In an effort to do something other than reading, I have decided to challenge myself to try ten new hobbies. I must try each hobby for at least 3hr, preferably over the course of multiple days. I will also evaluate the initial cost and enjoyability of each hobby. After trying all of these hobbies, we'll see which ones lasted past the 3hr mark.
Here's what I'm going to try:
- Drawing birds
- Belly dancing
- Crystal growing
- Embroidery
- Making pasta
- Making tea blends
- Shadow puppetry
- Watercolor cocktails
- Whittling
- tbd...
belly dancing
Time: 77/180min.
Duration: 20260405 -
Cost: $0.
Enjoyability: 5/5
Difficulty: 5/5
Why? Impulsive decisions. Youtube recommended a video and I thought "why not." The workout was so much fun that I decided why the hell not do more.
Videos I followed along with:
- 18 Min | Snake Hips Belly Dance Workout! | Learn the Mya, Snake Arms and Shimmy! 💕
- 10 min | Cardio Waist and Abs Workout | Belly Dance Fitness "we're going to end with a small bonus" no we aren't. that did not feel like 10min, more like 5min and 20min simultaneously.
- Learn a Belly Dance Choreography - I Put a Spell on You! #bellydance #dance - I like this instructor. The approach of working on specific movements before learning the choreography is working for me. I am really struggling with hip dips.
- How to do Hip Drops
drawing birds
Time: 150/180min.
Duration: 20260405 -
Cost: $0.
Enjoyability: 3/5
Difficulty: 3/5
Why? I like seeing birds.
I started out by referencing the second "how to draw birds" book I found online. This book, by James Manning, was aimed at children (perfect) and showed how to recreate some straightforward doodles. After 20 minutes, I decided I had grown up and was ready to draw some real birds. I started by following this chickadee tutorial. My result might not be a close match to a chickadee, but I know it's a chickadee, and that's what matters. I enjoyed working with just pencil and paper, no additional colors. This made it easier to focus on the drawing. The tutorial's approach wasn't to focus on how to draw a perfect chickadee; the imperfect approach also helped me enjoy the process. I realized---as obvious as it may seem---I could go copy pictures. I'm sure my library has some books about birds which I could reference. I think that copying her approach and having a picture beside me, instead of pulled up on a computer, could be of use.
More videos I've referenced:
embroidery
Time: didn't bother tracking.
Cost: $13.
Duration: 202604X - 202605XX
Enjoyability: 3/5
Difficulty: 2/5
Why? i like doing things with my hands.
purchases: set of three embroidery kits.
i think this fills the hole of "something mindless to do with my time." it's a technical variation of a color-by-number. my hands and brain are loosely engaged. this was something i could do after coming home from work to pass the time while my brain 'reset.' i don't see this being a head-over-heels obsession, but i do see this as something i could keep casually returning to. that's good, because one embroidery kit took about two weeks, and i have two more embroidery kits. i'm also thinking about embroidering some small creatures / symbols / designs onto some clothing. could be fun.
this is the first hobby where i hit the three hour mark. i didn't even need to try---i was compelled to keep going.
making tea blends
Time: 90/180min.
Cost: $18.
Duration: 20260412 -
Enjoyability: 2/5
Difficulty: 1/5
Why? i like tea and am curious about making my own blends.
purchases: black tea, star anise, fennel seeds, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, ground cardamom.
for more information, see this page.
pasta making
Time: .
Cost: .
Enjoyability: /5
Difficulty: /5
Why? Handmade pasta is an artform. It also intimidates me.
Potential references: basics with babish.
shadow puppetry
Time: 15/180min.
Cost: $0.
Duration: 20260411 -
Enjoyability: 2/5
Difficulty: 4/5
Why? why not?
References:
whittling
Time: /180min.
Cost: $10.
Duration: 2026041 -
Enjoyability: /5
Difficulty: /5
Why? i like doing things with my hands.
purchases: beginner's whittling kit from amazon.