This is me, except I perform in public at least twice a week. But after years of playing in bands, I'm now solo. I love performing. I get a kick out of seeing people sing along and enjoy the show. It's fun knowing you've somehow brightened someone's day..

But the things above you describe are why I went solo. I do occasional shows with another signer and/or percussionist, but it's so nice playing when, where, how, what I want and not having to deal with the drama that usually exists any time you're working with others!

Ditto! I have performed in coffeehouses, at festivals, and for corporate events. But I grew weary of the load-in, load-out, and storing the gear afterward. The 90-120 minutes spent performing was wonderful, but the "overhead" associated with booking the gig and all the related work was simply not worth it. On the plus side, my playing got nicely honed while prepping for these events, with an hour or more of daily practice leading up to each one.

My playing was solely in the living room at home for many years. Eventually after seeing many coffee house performances, the conclusion was that I could do at least that well, so got started. But I'm over it now. These days I do acoustic-only jams (no amps or PA) and have become fairly picky about which ones of those are worth the time. I always ask, "Self - will you have more fun practicing your songs at home by yourself, or going to the jam?" Often the best answer is "stay home". If there were access to better players at these jams I might attend more regularly. But groups of people who cannot HEAR (it's amazing how many truly deaf players are out there), cannot count to four, don't tune, or hide behind a music stand is getting kinda old. I could get involved in some local bands, but I already have a job.

Interesting thread. I'm 57 now and played my first paid gig in 1975 ( was too young to know what I was getting into. Got my first deal at 16, which went bad due to things I only later understood.
Unlike everyone around me I only ever wanted to write and play solo, did this for a while but ended up getting sucked into the mainstream machine. Got pulled around in all directions, listened to some bad advice/ some good advice and, well lets' be honest, I did love playing electric guitar, the all the fun of the fair life with a band and all that went with it.
That took up most of the late 70's / 80' and early 90's saw the world, acted the part, then had what can only be described as a breakdown, looking back on it.
I went back to playing acoustic gigs again which was very therapeutic but now gave me stress and anxiety in a way that had not affected me until the few years previous.
I then ended up crossing the fence , so to speak and worked with some major labels in various capacities while keeping up my personal outlets by a) putting together the odd touring band for artists b) co producing / mentoring artists c) writing songs for others , and d) playing solo acoustic singer songwriter /folk gigs.
I left that scene approx 12 years ago and went back full time into playing /writing.I got new management played gigs/festivals etc and lo and behold discovered that I hated it. Basically I felt too old and too vulnerable to smile through all the hassle anymore.
Thankfully, I'm still working but these days I write for others, do some screen composition stuff ( a lot of learning software and arrangement techniques |) and play on other peoples' stuff a well as totally under promoted /under the radar acoustic gigs twice a year.
If you've got this far, basically the OP's thread heading fits very well with me. I sit in my studio on my own, communicating with collaborators etc via the web, talk to myself and make sure I get out for a coffee and a good walk everyday before I go stir crazy. In truth I find it perfect for me now and dread actually having to get out and meet folk in this business.
When this phase ends, I will have finally distilled the last few decades into perfection, just playing guitar for me, because that's all I ever wanted to do in the first place.

I play by myself 3 hours everyday while the kids are at school. Playing out on the weekends is how i get to be around other adults. I need that. Today my practice will be cut short because my daughter probably has strep and we have to deal with that. I'm probably the only 1 in the bar walking out with more money than walking in.

Love for listening to, playing and creating music usually transcends different personality types, motivations,
or lack of motivations for money, recognition, etc..

Been playing sans audience (except one gig) for months now. Yet I am playing more than ever.
Hobbies, Playing . . . words like that are accurate.

One of the genres I went through in the early 70's was modal music. So lately I have been playing outside with taste. It rekindles after the decades of daily acoustic playing.

I still do Travis picking. Sometimes with an upper fifth bass line just for the heck of it (so I don't sound like Bobby Gentry). I do it with a click headphone from Ableton. I shape the click sound from The Abbey Road Suite. A software kick drum recorded from Ringo's actual early 1960's kit. A soft, easy to live with, beat. Then I play in time, accurately, right brain for minutes. I sit up. SHoulders up and back. I play music structure. Lately I have been calling this marching band time.

Yet some of my most creative play comes with my mind elsewhere, phrased interestingly.

The majority of my playing is melody maker. I know so many conversions and colored chords. I do alot of right hand syncopation too, from all the R&B piano I played in HS bands. Who knows the crazy branches of brain that I left to wither? But apparently there are others that I have propagated? It's 3.7 octaves of how you split it up.

Good ol' Acoustic. A hobby that offers quite a lot.