A hobby that brings you joy! This one is easy.

Or maybe it is hard. I have a lot of hobbies… A studio full of them, in fact. To narrow it down to one is probably harder than I think.

Sewing. Crocheting. Making greeting cards. Acrylic painting. Polymer crafting. Vinyl crafting. Playing & writing music. Writing (short stories and more). Baking. Cooking. Camping. Riding my bike. The list goes on. They all bring me joy. Except maybe cleaning up dishes after cooking and baking, but…

I find them all joyful and for different reasons. Creating is something I love to do. I have since I was a little girl. I remember learning to sew and trying to figure out a pattern. It was for a bib for one of my dolls. It frustrated me. I tossed it aside and just made it, from the idea in my head. It worked. This past Christmas, I taught myself to quilt. I made placemats for my son from fabric left over from his Gran’s stash.

My grade four teacher taught me to crochet – what was supposed to be a hot mat turned into a pig (I kept dropping stitches) but I eventually figured it out and have made everything from blankets to clothing, with patterns and without. My sister taught me to paint – she taught herself by trial and error and while I still can’t paint trees very well, I derive a lot of pleasure from trying. I’ve taken a couple drawing classes as well and find it amazing what a person can do with a little will and a touch of inspiration!

While I’ve had some formal training in music and I can read music fluently, I taught myself to play guitar when I was 14. I will go long spells without playing, but the basics that I know I seem to always remember. I can pick it up after having not played in months (or even years) and within a few hours, it is like I never stopped. I love tinkering with melodies and the words that float around in my brain. They are all for me, and when my son was small, I’d sing him all kinds of songs I’d make up. My next challenge is to take up piano again. Once upon a time, I learned all his songs when he did his Royal Conservatory exams, so if I new them once, I’m sure I’ll pick it up again.

Writing is my lifeline. While I often feel blocked, I see my life in words like a stock ticker on wall street. All my thoughts cruise across my eyes in a green digital display. Yes, there are often typos! Words I don’t know are jumbled together, but the thoughts still come. I write short stories – erotica, horror, romance. Whatever comes to me in the moment. I have several digital folders full. I have one full novel that I wrote in 45 days. I don’t know how to end it, however, so it sits, unfinished. Writing is one of my biggest joys in life. It is why I started this website.

I like to bake and recently started monkeying around with sour dough. It was one of my 50×50 list items and I’ve had good success with it. It is delicious! It is also a lot more work than I anticipated. However, it is also fairly forgiving. Speaking of, I must remember to feed it tonight, as i think I’m going to bake bread – but I have to start it tonight, so I have bread for Saturday… Yes, it can be a three day process.

To pick one, just one, is hard. I am fortunate enough to have the time to invest in my hobbies. I love them all and they all bring me joy for different reasons. Hobbies feed my heart. While I haven’t had a lot of time as of late to tinker with them (and the fact my studio is in boxes) I am on the home stretch of getting the space back together!

Spin the wheel and you pick, because I just cannot. ❤

Post inspired by 30 Days of Gratitude by Ordinary & Happy