Friday, July 5, 2013

I need a hobby: A Random 5

Honeysuckle on a tree, Leesville Lake, May 2013

The other day I wandered around a big box arts and crafts store, looking for a project to do. I walked out of the store after buying nothing.
I looked at so many different crafty things to do. I looked at cross stitch kits. I looked at yarn. I looked at art supplies.
I even looked in the children’s craft section to see if anything there appealed to me.
I couldn’t seem to get excited about doing anything.
I write a lot. Writing is my first love as far as activities go. I take a lot of photos. I read a lot.
But I need a hobby. I need something to do that helps me relax, challenges me, and gives me the sense of satisfaction that completing something does. I need some other ways to be creative.
Nothing seems to suit me. Maybe I’m just in a creative funk. Maybe I need to try something totally different.
My five random facts this week tell you what I’ve tried out in the past and still do sometimes.
I'm linking up with Nancy at A Rural Journal for Random 5 Friday.

One
I started piano lessons when I was 5 years old. I had been picking out tunes on our old Kurtzmann upright, and my mother wanted me to learn to play by note.
I took piano for seven years and organ for one year. When I was 13, I got tired of practicing and asked if I could stop.
I have a keyboard now, and when I play, it’s by note and by ear. I just play for my own enjoyment. And Larry and the kitties seem to like it.


Two
When I was 8 or 9 years old, my mother took crochet lessons. She taught me what she learned, and she also took me to class one evening. I started out making potholders.
When I grew older, I became capable of making baby blankets. And I’ve made some smaller pieces that my kitties have used to lie on.


Three
I took sewing lessons when I was about 14 years old. I made a skirt. That’s the last thing I’ve created except for some pillows.
I have a nice sewing machine that Larry gave me several years ago. But I can’t seem to get the hang of sewing. I can’t figure out the steps to take and how things go together.


Four
When I was in my early 30s, I took a drawing class, the only art class I’ve ever taken. I had to concentrate and work really hard. I didn’t draw well, but I did get better.
The only drawing I’ve done since are mandalas, which I like to draw and color.


Five
I started cross stitch when I was laid up after bunion surgery about 15 years ago. I obviously didn’t read the directions closely enough on my first project because I did the outlining first. My sister-in-law gently pointed that out to me when she saw my first efforts.
I enjoy playing with the colorful floss and creating pictures. I also enjoy the quiet rhythm of pulling the thread in and out of the cloth.

What are your hobbies? How did you discover that you liked doing those things? Do you have any ideas for me? Suggestions are welcome!



27 comments:

  1. I took a drawing class myself about a year and a half ago. It was fun, but overall not really for me. I occasionally cross-stitch. It is calming. I like to read. I love going to the movies, but I'm not sure that counts as a hobby! A lot of my volunteer duties at church feel like hobbies to me: singing, acting, mixing audio. I recently was involved with the design & the construction of our new stage background. So all of those things I try to spend time learning about them and to improve my creativity so I can do them better. They're very fulfilling activities.

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  2. My blog is my hobby. I enjoy writing on here and reading all of your blogs. I enjoy the memes and taking pictures. Other than this, I really don't have another hobby. I used to make floral arrangements. I used to make wreaths out of hay wreaths and sheets cut into one inch squares...then push those squares into the hay one by one....until it was full.....sounds odd, but it made a beautiful wreath! I also made bird houses and painted shirts when that was a big deal. I never sold the things...gave them as gifts to my relatives.

    I also played piano as a child, but lost my piano when I was 16. Sad day. I played clarinet in jr. high and high school, but sold it after I got married and money got tight. Sadder day.

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  3. I can't remember how I got started, I was an only child so my Mom encouraged me to try everything and I still do but the thing with me is I don't do anything well,I'm a jack of all trades and master of none. I knit,sew,read,paint,love old movies in old cinemas,baking,cooking,long distance walking,my camera,making my own cards, am trying to build a birdhouse unsuccessfully I might add,as a teenager I'd draw and build with the help of my Dad by bedroom furniture,I've tried acting classes, sculpting and pottery (bad bad and bad) I enjoy multimedia art,journalling and I'd like to learn to sing, read braille and how to properly refinish and upholster furniture. What about learning a second or perhaps a third language, or join Toastmasters- I wonder what adventuresome road this new path will lead you to...

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  4. i love hobbies - i keep looking for a new one as well. we enjoy kayaking but would love something else. something that using my mind skills would be great. i enjoy cross-stitch when younger but i found it made my eyes hurt if i got to into it ... i'm one who loves to do it & then i find myself really working on it a bunch & wanting to see it finished but if i worked on now i would need to take it more easy. i see above - i guess blogging is a hobby ... but i wish for more.

    have a great weekend. ( :

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  5. Oh Tina it looks to me that you can do anything you put your mind too pick something and give it a try again I know from experience as we get older those hobbies seem to stick more. Yesterday I went to my Mom's hauled out her sewing machine and sewed new cushion covers for her outdoor swinging chair. I did not measure or anything I got a little creative and the results I think and Mom thinks (more important) were fantastic. Now back at home I want to haul out my machine and start creating again. Try something again you will find the right fit. B

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  6. Sounds to me like you have plenty of hobbies, lots of talent and just need to decide what you want to do. Writing gives you the most pleasure ... then stick to that. I've been doing the Index Card A Day challenge and by this time I start to run out of *spunk* ... one month is enough, but I'll try to get through another month. Have a great weekend!

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  7. I guess my hobbies are running and blogging. I am the same way with sewing. I wish I could feel more comfortable with it. I took a class 2 summer ago.

