Yes! You Can Have Multiple Hobbies!
Written by Erin Norton
Is it just me, in my post-graduation haze, that finds having hobbies extremely difficult these days? The temptation to sit and rot is astronomical and highly enticing. My whole life up to this point has been spent studying and working and I think I deserve a break! But I fear that“ break” has turned into doomscrolling and staying in bed all day. Of course, there’s no shame in doing so. After all, it’s important to listen to your body, and if hibernating is what it needs, then by all means: hibernate. But my body, and I’m sure many of you can relate, is craving creation. The saying nowadays is to create more than you consume. But how?? Here’s how I’ve been following that motto in my own life.
“Is it just me, in my post-graduation haze, that finds having hobbies extremely difficult these days? The temptation to sit and rot is astronomical and highly enticing.”
The first step I took is creating my own motto: You don’t have to be good at it. I am my own biggest enemy when it comes to creativity. Even if it’s my first venture into a specific hobby or activity, I hold myself to an unrealistic standard, ultimately setting myself up for failure. Eventually I realized that if I wanted to be artistic in multiple ways, I had to let go of perfection. I feel the most in touch with myself while working on a project, so why not let that joy guide me to success?
The second step was finding the time to engage. My hobbies include: reading, writing, crocheting, watching movies, and on occasion, making music. Associating activities with certain times of the day or week is very helpful. In terms of reading, for example, when I lived in an urban environment, instead of being on my phone on public transportation, I would take that time to crack open a book (who doesn’t love looking pretentious in front of strangers). Many people have found success in creating their own syllabus of sorts, in order to stay on top of their to-be-read pile. Some hobbies can even be done with others or in a community setting. My friends and I schedule a movie night every week. Or if I’m feeling lonely, instead of going on my phone, I’ll call someone up and ask if they want to watch something on FaceTime. In college, a friend and I would do our fiber arts crafts in our dorm common room and call it “knit n’ bitch.” At the end of the day, don’t be afraid to block off a chunk of time in your planner to practice a hobby!
The third and optional step I’ve found very helpful is combining interests. Writing is the activity I engage in the most because it’s not just a hobby for me, but also what I do for work. I like to imagine pastimes as intersectional. I suppose this is meta since this is an article about creative productivity, but I like to write about what I’m interested in. Serendipitously, I am interested in my respective hobbies. I enjoy reviewing movies, music, and books, which calls for engaging with all four mediums. There’s an account on Instagram (@saylessknits) that I believe to be a great example of my theory. They create literature inspired tapestries and sweaters. I will never not be in awe of their work! And if you think about it, making edits is an intersectional hobby too, it’s a combination of video creation and movie watching! The options are endless. Don’t feel paralyzed by them, get excited!
For the longest time, I held my own self back from creative endeavors, but now they are a huge part of my day. Creativity helps me feel grounded, like a form of meditation. Inspiration is also cyclical. With a little bit of discipline comes all the more fun!
