Confessions of a Hobby Enthusiast

I have a hobby problem.  Admitting it is step one, right?

Thing is, I don’t care.  I like too many things.

You can call me a:

Polymath

Renaissance Woman

Jack of all Trades

When people ask me what I do in my spare time, I usually tell them what I am currently involved in.  Otherwise, I end up listing everything I like to do (even if I haven’t done it in years) and it makes me look like I fill every minute of my day.  Except that I love spending time in the black hole that is the internet.  I don’t call that a hobby.

Listed are the hobbies I’ve dabbled in.

Ballroom dancing

I have learned at least the basics of: Rumba (American and International), Cha-Cha, Tango, Waltz, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep, Samba, Salsa, Bolero, Swing (East Coast and West Coast), Hustle, Merengue, Argentine Tango

Tap dancing

I tap danced in New York from age 5 to 18.  I have recently picked it up again and am taking lessons through Charlotte Ballet.

Yoga

You could call this a type of exercise.  However, when you start to use the principles of yoga, which aren’t always physical, in your daily life, it becomes more of a lifestyle…and for me, a hobby.

Pottery

Shortly after we moved to Charlotte, I found Carolina Clay Connection.  I learned to throw pottery on a wheel here.  The small class instruction is casual and awesome.  The students are at all levels.  I took pottery classes for about 1.5 years.  Then I ran out of room to store my pieces so I stopped.

Crochet

One of my aunts taught me how to crochet in high school, then I just kind of went crazy with it.  Afghans are my favorite to crochet, but they are a huge time investment.

Candle Making

This is my new hobby.  I researched it for awhile because I was trying to figure out what to do with all the random pieces of pottery I still have lying around.  I found out beeswax is the most clean-burning, but also the hardest to find the right size wick for the container.  I’m still working on sizing the wicks.

Woodworking

This was fairly short lived.  I decided to make a red couch table in our old house.  I had to hammer each nail in.  This was before we had a nail gun.  Then we got a nail gun, and I made some frames.  My last woodworking project was a chair/table (“chable”) that I made for our nephew last year.

Photography

James got me a DSLR camera one year.  Then he got me Photoshop the next year.  I learned how to take photos and combine them into a panoramic.  I’ve been saying for the last 5 years that I need to go on the Central Avenue bridge and take a picture of the Charlotte skyline so I can get it blown up and printed to hang in the house.  I need to get on this.

Painting

I learned to paint with water-based oils in Charlottesville, VA.  This is the only hobby I’ve had so far that I’ve had to get up early on Saturday morning and get my butt to a studio.  I loved it.  I’ve also painted with acrylic on my own.

Gardening

This is ongoing.  Indoors and outdoors.  I’m always looking to try a new plant.  I get this from my mom.  I get a kick out of trying to grow plants from remnants of vegetables and fruits.

Hiking

The one hobby my husband and I share and look forward to doing on all of our vacations now.

 

Blogging

Hey, that’s what I’m doing right now!

 

Others

I’ve researched macrame and tried some knots on strips of yarn, but I haven’t taken the plunge and bought the appropriate materials to actually make something.  Knitting lasted only a few days.  I made one t-shirt quilt.

 

Now practicing zero waste and minimalism, I look at my hobbies differently.  I’m trying to pick hobbies that don’t create too many physical objects, like tap dancing, blogging and yoga.  I really want to take pottery again, but I have less space in our new house to display and store my creations.  At least with crocheting I can be more deliberate about what I make because I can do it on my own without signing up for a 12 week class.  For candle making, I’m using old pieces of pottery that can be made into candles and used glass containers from burned candles.  This ensures that I’m not creating a need for more space in the house.  I realized as I was writing this post that I’m not good at taking pictures of shoes.  But I wanted a picture for each hobby, and I’m not a professional photographer of shoes…yet.

I don’t do these things to be interesting.  I do them because I’m interested in them, and I enjoy them and that adds value to my life.

What hobbies add value to your life?

 

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