocation |
|---|---|---|
| Hewlett, Hilda | woodwork, metalwork | aviatrice |
| Hillary, Sir Edmund | mountaineer | beekeeper |
| Hohlbaum, Robert | writer | librarian |
| Houston, Charles | mountaineer | physician |
I[edit]
| Person | Avocation | Vocation |
|---|---|---|
| Ingres, Jean Auguste Dominique | violinist | painter |
| Ives, Charles | composer | insurance agent |
J[edit]
| Person | Avocation | Vocation |
|---|---|---|
| Jacques, Brian | author | milkman |
| Jędruch, Jacek | historian | Nuclear engineer |
K[edit]
.jpg)
L[edit]
| Person | Avocation | Vocation |
|---|---|---|
| Lamarr, Hedy | Inventor | Actress |
| Lifton, Robert Jay | Cartoonist | Psychiatrist |
| Lluberas, Gerónimo | musician | physician |
M[edit]
| Person | Avocation | Vocation |
|---|---|---|
| Means, Gaston | Con artist | salesman |
N[edit]
| Person | Avocation | Vocation |
|---|---|---|
| Norton, Joshua A. | Emperor of these United States | businessman |
O[edit]
| Person | Avocation | Vocation |
|---|---|---|
| Obici, Amedeo | farmer | businessman |
P[edit]
| Person | Avocation | Vocation |
|---|---|---|
| Peszke, Michael Alfred | historian | psychiatrist |
Q[edit]
| Person | Avocation | Vocation |
|---|---|---|
| Quirinus of Neuss | missionary | tribune |
R[edit]
.jpg)
| Person | Avocation | Vocation |
|---|---|---|
| Reed, John Silas | Revolutionary | journalist |
| Roget, Peter Mark | Lexicographer | Physician |
| Ryan, Jeri | Chef | actress |
S[edit]
| Person | Avocation | Vocation |
|---|---|---|
| Saro-Wiwa, Ken | Environmental activist | Television producer |
| Smith, Walter Parry Haskett | Bouldering | lawyer |
| Stevens, Wallace | Poet | Insurance executive |
T[edit]
| Person | Avocation | Vocation |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas, Jean | folk festival promoter | stenographer |
| Tov, Baal Shem | arbitrator and mediator | Rabbi |
| Tolkien, J. R. R. | novelist | Philologist |
W[edit]
| Person | Avocation | Vocation |
|---|---|---|
| Weller, Peter | Art historian | actor |
| White, Henry | fox hunter | diplomat |
| Whorf, Benjamin Lee | Linguist | fire prevention engineer |
| Williams, William Carlos | Poet | Pediatrician |
X[edit]
| Person | Avocation | Vocation |
|---|---|---|
| Xenakis, Iannis | composer | architect |
Z[edit]
| Person | Avocation | Vocation |
|---|---|---|
| Zappa, Frank | 20th-century composer | Popular music (composer, performer, producer) |
Fictional people whose avocations were not their vocations[edit]
| Person | Avocation | Vocation |
|---|---|---|
| Stark, Tony | Superhero | Industrialist |
| Wayne, Bruce | crime fighter | Philanthropist/Industrialist/Heir |
| Kent, Clark / Kal-El | Superhero | Reporter |
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
 |
Definitions from Wiktionary |
 |
Media from Commons |
 |
Quotations from Wikiquote |
 |
Texts from Wikisource |
- Flickr: Photos tagged with "avocation"
References[edit]
- ^ Travis Saunders. "Avocation-vs-vocation". Retrieved 10 February 2011.
- ^ Robert Miller (2010-02-10). "Your avocation may save your life.". The News-Times. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
- ^ Boyd, B. (20 October 2006). A secret history of the old Ball game. Irish Times. Retrieved 4 July 2007, from http://www.irishtimes.com/theticket/articles/2006/1020/1160606784745.html
- ^ Craig Giammona. "Avocation in Wood". Bowdoin. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
