In addition to its mental health benefits, trying a variety of creative hobbies is a great way to learn new skills and sharpen your creative flair.
We compiled a list of the best creative hobbies across a variety of disciplines to help you boost happiness and fight boredom.
Creative Hobbies for Adults to Try
The best part about choosing your next hobby is that you have the creative freedom to follow your own creative interests. Whether you're looking to destress after work or start hobbies that make money, there are various options for you to choose from.
For when you're sick of watching tv, here's our list of the most popular creative hobbies to try.
Blogging
Whether you consider yourself a writer or not, blogging is a great creative outlet!
When you're blogging as a hobby, you can write on any topic you like, write as often as you'd like, and be free from pressure to create on a set schedule.
Here are a few topic ideas to help you start your blogging practice:
- Tell your own stories from the most exciting, weirdest, or saddest times in your life.
- Record your everyday thoughts, essentially using your blog as your personal journal.
- Write about the journey of starting one of the other creative hobbies on this list.
- Interview other people to report on their most interesting stories.
Like with most creative hobbies, the amount of money and time that you invest into it is entirely up to you. Learning how to start a blog can be a process in and of itself. Whether you're looking to create a beautiful custom website for your blog or start a Substack newsletter for free, you have options depending on your budget and effort level.
In addition to being a great creative hobby, blogging can also help you earn additional income. From earning ad revenue off of your site traffic to learning affiliate marketing for beginners, there are several ways you can diversify your income streams with blogging.
Graphic Design
Even if you're not a professional designer, graphic design can still be one of your creative hobbies!
Think of graphic design as another form of digital art.
If you lack a degree or formal training in graphic design, don't let that deter you from trying it! Many artists and creatives naturally gravitate towards graphic design as an artistic hobby. From exploring design rules to understanding typography, it's an engaging hobby for anyone with even the slightest interest in design.
In addition to being an engaging creative outlet, graphic design is also a useful skill that can help you in a variety of other areas of your life. Whether designing an eye-catching resume or learning a new design program like Adobe InDesign, the skills you learn while honing your graphic design capabilities will help you in surprising ways.
Creative Writing
You don't have to consider yourself a novelist to start creative writing!
This low-cost hobby is an excellent way for creatives to express their thoughts and emotions, create exciting characters that connect with readers and decompress after a stressful day.
Creative writing is one of the best practical, creative hobbies because it doesn't require any expensive supplies to get started. It just takes your imagination and some form of writing utensil, whether it's old-fashioned paper and pencil or a computer.
If you're having trouble with the beginning of your story, an AI story generator can help you get started.
Art Journaling
Think of art journaling as a visual diary!
If you've wanted to get into journaling, but the words don't flow for you, this visual form of journaling could be a great creative hobby for you to try.
This fun hobby involves doodling, drawing, or painting in your journal in order to express your emotions, tell a story, or record your thoughts. You can even create collages in your journal as a form of creative expression too.
The supplies you'll need for art journaling can be as simple or complicated as you'd like them to be. The choice of supplies is yours, from colored pencils to markers and watercolors to crayons.
Jewelry Making
If you decide to take up jewelry making as your creative hobby, you will be in good company! Jewelry making is one of the most popular creative hobbies to try.
When making jewelry, the possibilities are endless. From the materials you choose to the designs you create, every piece tells an exciting story that's unique to you. For example, making friendship bracelets is a great way to create one-of-a-kind gifts for your friends. The gift is instantly more special, memorable, and valuable because it was handmade from the heart.
Jewelry making is also a great hobby because it involves using skills you might already have from other hobbies like metalworking, macramé, ceramics, and more.
Bullet Journaling
Bullet journaling, also known as “bujo,” is a combination of a planner and journal. It allows you to record your thoughts, stay organized, and maintain your calendar all in one place.
However, the main difference between a bullet journal and a notebook is that a bujo does not use lined paper but rather dotted paper. This allows for maximum customization.
Sections of your bullet journal can include:
- to-do lists
- calendars, including appointments, meetings, etc.
- fitness regimens
- overall goals
- creative ideas that you think of throughout the day
- shopping lists
One of the most important things to remember when creating your bullet journal is that it's supposed to be customized to you. To get the most out of this activity, your bullet journal needs to fit your style, address your needs, and give you what you're looking for.
Candle Making
Candle making is another great new hobby to try! It's particularly fun because you end up with beautiful and fragrant candles when you're done.
The supplies you'll need to start making candles include wax, wicks, fragrance oils, glass jars, a melting pot, and a thermometer. While this isn't an exhaustive list, it's a great place to start.
You can use your creativity when mixing scents, coloring the wax, and choosing the containers for your candles.
