I'm using the word hobby loosely, meaning anything one does for pleasure, even if it technically falls within their job responsibilities. As far as the term productive goes, I'm defining this as something that develops needed skills, produces items needed for living (such as making clothing, or obtaining heating for the home, produces/gathers/acquires food or water, or builds/maintains shelter), produces items or services that bring in income, or elevates the living experience through one's talents. The key is, you derive pleasure from doing any of the above.
So what is your favorite productive hobby?
Can you guess what mine is?
I love to bake. I would bake even if it wasn't part of my job description.
I began baking when I was 8 years old. My best friend and I went to different schools. But on Saturdays we would get together, and instead of playing Barbies, we'd bake something in her mom's kitchen.
I suppose some of the motivation was that I got to eat some of what I baked. But also, I just enjoyed baking.
Over time it became something I could do with success, most of the time.
I have other productive hobbies. When my husband and I got married, we talked about how we could spend our free time in ways that brought us closer to our financial goals. I pledged to vegetable garden, sew and repair clothing, bake, and learn to make our spaces more beautiful with little money.
I don't always love vegetable gardening. Today was just a lot of hard physical work, as I dug compost into another bed. But I reminded myself that not only am I working toward providing more fresh food for my family, but I am keeping myself fit as I grow older.
Sometimes sewing holes in socks is boring. But it's something I can do that will extend the life of clothing and postpone the purchase of new items. I enjoy making things, using the skills I learned as a girl. I sometimes sew clothing (like pajama pants) for family members as gifts. By buying fabric thoughtfully and carefully arranging the pattern pieces on the fabric, I can make a pair of pajama pants for less than the cost of a new pair of quality ones.
I know my baking is very productive. I can bake a loaf of really good wholegrain bread for a lot less than buying commercial loaves. And it's just fun to bake. I take a bunch of ingredients, combine them in specific ways according to recipes, and poof, a wonderful baked good results. That's really satisfying.
What productive hobbies do you enjoy, and which one is your favorite? Has anyone here turned a hobby into a side hustle?
I enjoy gardening, but yes, sometimes it's a lot of work. :) I also knit from time to time and usually give things away as gifts.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely baking because it is my creative outlet for stress. I like to cook too. Bread is the big one lately because I started with yeast bread, then sourdough and now the stretch and fold method that has be very intrigued. Long ferment and same day styles, add-ins, and results other than bread (pizza crust, foccaccia, dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, etc). I like sewing but my pedal foot is giving me issues and so is the thread. I have issues with my vision and detailed work so sewing is becoming less interesting. I also like gardening and preserving but my home is quite shaded and too many wild animals eat what I plant and the fact that my family is down to just two of us really makes no sense in canning the abundance I used to do when we had three children in the home.
ReplyDeleteAlice
I'll join you and Alice in the baking "hobby". My son seems to have picked up my baking gene, too. I think part of the joy of baking for me is that it fills my house with delicious scents. There is something gratifying about having a family member come home and say, "Something smells yummy!".
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned making your spaces more beautiful. I enjoy that, too. I like to make minor changes in my house seasonally--nothing expensive or labor-intensive, just swapping out throw pillows/throws, knick-knacks, that kind of thing. Lately I've been on a decoupage kick. I made Christmas ornaments to give to the young adults for the group I work with at church, and I recently made a bunny that even my artsy daughter was impressed with (I'm still learning techniques, and I have a lot of "fails"). Decoupage is great for someone like me, who doesn't have drawing/painting skills, and it's fairly inexpensive.
I sometimes knit, like L&L. Meijer had a sale on some yarn that I've been eyeing, and I'm waiting somewhat impatiently for knitting needles that I ordered to arrive. I'm going to try a simple sweater. If it turns out well, I might make more to give as gifts. If not, well, that sometimes happens.