I think the outlet for creativity unbound by customer expectations is what I enjoy about this hobby. I make several simple lagers for those who won't go outside their comfort zone (or who need a gateway to realize that there are great styles they haven't experienced yet), but those are sometimes almost autopilot beers that I get satisfaction from incremental improvement by trying new malts, hops or yeast strains on. If I had to brew the same beer over and over in a production facility, it would get old pretty quick, though I appreciate the efforts of the pro brewers to replicate so nearly identical beers in successive batches in that setting. For that I give them credit.
As for working for myself - I have been a partner in a small group for years, pretty much doing my thing in an area that none of my partners do, so the lack of a safety net is sometimes disconcerting, but you can get used to it and seek outside resources...like this forum represents for my hobby!