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  8. I need more hobbies to be honest. The only ones I really have are bird-watching and reading lol. Well I suppose blogging could count as one. I always wanted to take piano classes. I wonder if it's too late? :)

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  9. Tina, you are obviously not alone (from the comments here) -- seems we all like to try lots of new things. Some stick, many don't. The only "hobby" that has stuck with me over the years is blogging and photography. Perhaps pushing yourself more with your camera you would enjoy. Photo editing is fun too -- there's lots of free sites on the internet you can use to play with your photos.

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  10. When I tried to learn to sew in my early twenties I tried clothes. Boring little boys clothes ( I had boys ) After spending DAYS on a pair of shorts I decided clothes was not for me! :) However I did take up piecing and quilting and while I am not that great at it it is enjoyable to choose a pattern, colors, etc and hand quilting is relaxing. Having said that if you tried it I would opt for a simple pattern and just do a table runner or pillow to start in case it was not up your alley.

    SUPER relaxing is simple embroidery. In deciding to teach my grand daughter to sew, I landed on embroidery as a way to start simple hand sewing. So I am doing one along with her...Nothing Fancy! I just got one of those old fashioned Aunt Martha transfer kits and it is backstitching on a flour sack towel but SHE ( SEVEN YEARS OLD ) says "this is so relaxing" Lol so it surely is....I like to pick it up for a half hour here or there and it feels like I am a kid with a coloring book :)

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  11. i try to draw now and then, but in the warm summers, it gets harder to put hand to paper w/o feeling like the paper is warping under my hand. :)

    my sis was just visiting and we set up picture puzzles on the kitchen table. what a great way to relax and just let our minds go! we did a lot of talking over picture puzzle pieces. used to as kids, too. :)

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  12. Do you spend any time on Pinterest? Now that's a place to get inspired to make things. It works for me! You have tried all kinds of things. I like to do it all. In fact, I think I will spray paint some things outside today. Hope you find something because I find that working with my hands and producing something I am proud of gives me great satisfaction and calms me down.

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  13. It's sometimes hard to find that "thing" that speaks to you. You seem to like taking photos, yes? I would recommend some approach that puts you in the mindset of a child at play, with no set goals.

    I've been knitting a lot in this past year...I learned as a child but didn't do much for a few decades, so I'm just now developing my skills. There's something about playing with the different colored yarns that excites me.

    My garden, of course, is a hobby, which has led to my many "science experiments" in the kitchen as I start to play with things like fermented food. It feels like an adventure, and I think that's what keeps me excited.

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  14. Wow, look at all the things you can do!
    Seems your options are limitless.
    love & love,
    -g-

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  15. Tina, It seems to me that reading, writing, and photography are your hobbies! I was never good at the knitting/sewing/ crocheting stuff. It's hard for me, and I don't have the patience. I prefer activities, like swimming and hiking, and of course, writing!

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  16. HA! Sewing? I never excelled at it and only made one pair of slacks in home ec. class in Junior High School.. Never again. I was a total failure. LOL

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  17. Wow you've tried a lot of things.... I'm with you on the cross stitch... I do it...but do not like it:)

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  18. What a great post. I am sooo not crafty...i can't sew much, nor paint nor take photos...You, my dear, are just full of talent. :)
    Thanks for coming by and following...I am now your new follower too. :))
    xo bj

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  19. I didn't start sewing until I dreamed about being a fashion designer. The FD part didn't stick, but sewing did.

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  20. I love sewing and reading. I think cycling and hiking are kind of hobbies for me too. But I am probably the most happy when I am baking. I love to take a bread recipe and kind of switch it up into something that is my own take on it.
    I have not done it in awhile but when you wrote that you enjoy photography I immediately thought of scrap booking. Do you think you would enjoy putting together decorative photo albums with the photo's you take? There are so many pretty papers and ways you can decorate the pages and frame photo's. I loved doing it and it made me feel creative. I think that is why I like sewing, I am not really a creative person so it is a rare outlet for me to engage in using colors, patterns and the like.

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  21. I have many, many hobbies. I love creating things. Have you tried knitting? I've heard many knitters speak of (and I do agree with them) how mesmerizing it is. There are some projects that can be totally mindless and you just get lost in the rhythm of the motion. Since you like photography, maybe you could concentrate on that and broaden your knowledge of it. There are several programs online where you can enhance your photos and just play around with it. Enjoy your weekend ... and maybe take some photos. :-)

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  22. Sometimes I wish that I gardened. I think I could find joy in weeding, planting, and watering. But I just simply don't have the time needed, not when I'm so devoting to my writing.

    Sometimes don't you wish we had more than 24 hours in a day?

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  23. Hi, Tina, Your interest in playing keyboard got my attention because I teach piano. My adult students enjoy it so much. They choose their own music -- jazz, classical, rock. Maybe lessons would spark your interest. I also wonder if you sing. Joining a community choir or church choir would give you new friends and is lots of fun. :)

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  24. Thanks for stopping by my blog! AND I try to engage myself in new crafts, but alas, photography, it grabs me. Currently I am knitting a pot holder, but it seems I can't stay on any one project for very long. I have done crochet, and cross stitch, and I am a terrible drawer. I bet something will come along and you will embrace it!

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  25. Sounds like you enjoy cross-stitch. I got into scrapbooking for a while, have done some sewing, some painting...

    It's nice to create something at times. Don't forget reading, though! That's a hobby, too.

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  26. i have done every craft known to mankind, at some point or another. right now scrapbooking and photography take up most of my spare time. i also enjoy decorating and organizing my home, gardening (if it's not too hot), riding my bike and cross stitching, when my hands allow!!

    perhaps you should get behind the camera more, i think you have a great eye!!

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  27. you know, it's not been until lately that I've found what I think are hobbies for myself, lol.
    It takes time I guess. But I think you'll come to it- and it might just be already there, maybe even writing and reading---- those are hobbies too.
    God Bless You :)

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