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What Should I Consider When Choosing a New Hobby?

Sheri Cyprus
Sheri Cyprus

Choosing a new hobby can be a great idea if you have extra time on your hands or just want to try your hand at something new. While your interest level can guide you well in choosing a new hobby, to avoid possible disappointment with your choice later on, it's a good idea to take a few minutes to consider other factors in making your decision. Work space, equipment needed, time investment needed, learning method, your budget and the end result of your new hobby should all be taken into consideration when you're choosing a new hobby.

The end result of your hobby is what your project will look like. If you're not sure how your first few projects will turn out, then it's best to start small. Otherwise, you run the risk of making a big investment in supplies only to find out that you don't like any of the end results of your new hobby. In some cases when choosing a new hobby, the end result may not be important to you at all. For example, you may want to take pottery classes just to have fun and feel the clay in your hands and the thought of producing wobbly pots and vases doesn't worry you.

Hobbies like knitting can be learned independently or as part of a class.
Hobbies like knitting can be learned independently or as part of a class.

Your budget is a major consideration when choosing a new hobby because if you can't afford the hobby it's not going to be a very relaxing or enjoyable in the long run. It's easy to find a hobby within your budget. Plus, you can always start with a small project in your new hobby and work up to bigger and more costly projects. For example, if you want to try beading your own jewelry, you could buy just enough beads to make a few small pieces as well as perhaps a how-to booklet and try it on your own. Then, you could move up to classes and buy more beading supplies in more colors and varieties.

Soap making can be a rewarding and profitable hobby.
Soap making can be a rewarding and profitable hobby.

Preferred learning methods vary between crafters. Some prefer learning in a class or group, while others may want to watch a video or learn from a book. Some people learn best by just choosing a new hobby and experimenting creatively on their own. Time investment when choosing a new hobby is also a consideration. If you want to take classes, do you have time available to do so and on the days and time options the class offers?

Some hobbies may provide beneficial exercise.
Some hobbies may provide beneficial exercise.

If you have a larger home with a separate room for your hobbies, you may not have to think too much about equipment and work space in terms of choosing a new hobby. However, in any case, equipment may be difficult to find or quite expensive so you may want to consider taking lessons in which you use borrow the equipment needed. If space is limited where you live, or you want to travel with your new hobby, crafts such as knitting may be perfect.

Discussion Comments

clintflint

@browncoat - I don't think I actually have a hobby. The closest I would come to it is maybe collecting rare books or going to a book club, but I'm not sure that people really refer to those as hobbies.

I guess I think people should just have a wide range of activities that they enjoy and not worry so much about what they call that. There are a few things I do, like art, that some people might call a hobby but to me it's more like a part-time job that doesn't pay all that well.

browncoat

@Fa5t3r - I actually think that's one of the most important things about a hobby. It needs to be significantly different from what you do during the day. For a while I basically played on video games as my hobby even though it meant I was sitting in front of a screen all day and then coming home and doing it all night as well.

I love the games and I still play them, but I try to get out and do other things now as well, simply because my health started to suffer a little. If I do some gardening or go to a dance class I sleep better and I feel better at work the next day, and I think it's just because my brain likes doing something that's different from the usual.

Choosing a new hobby is just a matter of figuring out what you might enjoy but don't get to do already.

Fa5t3r

I've got to say that when I first took some pottery classes I expected it to be a bit of fun and that I might make some friends, but I didn't realize that it would actually be a little bit emotional. I'd never really made anything with my hands before like that and being able to bring home and even use little bowls and even a pitcher that I built myself made me much prouder than I expected.

This might not be what everyone is missing in their life, but if you work at a desk job all day and don't get to do much that's creative, a hobby where you get to make things could be just what the doctor ordered.

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    • Hobbies like knitting can be learned independently or as part of a class.
      By: picsfive
      Hobbies like knitting can be learned independently or as part of a class.
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