Earl Grey Books

Was anyone else one of those kids who was just into everything? I was constantly trying new things on the weekends and after school—namely arts and crafts, but I was always making something different. Some of these hobbies stuck around for longer, others were passing fancies. Either way, once I graduated high school, I really lost that creative drive.

Some of this is for personal reasons. I lost my mum that following year, I travelled, I studied and worked and got really sick. A lot of the time I didn’t have the physical or mental energy to keep up any hobbies but reading.

2020 was obviously a big year of stepping back, staying inside and for me that also meant a lot of time stuck inside my own head. As anyone with anxiety and depression knows, that’s not a fun place most of the time. I did what I always do and threw myself into books, but as we started to near the end of the year, I realised I needed something different.

So today I’m talking about some of the things I’m going to try in 2021, plus a couple I’ve already started on.

Pottery

This is one of the hobbies I’ve already tried so far this year. Back in school, whenever we got to do pottery in art class for a couple of weeks I would get extremely excited. Maybe it’s to do with my love of mugs, maybe it’s something else, I have no idea! But I took a once-off class last week and ended up really enjoying myself. I’m waiting to see how my pieces turn out and then I might decide to do a longer course depending on how it all lines up with my actual Uni timetable and whatnot.

Bullet Journaling

Another one I’ve started on. I’ve been feeling very inspired by Annemieke’s ‘Show Your Bujo Theme’ posts, and so I finally just went ahead and started one. I’d been hesitant about this one for numerous reasons, which we’re about to get into. A) I have shaky hands, which results in B) I can’t draw by hand to save my life and C) my handwriting is all over the place. D) My life is kind of chaotic and my schedule is constantly getting changed. And E) I need it to be perfect. So basically, this year I ignored all those reasons and did it anyway. I’ve screwed up a few times, but I’m doing my best as I go. I’m not feeling confident enough to share any of it yet, but maybe give me a few months.

Bookbinding

I think this one kind of goes along with bullet journaling a little. I’ve always been interested in bookbinding ever since I was a kid. My dad’s a printer, so I grew up pretty much surrounded by paper and ink and design. I first learnt about deckled edges from him before I ever owned any books with them. More recently I’ve done the digital side of this process—putting together mock-ups with bleeds and crop marks and everything, but I’m still really interested in learning the actual creating process, more in terms of journals and sketchbooks, than what I’ve been doing so far.

Digital Art

Speaking of graphic design, I’ve been working quite a bit lately with digital art. I find it much easier than hand-drawing things. For one, I can easily go back to fix something and for some reason, I’m just not as hard on myself. I’m still working on very simple things—objects rather than figures, but I hope I’ll have some things to share with you in the coming months.

Sewing

Has anyone else come to the realisation that you don’t really like the type of clothes that are in style, or that they don’t suit you or that you’re just a really weird size and nothing fits right? Oh, me too. I’m usually a very comfort over style person—I’m lockdown fashion but like always. But I have been trying to make an effort to wear pretty clothes for my mental health, and sometimes that involves need new clothes. Cue online shopping. Cue me realising I don’t like 95% of what stores here sell. Rinse and repeat. So clearly, my mind was like—LET’S MAKE CLOTHES. Only, I don’t own a sewing machine and also I haven’t shown anything since I was about 16 and it was a very hastily made cape for a convention. I think I’m looking at another short course for this one.

I’d love to hear what some of the hobbies you’ve tried out during lockdown, or that you’re hoping to try in 2021!