From the eyes of a hobby hopper

Have you ever heard of the term, “Hobby Hopper”? It’s mostly to describe people who have tried many hobbies but never really stuck to a single hobby for a long period of time. That’s me. Jack of all trades and master of none. Over the years, I’ve tried many hobbies, especially throughout the pandemic period, to pass time and discover my interests. I’ll describe some of the hobbies and activities that I’ve tried and give my review and thoughts about it!

bullet journaling 📒

The first hobby that I’ve probably tried is bullet journaling. It was a big trend back in 2019 or 2020, and there were so many inspiration pictures popping up on my Pinterest feed. I was also inspired by the videos that AmandaRachLee posted, especially her monthly bullet journal designs and the process of drawing cute characters, drawings of scenery and more. All these factors motivated me to try bullet journaling for myself. I got myself a blank sketchbook or notebook, and at first, I tried to copy the pictures I saw from AmandaRachLee. These includes designs like a picture of the Northern Lights painted from watercolour paints, filled with detailed outlines of pine trees like a typical winter scene, with the month written out in the center.

The monthly exercise included drawing out a calendar and weekly planner by hand, as well as a brain dump for miscellaneous tasks and activities. But as the month progressed, I realised I wasn’t utilising any of the sections. The monthly calendar and weekly planner went untouched, and it was increasingly getting more time-consuming to do up a new bullet journal spread every month. I really did appreciate time spent to draw beautiful pictures like the Northern Lights, but it just wasn’t practical. Furthermore, some of the designs were quite difficult to replicate. My artistic drawing skills were not as good per se, so sometimes the design did not turn out the way that I expected it to be. But you’re into planning and drawing, I suggest you give this hobby a go.

Instead, I tried another type of journaling or scrapbooking. I pasted scraps of paper together along with some stickers and added some hand-lettering, which definitely took less time and yet was still practical. This type of journaling gave me some creative freedom, yet it wasn’t too complicated to follow. It allowed me to use my stickers and perhaps put my creativity on a piece of paper.

painting 🎨

Painting was the natural step after bullet journaling. I did enjoy the calmness of painting, and I already had the materials, which were a paint brush, paper and watercolour paint. It was relatively easy to start, and similar to bullet journaling, I searched up inspiration pictures on Pinterest. I decided to choose relatively easy paintings to replicate, and I also chose to do a polaroid painting, to make the space less intimidating. It was bite-sized, and I painted sceneries of nature, something that you would usually see overseas. It was faster to finish a polaroid picture than bullet journaling, and it was satisfying to peel the washi tape off the paper after painting to see well-defined borders in a straight line. Watercolour was also easier to blend, giving the picture a nice ombre effect.

I also tried to paint using cotton buds, because it gave a nice fluffy texture to the clouds and it was easier to control by merely dabbing on the paper, compared to drawing the clouds using a paintbrush. I guess I really prefer painting nature scenes, because it’s something we rarely observe, but nature scenery can really be so beautiful, and I wanted to capture it on paper. I stopped after some time because I got caught up with school work, but maybe during the summer break I’ll pick it back up again.

crocheting 🧶

I actually tried to crochet after O Levels, but found it too difficult and eventually gave up. But after a year, I decided to challenge myself and wanted to pick up this hobby. I started simple, and searched for beginner crochet videos on YouTube, that were easy to follow and I also realised that YouTube videos allowed me to visualise the steps and follow the instructions very closely. I started small, and tried to crochet a granny square. I managed to complete the project, but the granny square had a lot of unintentional holes and it further propelled me to try another granny square. Over time, as I practiced, the granny squares came out better, and the patterns became tighter as I crocheted the same granny square over and over again. After I completed the granny square, I decided to crochet a coaster, because it involved the same stitches and same technique. It was also more practical, because it could be used for gifts for others or a coaster for mugs at home. I watched another video to learn how to crochet a coaster, and of course, the first one was a little rough, but it slowly got better over time. I also decided to crochet other types of coasters like a bear shaped coaster and a flower coaster, slowly getting better one stitch at a time.

I really like crocheting because it consisted of repetitive patterns and movements, hence it was easier for the movements to become muscle memory. There are endless projects to try crocheting. Although I didn’t manage to get to more complicated patterns like amigurumi (due to a lack of time), the coasters were still a good stepping point to the world of crocheting. Crocheting is also easy to kickstart, all you need is a crochet hook and some yarn. You can take your materials anywhere, and you can even crochet on a car trip! I think it’s a good gift for friends as they can see your hardwork and effort.

photography 📸

I think photography is the most consistent hobby that I’ve done over the years, and I got into it more because it was my CCA in JC. My CCA definitely helped me to hone my skills: I learnt how to use a DSLR camera and also learnt how to edit my photos in terms of its colour and focus. I think photography is a good way to capture many memories on camera, and whenever I wanted to remember a particular event or experience, I would look at these photos, and it takes me back to that moment in time. Of course, it takes some time to hone the skill of photography and perfect photography techniques, but I think it is a fun process and it allows you to try out the different settings on camera.

I encourage everyone to take photos whenever they can. It can be small as your daily activities like eating lunch with your friends, or even bigger experiences like travelling overseas. It shouldn’t just be for the sake of Instagram photos, but it can serve as a keepsake stored in your phone, and I’m sure that your gallery will tell a story for everyone to read. I think the experience of photography has evolved into something that I do more frequently, mainly to document my experiences throughout university and serves as something that I can look back on.

reflections

Overall, these are some of the hobbies that I have tried over the years. If you are a hobby hopper too, don’t worry. It’s okay to not stick to a single hobby, rather, these hobbies can form a diverse part of your life. Each hobby has a suitable occasion, and you can do these hobbies whenever you like! There is no pressure to find a hobby you like and stick to it for life, each hobby can serve a different purpose and it all helps you to destress, or it could be a pastime of yours. Each experience is a memory, and it is unique in its own way. Don’t be afraid to try new hobbies, and it could serve as a challenge for you!