Live: 20 hobbies you can start today!
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To enjoy life you need to find activities that bring you joy. Hobbies are activities necessary to every day life and bring the joy we crave. Hobbies help us find balance, are relaxing and give our lives value and meaning. According Jessica Beltran, MS , "Hobbies are food for the soul. They nurture our spirit, restore our physical energy, and renew our mind." Here is my list of 20 hobbies you can start as early as today, so you can be on your way to finding joy and balance in your life.
Painting / Drawing: Painting and drawing are fairly easy mediums for beginners to get started in and the initial supply cost is not that expensive. Your projects can range from still life to impressionism. You can simply create what you are feeling or take the more formal approach and take a class or two. If you take a class at a Painting with a Twist franchise, the cost of about $35 includes all the supplies you need to leave with a painting that is taught by one of their instructors. Beginners can also purchase paints and find courses online.
Craft Making / Jewelry Making:Making crafts is becoming an easy hobby to get info on lately, some people turn their crafts into cash. Crafty and fashionable meet in jewelry making hobby where you can create your jewelry to fit your style exactly.
Photography: A personal favorite. Digital photography is amazingly easy, you can get started using your smart phone or spend a little cash and get a beginner’s DSLR. If you really want to be ambitious, go old school learn about shooting on film.
Knitting / Crocheting: While knitting and crocheting each use looping yarn to create different items, they each have different methods and tools. Each is a great hobby that is not that difficult to get started. Yarn, a pattern and tools can costs as little as $5-20 to get started.
Running / Walking: This hobby requires little to no investment. Appropriate clothing and footwear is all that is needed and most people have some form of workout gear and sneakers already. Find a path, get your playlist together, and just run or walk. That’s easy.
Sports / Competitive Leagues: Whether its basketball, football, soccer or baseball (just to name a few) there is a competitive league for amateurs to participate in. There are even leagues for dodge ball and kickball, if that is your thing.
Fantasy Sports: Love watching professional sports? Take it one step further by building your own team with top professional athletes. Some fantasy leagues are free, while others do have a fee – in these you can also win money if your team wins.
Camping: Just you and nature. What better way to find peace and calm than to enjoy the natural wonders of the world around us? Camping comes in several varieties, so you can be as naturist as you want to be. Don’t have equipment? Don’t worry many state national parks offer equipment rental; some even have beginner packages where a park ranger will guide you through camping for the first time. If that isn’t your speed, KOA offers cabin rentals equipped with kitchens, private bathrooms and fresh linens.
Creative Writing:Another easy to start hobby. All the equipment you need is already at your disposal. Laptop, tablet, phone or even a pen and paper. Poetry, prose, novel or short story; whatever fits your style. If you want some guidance on how get the creative juices flowing there are plenty of options out there, but really all you need is what is on your mind.
Gardening: Do you have a green thumb?You can start this hobby in your backyard, small section of your patio or even in a little area near a window. Want to start small try this herb garden starter kit.
Baking / Cooking: Do you love to cook or bake? This is an easy to start hobby, a few supplies or equipment and you are on your way to a tasty experience. Try even taking up a cooking class at your local restaurant school or community college to learn technique and recipes. Want to start at home try working your way through cook books. Try this book before going for more ambitious cookbooks.
Dancing – Salsa, Merengue, Belly Dance, Tap, Ballet, Jazz…the list goes on and on. If you have a partner great, if not don’t worry many ballroom dance schools offer social lessons where you can mix and mingle. It’s a fun and healthy hobby.
Acting / Theater – Community theaters are everywhere. You can start small with a role in the chorus or go big and try a lead role. Not into being on stage, theaters are always in need of help behind the scenes.
Reading – You can snuggle up to your Kindle with a library of thousands, or build your own library and feel the crinkle of the paper from an actual book. A good start is making your way through some summer reading lists or make your way through a list of the classics.
Home brewing / Winemaking – Love beer and wine? Why not learn how to make your own brew. Kits are easy to find and your new creation can make a great gift for friends and family. Try Mr. Beer's Homebrew Kit or this 1 Gallon Wine from Fruit Kit to get started.
Video Gaming – X-Box, PlayStation, Wii or even a smart phone. Video games are everywhere. And there a variety of games to choose from, many with fully developed stories and hours of game play.
Yoga: Healthy and relaxing this is a great hobby with no equipment necessary. You can practice it anywhere and at any time that is convenient to you. Beginners can find group classes in just about every city; I use the MindyBody App to find classes near me. If you are a little shy, you can follow videos online or find a personal teacher. Websites like CoachUp and TakeLessons can help you find in-person and online coaches.
Collecting: You can collect anything you love. Comic books, stamps, shot glasses, sports cards, memorabilia, or even buttons. Find something you enjoy or are passionate about and collect, collect, collect. You can build a bookcase or room dedicated to your collection.
Genealogy: Ever wonder about your family history? Well this is a great project and hobby that could yield itself to tons of self-discovery. With all the tools and technology available to us now, you do not need to be an expert to research your family’s background and your ancestry. Ancestry.com is a great place to start in discovering your families past.
Volunteering / Mentoring / Community Service: Doing service to help others is an easy hobby that cost nothing but your time. Find a local animal shelter and donate your time to grooming and caring for animals. Spend time with a child in need through a mentoring program like Big Brothers / Big Sisters. Find an organization or cause that is in line with your personal experiences and share your expertise and/or time with them. You can find an organization that matches you through the United Way or Volunteer Match.
I hope you found this list of hobbies helpful and good starting point for spending more time experience what life has to offer. Do you have a hobby that our readers would find fascinating that is not listed? Or do you have experience with one of the hobbies I listed? Feel free to share your experiences with our community in the comment section.
