Get Yourself a Hobby or Two

I love writing. Have you noticed? Has my writing-related blog and my short stories and micro fictions clued you all in? Nothing brings me as much inner peace as writing.

But now that I've started taking my writing more seriously, it's no longer just a hobby. It's no longer the thing I turn to when I'm trying to relax; instead, it's a craft I work hard at improving. You know what that means?

I need some new hobbies!

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Why Hobbies?

Hobbies give you something to look forward to. They help you relax. And they can boost your creativity and your brain.

I love video games, but I sometimes stop playing them for months. I'm in one of those times right now.

I'm a big reader, but like any hobby, one can only read for so long. I work nights, so I'm up all night even when I'm not working. Everyone else is asleep. I'm constantly looking for ways to fill the time.

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What Hobbies?

So I started digital drawing! I'm not very good! But it's a great way to spend an hour or two. Here's some stuff I've drawn:

Many such faces.

Hair is tricky to learn.

Kissy kissy

The best part is that drawing also helps my writing. I can envision characters better. Here's Qualia, an adorable alien jellyfish:

Is she not the cutest alien jellyfish you've ever seen?

So, drawing is great. I highly recommend checking out Draw A Box to learn the fundamentals of drawing for free (and unlike Reedsy editor, it will always be free). Warning: You will have to draw so many boxes.

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Other Hobbies?

I'm so glad you asked, because I've recently started making immersive ambiance videos on Microsoft Clipchamp (a freemium tool) with royalty-free music and sound effects found on Pixabay.

What are immersive ambiance videos? Things like these, which aren't mine:

• Viking Mead Hall - Relaxing Fireplace with Crackling and Nordic Ambiance, for Sleeping and Study

• you’re writing love letters in an ancient library during autumn [ dark academia playlist ]

• writing in an enchanted forest but it gets darker (and spookier?) the longer you write <-- This one is by author Abbie Emmons, and is in writing sprint format and I LOVE IT

I've made three, titled thusly:

"You Go On An Epic Adventure And The Music Is So Good, You Guys," "You Enter a Magical World But It Gets Progressively More Dangerous," and "You're On a Viking Raid and the Music is Epic."

And maybe one day I'll even share them!

The creation process looks like this

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Okay, so—those are my hobbies at the moment. What are yours? Do you also lean towards creativity-based hobbies, or do you prefer things like puzzles? Let me know in the comments!

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Writing without a paywall is important to me, but writing is work. If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, I would be honored if you would consider donating.