Making candles follows a similar melting process to making soaps. These two hobbies are closely related. If you have the supplies to do one, you could easily start doing the other.
Basket Weaving
Basket weaving is another old-world craft that has stood the test of time. The materials you will need to get started on this in your free time include pliers, twine, and wood branches. You can use willow, bamboo, and more.
Basket weaving is an excellent hobby for interior decorating enthusiasts.
While this activity does require some supplies to get started, it's a repetitive and methodical activity that can help your brain relax at the end of a long day. This activity enables you to create art, weaving together different materials to create a beautiful finished product.
Use your baskets around your home to store items, show them off as decorations, or give them as gifts. Not only do you end up with a helpful storage item, but you also have a conversation piece!
Flower Arranging
Flower arranging is one of the more calming creative hobbies that also yields beautiful results!
And flower arranging can be as inexpensive or expensive as you like. To keep your costs low, you can cut flowers from your own flower garden, buy flowers that are in season, and use leftover glassware that you're not already using for the vases.
If you want to invest more money into this hobby, you can purchase more expensive flowers, whether in season or not, and buy new vases that fit your aesthetic. The amount of money you would like to invest into this creative hobby is up to you.
Flowers that you have arranged personally make great gifts for any occasion. They also carry more meaning if you pick the flowers yourself and arrange them just the way you want them to be.
Woodworking and Wood Carving
While woodworking can feel like a daunting new hobby to pick, there are projects for every skill level.
Beginner-level woodworking projects can include making a birdhouse, carving a piece of wood into the shape of your choice, and crafting floating shelves. Projects for more experienced woodworkers can include cabinetry, coffee tables, and headboards. This skill can be developed over time with every project that you do. There is no rush to start taking on complicated woodworking projects from the start.
How much you invest in your wood carving supplies is entirely up to you. From drills and joiners to knives and stains, there's a seemingly endless list of supplies to choose from.
Soap Making
Soap making is another fun and productive hobby. The art of making soap is ancient; however, the process itself is as simple as following a recipe.
Another fun aspect of this hobby is that you can use soap molds in almost any shape to create your soap. Here you can use your own creativity and imagination to brainstorm your wildest soap mold ideas.
As a beginner, you can start with the simplest soap ingredients, and as you become more experienced, you can begin to use more complicated ingredients like goat's milk, essential oils, non-standard molds, and more.
Not only are you enjoying the process of creating your own soaps, but you also end up with a finished product when you're done. Whether you use your own soap around your home or give them as gifts, soap making is one form of creative expression that leaves you with a useful product in the end.
Hand Lettering
Hand lettering is a beautiful skill to develop, and it involves drawing letters by hand. Think of hand lettering as a cross between the art of calligraphy and typography. The fun part about this skill is that you don't have to copy anyone else's style; you can tailor it to match your own style.
The supplies you'll need for this creative hobby include brush-tipped pens in the colors of your choice, pencils, felt pens, and lined paper. From there, the items you can create are seemingly endless:
- greeting cards for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and more
- event place cards and signage
- bookmarks
- journal entries
- handwritten letters
- home decor signs
The intricate designs of these pieces of text are all unique and beautiful. You can frame them in your home or office as artwork or give them to a friend as a gift.
Card Making
One of the most fun and rewarding creative hobbies is card making!
Card making requires low-cost supplies like paper and pens. The variety of supplies that you choose to purchase for this hobby is entirely up to you. It can include stickers, markers, special papers, and more. However, this craft could save you money in the long run by preventing you from having to buy overpriced cards at the store.
From thank you notes to birthday cards, developing the craft of making cards is both relaxing and rewarding. Card making is such a rewarding creative hobby because, at the end of the creative process, you end up giving your creation away as a beautiful gift. Your cards then go on to live with their recipients, and the message on the card means so much more because it's handmade.
Filming YouTube Videos and YouTube Tutorials
Another exciting and rewarding creative hobby to try is filming YouTube videos and tutorials.
One of the best parts about this hobby is that you can create YouTube tutorials on whichever topic you're already an expert in. Whether it's makeup tutorials or automotive mechanic tutorials, the options are endless.
Another reason why filming YouTube videos is such a fun hobby is that there's no pressure to create! When you're doing this for fun, you're not worried about watch time, ad revenue, or deadlines. You're free to let your creative spirit guide you.
If you are looking to monetize this hobby, there are options.
Gardening
Gardening is a great hobby for spending time in nature, getting in some physical activity, and beautifying your exterior spaces.
One of the best parts about this hobby is that depending on what you grow, you can enjoy the fruits of your labor! Whether it's fruits, vegetables, or cut flowers, gardening is one hobby that provides you with beautiful and useful results in the end.
