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Table of Contents
WHY SHOULD YOU HAVE A HOBBY?
We are all guilty of scrolling on social media aimlessly, or of sitting on the couch all day switching between streaming services until we find the perfect movie to barely pay attention to.
I am here to offer a different solution. As this website clearly claims, pursuing creativity in its’ various forms is good for your mental health. Regardless of what project you attempt, big or small, the sense of accomplishment I know you will feel using one of these kits will be unmatched. You will gain a sense of self confidence that comes with creating & learning. And you could even make some money selling your art along the way!
BENEFITS OF HAVING A HOBBY
- It creates new pathways in your brain.
- It gives you new, more productive habits.
- You could benefit financially from your hobby if you figure out how to market it.
- It lowers your stress levels and gets you away from the regular day to day activities of life.
35 Hobbies to Try for Less Than $35
Making Jewelry
If you like working with your hands & doing small & meticulous tasks, you should try out making jewelry. Even if you don’t like those things, you could pick up this hobby to develop the part of your brain related to focus.
Resin Art
This is a personal favorite of mine, but be warned that if you get addicted or do it as a business versus a hobby, it WILL get expensive. I would highly recommend it to people that like taking their time and planning a piece, to unveil it at the end and see their ideas brought to life in ways they couldn’t have even imagined.
You will risk a lot of disappointment as you learn, but the reward will be worth it as well as the lesson you get with every failure.
Crocheting
An activity like crochet has so much value. As it lowers your levels of cortisol, it increases the levels of dopamine and serotonin, which are the happiness hormones. It helps relax your body and is inexpensive to start.
Drawing // Painting // Sketching
These art forms are truly unique to the individual. Look on YouTube for tutorials in an art style that you have always wanted to try, & then see if they shared what kind of tools they used. In the mean time, here’s some kit’s to get you going for a few different types of mediums.
Calligraphy
If you already have good handwriting, this might be your natural calling. And there are plenty of people that would pay to have custom calligrapher do their wedding invitations or baby shower invites, just to name some ideas.
Candle Making
I recently found out that candle making is an easy enough process that you can include your children as well! Finding a hobby that you can include the family with are exceedingly rare, but it could be the start to a unique family business.
Gardening
There are few things that beat being able to compliment a homemade dish with some herbs from your personal garden. Even if you do not have a garden, just put your plants in a window that gets the most sun.
Embroidery
This is an intricate and beautiful craft. Hand embroidered items will also create an amazing income if you master the art. Learning this skill improves your hand-eye coordination, color theory, and your planning skills.
Wood Burning
This hobby is environmentally friendly because you are using a natural resource that normally would be left to rot, instead you are able to repurpose it into art.
Miniature Dollhouse Building
This is perfect to try with your family or older children. When I was young, I romanticized dollhouses and always wanted to build a large Victorian one for my daughter to enjoy one day.
They benefit children by developing their mental, manual, and social skills. It will also help them foster a sense of curiosity and creativity.
Whittling // Carving
This craft seems like it would be a “trust-the-process” craft to pursue. Taking a block of wood & being able to see art inside of it would be no easy task but could bring you the most fulfillment. It is an inexpensive hobby to start but helps develop your creativity as well as lower your blood pressure and destress.
Origami
This story about a young girl named Sadako who passed away from the aftermath of Hiroshima but attempted to fold 1,000 cranes to be granted a life-saving wish has always stayed with me. One day I plan to tell that story to my children as I teach them how to fold an origami crane.
You can use your origami pieces for décor or to leave in random public places for a stranger to find. It is a unique hobby with a lot of history and will be a great topic of conversation.
Rolling Sushi
A money saving hobby that fulfills your mind AND stomach. What could be better? You would honestly be surprised at how easy it is to roll sushi. Once you learn the basics, your limit is your imagination. Experiment and create a sushi roll recipe of your own!
Macramé
Macrame benefits both hemispheres of your brain, activating your ability to focus, think quickly, and learn.
