When we were young, our hobbies were fairly structured. We might have been given a colouring book, messed around with playdough, built a den, or played ‘kitchen’. But after what feels like pressing fast-forward (x60), we’re suddenly fully-grown adults. Doing our best to adult. Wondering where the time went when we could just while away the hours, getting lost in activities without a care in the world.
It’s something we’ve been thinking about a lot recently at Blossom & Preen. It's essential to make time to reconnect with our creative pastimes. In a world where we grow up to be taught—and expected—to live and act a certain way, our individuality can get lost among the noise.
Creativity is a great way of tuning back into our true identities. It comes in many different forms, and there are lots of activities that help us tap into the feeling that our younger selves knew so well.
We love these ideas from The Good Trade's Courtney Jay Higgins. Let's disconnect from our screen-filled routines—and reconnect with our inner child…
Scrapbook your memories
As an early 90s baby, printed images were the only way to view pictures. As a child, I would collect my disposable camera prints and spend hours glueing them into a binder. I'd use stickers, sparkles, and cute titles that offered a glimpse into the memories that the images captured. Now that we have Facebook and Instagram, we have a digital scrapbook for the whole world to view. While that is wonderful in many ways, scrapbooking offers a way to intimately honour our memories outside the noise of the internet.
Take some time to either print your favourite images from your phone or invest in an instant camera. You can get essentials like paint pens, stickers, and scrapbooking glue from your local crafts shop and have fun documenting your memories.
If scrapbooking is a new concept for you and feels intimidating, there are many resources and inspiration on Pinterest and YouTube. Allocate a Sunday afternoon, sprawl out on your living room floor and have fun creating a book that you’ll treasure for years to come.
Create your own flower arrangement
It's easy to go to your local market and grab an already-made bouquet to display in your home. However, touching, feeling, and learning about plants while you put together your own bouquet is not only creative, but also a soothing way to connect with nature.
Start by deciding the colour scheme and style you are going for with your arrangement. From there, research which flowers are in season. Many cities have wholesale flower markets that house in-season florals and a nice range of imported flowers as well. Going to the flower market is a great way to see a large variety of flowers—plus, they can be less expensive than retail.
Another option is to go to your local farmer’s market and purchase individual flowers from nearby sustainable farms that sell in-season florals. Before you go, check and see what vessels you have for the flower arrangements and how many bouquets you want to make. You can plan out your flower arrangements based off of the vases you already have in your home.
Start a bullet journal
Bullet journaling means logging your life in categories such as tasks, events, notes, months, days, and years. Essentially, you put all of life's details into a beautifully personalised journal. The original method was developed by Ryder Carrol, whose process is quite mathematical and logical. But his approach is a simple place to start when beginning to bullet journal.
Those who use bullet journaling creatively make it into an art that honours life in all of its tiny details. When made into a creative outlet, bullet journaling is a lot like scrapbooking, but more systematic and is used for daily, weekly, and monthly planning.
When I first discovered bullet journaling I was intimidated, but then I discovered how creative it can be. There are a ton of resources online that teach you how to get started in creating your own personalised journal.
Build and nurture a herb garden
As we continue to move into a technology-driven society we are becoming less and less connected with nature. Gardening is an incredible way to touch and feel the earth, along with offering a continuous reminder to nurture this planet. It is also an activity that literally grounds the soul and offers peace for our minds.
Start by designating a space for your garden that can be as tiny or as large as you want it to be, depending on what your space allows for. Plant only a few herbs to start wit. This is important because it takes time to learn the right care for each individual herb. It’s also important to research which seasons are best for certain herbs and plan your garden accordingly.
Creating a herb garden is a wonderful way to step away from the distractions of life and truly connect with nature by touching and feeling the earth.
DIY your own care products
Making your own skin and beauty products is a great way to go zero waste, and it’s also an opportunity to minimise the ingredients that you put on your skin. There are so many different things you can create for your skin. It just takes research, time, and vessels to put your homemade products in.
In this TED Talk, zero-waste maven Lauren Singer discusses that one of the first things she did when she chose to go zero waste was to learn to make her own products. She made essentials like deodorant and toothpaste as a starting point. And when she ran out of a different product, she would learn to make it herself.
Start by considering what products you wish you had in your bathroom. Or products that seem too expensive to purchase, and instead of buying it, make your own! Maybe you want to have a night in and give yourself a face mask.
Tie dye everything
Circling back to my childhood in the 90s again, tie dye was everywhere. When I got a little older, I loved tie dyeing with friends in the summer. Even into early adulthood I would tie dye my favorite cropped tees and shorts. I loved making a simple white piece of clothing into a work of art.
Seeing how tie dye is always a good spring and summer trend, I am thinking about getting back into this nostalgic hobby. However, I am using natural dyes and fabrics like linen, silk, and cotton to create more adult versions of my childhood wardrobe. If you are not so much into dyeing your clothing, consider dyeing towels, blankets, or tablecloths for colourful DIY home essentials.
What are your favourite offline hobbies? Share in the comments below!
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