What Are the Benefits of Having a Creative Hobby?
Whether you've decided to start painting, bullet journaling, or hand lettering, there are a variety of benefits to having this new creative outlet.
Enjoying an artistic hobby as a creative pastime offers a variety of mental health benefits. The best part about finding your new favorite hobby is that you don't have to already be a creatively gifted person to reap these benefits.
We'll discuss some of the benefits here.
Improving Cognitive Function
When you pick up a new creative hobby, you're learning new skills along the way. Learning is very good for our brains because it helps improve cognitive function.
This type of creative work also exercises different parts of our brains that we don't always use. The right half of our brain is associated with creativity. Creative thinking engages the right side of our brain, but it also requires the right side to communicate in new ways with the left side. This means that creative hobbies can help our brains' right and left sides form better connections with each other.
Releasing Dopamine
In addition to the other benefits of having a creative hobby, they can also make you happier through the release of dopamine!
Dopamine, also known as the happy hormone, is released while performing creative hobbies with a repetitive element to them. These creative hobbies can include knitting, crocheting, drawing, and more.
Having a Bonding Experience
Depending on which new hobby you choose, it can be a great bonding experience for you and your loved ones.
When deciding which creative hobbies to try, consider which ones would make a great activity with a partner. Even if it's an individual activity, like knitting or drawing, you can still enjoy it side-by-side with someone else.
Sharing your creations with friends and family can not only help you receive positive feedback and encouragement on your fun hobby, but it also encourages them to start up their own great creative hobbies too.
Reducing Stress
A creative activity makes for a great hobby because it helps reduce stress.
Regardless of skill level, creative hobbies have been proven to help reduce stress.
Whether it's a long day at work or toxic relationships that take a toll on us, creative hobbies can help bring down our stress levels. From creating nail art to filming your own makeup videos, creative activities take concentration and effort. In concentrating on our new hobby, we're simultaneously taking our minds off of other stressors.
Forming New Neural Connections
Creative hobbies also create new pathways and connections in our brains.
For example, playing a musical instrument requires us to use many different parts of our brains. From using our eyes to read music, our ears to hear the pitch, and our hands to play the instrument, we're actively engaging several different areas in our brains. We're forming many different neural connections between the left and right hemispheres of our brain.
Creative hobbies like playing an instrument help create better connections between the left and right sides of the brain.
Boosting Memory
Another benefit of having a creative hobby is improved memory. When we engage in creative hobbies, we're simultaneously forming new connections in our brains.
The hippocampus plays an important role in our memory, and forming new neural connections in that area of our brain can help improve our memory overall. When the pathways in your hippocampus are strong, this means recalling memories and remembering previous experiences will be easier for us.
Developing Patience and Problem-Solving Skills
In addition to developing the skill of doing the actual activity, creative types are also able to develop patience and problem-solving skills through these activities.
Creative hobbies force you to solve problems as they arise and stay patient when things go wrong. Whether you dropped a stitch, spilled paint, or forgot to save your digital art file, you will have to figure it out as you go.
Staying Physically Active
Making art and having a creative hobby can also help you stay more physically active.
From going to the store to purchase supplies to moving around during the activity, creative hobbies force you to engage in physical activity. This makes it a great option for a hobby over more sedentary options like watching tv.
While some creative hobbies still involve sitting or staying still, there are some hobbies like gardening and woodworking that are more active choices. It's all about choosing the right one for you.
Potential to Earn Money
In addition to being a great creative outlet, having a creative hobby can also help you earn extra income. While the potential to earn money shouldn't be your sole reason for picking up a new creative activity, it is another potential benefit.
If your hobby involves creating items that are easy to sell and deliver, like crocheted hats or digital designs, selling your items online might be a great option for you. We've compiled a list of where to sell items online to help you get started.
Online seller platforms like Etsy provide a great opportunity for sellers to access millions of shoppers in one marketplace. Check out our guide on how to make money on Etsy to get started.
Can Hobbies Boost Your Creativity?
For creative types, you might be wondering if your choice of hobbies can help boost your creativity overall.
The answer is yes!
Having a creative hobby can help boost your creativity.
Having a creative hobby pushes your brain to come up with new ideas, brainstorm creative solutions, and view situations from different perspectives. These skills are all important parts of creativity.
Have All the Fun With Your Creative Hobbies
Whether you've decided to take up art journaling, soap making, or another relaxing hobby in your free time, we're excited for you to start experiencing the benefits that come along with taking up creative hobbies. We hope this list has helped you pick the right creative hobby for you!
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