Flower Pressing
Whether you want to preserve memories, or utilize your pressed flowers for decorative reasons, this is a beautiful hobby to pick up for the true romantic at heart.
Tie-Dye Art
Grab some oversized shirts from the thrift & get started on a colorful and messy journey, just make sure to protect the clothes you are wearing!
You could also try bleach-dying something first, then tie-dye it after.
String Art
This is a uniquely beautiful art style that does not take a lot of investment. Get some wood, nails, and string and pull up a tutorial on YouTube. All it takes is having the motivation to just do it!
Practicing Yoga
Yoga improves flexibility, balance, and coordination. It can help alleviate general body pains, and help you become more in tune with your body and mind.
Pilates
Pilates is beneficial to both your mind and body. As you improve your core strength, posture, and body awareness; it also helps improve your cognitive functioning, motivation, and your overall mood.
Acrylic Nail's
If you are the type of person that likes to keep your nails done, this will be even easier for you because you have watched someone else do the techniques countless times already. You can get fake nails and hands to practice on, and even turn it into a small business of selling custom press-on sets.
It might even inspire you to get your cosmetology license & practice it as a career! You never know until you try.
An Instrument
If you have a newborn or a young child on a strict sleep schedule, I would not recommend this one unless you are okay with being limited on your practice time.
But for anyone with a slight music inclination, try learning a new instrument! It could inspire you to learn more instruments or to pursue other musical endeavors.
Hot Sauce Making
Imagine being at a work function and pulling out your own bottle of hot sauce mid-conversation. I bet your coworkers would be dying to brave the spicy waves.
Baking
This is such a fun hobby to try with your loved ones! Try making creations together and watch the creativity pour out from the entire family.
Makeup
Learning to do makeup properly is not only an amazing creative outlet, but a terrific way to perform acts of self-care!
Face Paint
This could be a fun way to interact with other people while being creative! Just practice your skills and then find small events to volunteer your skills at and build your portfolio. Then you could create a price sheet and advertise for a supplemental income.
Special Effect's Makeup
Special Effects Makeup is any makeup that creates a non-traditional effect, with an illusion. Common focuses are old age, creature, character, prosthetic makeup, and even body art & face painting.
Cutting // Styling Hair
Learning how to do your own hair is an invaluable skill. It could help you increase your confidence as well as help supplement your income when you do other’s hair!
Journaling
f you are working on your mental health, this could be the hobby that helps you find new ways to express yourself. There has been a rise in the popularity of more creative journals lately, so you can find a ton of inspiration and tutorials on YouTube and TikTok.
Scrapbooking
This hobby boosts your memory, self-esteem, and sense of accomplishment. It is a terrific way to incorporate others into your interests while recording your past and turning it into documented history
Magic Tricks
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Astronomy // Stargzing
Stargazing is something that the entire family can enjoy. It is a natural stress reliever that also helps you reconnect with nature.
Programming
Learning programming could open doors to you that you cannot even imagine. It is a way to improve your logical thinking skills by allowing you to see problems from a new perspective. It helps you develop a more methodical way of thinking, which could be useful in plenty of different situations.
Hacking
Ethical hacking is the practice of preventing data from being stolen & misused by malicious attackers. It challenges you to try to look at things from different perspectives, as to predict and prevent someone from finding weak points in your systems and networks.
Model Building
This is another one that would land in the meticulous category, but very fulfilling when you see it from beginning to end. It helps improve your cognitive abilities such as planning, problem solving, and logical thinking.
Canning
A practical and delicious hobby, that doubles as something that could save you a ton of money eventually! It also helps you incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet while helping prevent food waste.
IT JUST TAKES A LITTLE MOTIVATION
If you are thinking of taking up a hobby, there is no time like the present. Start looking into various hobbies that give you fulfillment and try something until you find your sweet spot. You will soon realize that taking up a hobby can be beneficial to both your mind and body.
If you ever are struggling to find the desire to start, check out this list of 10 thing’s to do when you’re not feeling motivated.
Thanks for sharing.