I am a person with many, many hobbies.
This, is initially seen as a good thing, because people with a lot of hobbies are considered creative and active. But in my case, I think it makes me more of a pro-procrastinator than anything else, as I like to indulge more in my avocations rather than my vocations for most of the time.
But if I really have to handpick one single hobby that I like the most, out of the long lists of things I like to do, I’d pick painting as my favourite.
There is just something about it, you know? The motions, the almost rusty smell of paints, the dance of colours on paper, and the scrapping of brushes and ink; bring forth a sort of peace inside me that is hard to explain. It’s not as though I’m an expert at what I do. In fact, I’m nowhere near an artist. My lack of knowledge in colour theory and perspectives is laughable at best. But still, every time I pick up a brush, I feel the happiest.
It’s like going on an adventure, this hobby. With the first stroke of the brush on an empty canvas, your story begins, and every line after that creates new chapters, new emotions and a new journey. Sometimes, you end up with something you never thought you’d achieve. Sometimes it’s a lost cause and you come back defeated. Yet, the journey you went on remains, the feelings of despair and delight you felt remains within you, and pretty soon, you lose track of time and place, and the day goes by without a hitch.
Playing with colours and getting my hands dirty(literally) helps me to calm down when my mind is in a jumble. As I am an extream overthinker who struggles with anxiety most of the time, this one hobby of mine really helps me to settle down and stay grounded. It almost works like meditation, and every time I come out of it feeling better than before.
These are some of the works I did, and even though none of them are on the top tier, I still love them to bits. I sometimes gift some of my friends the things I draw( which are mostly digital arts) and I love seeing how they light up their faces. There is joy in giving away something you make rather than keeping them to yourselves, but that doesn’t mean you need to give all you ever made to others. You need to keep some things for yourself too, so you can look back and remember who you were and how far you’ve come from that position.
While doing commission work did cross my mind from time to time, I’ve yet to take up on it. As I’m still learning about art itself and still have a long way to go with it, I think I’ll take things slow. My hobby doesn’t strictly need to be my income source. I’m fine keeping my things to myself and to my close ones. But I'm not oppose to venturing out into the work side of the field either. All in due time.
Hobbies are, in general, wonderful things. They are like your closest friends at your times of need. They help you, teach you, and guide you through the tough times, and they always makes you smile. So it’s only natural that I think that everyone should have a hobby. And I think everyone does. From reading to writing to even downright sleeping, I’ve seen people being passionate about so many different things. Their hobbies define who they are, gives an insight to how they think, how they function.
So yeah, it’s good, having avocations, which come in handy when in you need a vacation from all your vocations.