This topic of discussion came up when talking to a colleague, they were having issues with their Hobby and felt it was time to pack it in; I asked them “what have you tried to improve upon within the Hobby?” – they looked at me blankly; so I followed up with “have you found or discussed your Hobby with others that engage in it to get new ideas, inspiration or find something new to challenge yourself within the Hobby”, they simply replied “I never thought of doing that”. With that the light bulb moment occurred and realised there might be more people like my colleague that pack in a Hobby before exploring other avenues to reignited the fire within their Hobby. So let’s look at this discussion point in more detail and hopefully we can help others too who might be struggling with the Hobbyist blues.
Why would you Compare Hobbies and Interests?
The few main reasons I can think of why you would want to start looking at others who partake in your Hobby and Interests is that you might be new and struggling to get the hang of it, you might feel you’re doing something wrong and need advice or the Hobby is getting boring after prolonged time. No matter your reasons there’s mountains of information, guidance and ideas out there relating to your Hobby waiting to be reviewed by individuals who might be in the aforementioned category and all you need to do is stop and find the information for yourself.
Stagnant Hobby
I do feel sometimes when you’ve been doing a Hobby for prolonged period or you’re not coming to grips with the Hobby to it’s full potential; it can appear to be stagnant and may not provide you with the joy it once did, this is perfectly normal but isn’t reason enough to give up on a Hobby you once loved.
If you’re starting to get bored or frustrated with the Hobby for whatever reason it might be good to seek advice and guidance to resolve these issues. If you’re becoming bored of the Hobby then research exciting new ways of engaging with the Hobby, if it’s due to a problem with the Hobby then research solutions to the problem. Just like problems we face every day there are solutions to the problems, resources out there to get said solutions and people to guide you through to the correct information.
Inspiration
This might be an interesting subject why would you feel you need to be ‘inspired’ to compare your Hobby, this could simply be due to curiosity, or you’ve heard of a certain person or content that would inspire the need to review the information in whatever form that may influence and benefit your Hobby via various means.
You could discuss your Hobby with a colleague, friend or person within your Hobby group and they mention “I watch this video on YouTube last night really interesting take on your/our Hobby, you should check it out”. You might be moved, inspired or simply curious to check out the information yourself and see how it benefits you or simply to satisfy the curiosity started by the other.
Further Understanding
We could be faced with questions, problems and obstacles we’re unable to solve therefore we need further understanding and knowledge as such we need to review resources that might have that. The best way to obtain said information is to engage with those who already participate in your Hobby, depending on their skillset, experience or expertise they might have the answers for you.
There are many methods in which other people might be able to provide that information, as in this modern age there’s mountain of information in front of us every moment of our lives we just need to look in the right direction and you just might find what you’re looking for.
Methods of Comparing
Ok we know there are times in which we can compare and discuss with others who share our Hobbies and Interests to use it to our benefit to resolve problems, inspire positive change within our Hobby and develop our understanding further but how do we go about it?
TV
I think this is my most surprising resource because although I don’t use TV specifically for getting information, tips and ideas for my Hobby it’s something indirectly affects my Hobby all the time; I could be watching a TV programme or Movie that may simply contain a scene that inspires an idea to try within my Hobby be it a concept or some variation to spice up said Hobby.
The ideas and concepts within TV shows can inspire thought processes, it doesn’t even have to be a TV show related to your Hobby at all. It can simply be a scene, phrase or happening within the show that makes you think about your Hobby in a new light and inspires for you trying something new.
Social Media
Social Media is heavily saturated and crammed with content creators trying to get your attention, sell their products and ideas but there are gems on there that offer you advice, guidance and information that is invaluable you just have to look and try some of them out within your Hobby.
You could find somebody who takes part in the same Hobby as you but sets themselves challenges you might want to try, you might find somebody with decades of experience who offers their guidance on how to fix or pass their wealth of knowledge on to you so assist with your Hobby or can simply be those that have evolved your Hobby for entertainment purposes that simply revitalises your interest in said Hobby.
Make sure when going down the rabbit hole that is Social Media that you try to focus on finding information useful to you, although a lot of it is designed to get your click and attention but it’s the subject matter and the substance they’re providing is what you’re truly after as such skip those that aren’t worth your time, attention and not focusing on what you feel your need for your Hobby to ease the process through the saturated landscape that is Social Media.
Discussions
You can have conversations with friends, colleagues, people in your social circle and community they don’t even have to take part in the Hobby they can offer fresh perspectives that might be different to your own and insights without prior knowledge can allow you to think of your Hobby in a new light. Don’t underestimate the advice and guidance of those around you, they may see things different to you, not clouded in prior misconceptions or opinions regarding the matter so they can provide unbiased opinions and information that could be vital to resolving problems, fatigue or revitalising your Hobby by thinking about it differently.
Now I’m not saying simply talking to people you don’t know about your Hobby by talking to people you know, maybe explain to them what your problem is and they may give you insights you’ve never thought of before.
This Blog
Although this blog doesn’t tend to delve deeply into specific Hobbies beyond my experiences of trying them and failing at them, but we do offer an array of information that can be applied to any Hobby and might just be what you need to look upon your Hobby differently, or it might be changes to yourself that allow you to enjoy your Hobby even more.
Most of the time I ramble, lose track of my point and choose subject matters that I want to discuss but that subject, that rambling and the subject we discuss could be what a person is after as such don’t be afraid to watch and read amateur content creators who have a passion and special interest in Hobbies they might have something to give besides a face palm moment for entertainment purposes.
Benefits of Comparing
So we’ve briefly discussed on the how and some benefits of comparing your Hobby within many places, areas and people but lets delve into those benefits even further to see if it’s something that could help you; this might be something you don’t even know you need and giving it a try could unlock some of these for you.
Discover something new
Sometimes we feel that we’ve discovered, experienced and played out every scenario we could possibly think of within our Hobby, tried every product or every variation of act within the Hobby but trust me there’s always people out there coming up with new ideas, discoveries and challenges for you to undertake that you’ve not tried before.
It’s always an amazing feeling giving something new within your Hobby a try, I’ve always had a fondness for photography, but it was the simple act of taking the picture and preserving the memory. Recently I’ve discovered photo editing how I can bring my old photos new life and tell a new story via colour corrections and edits. These help revitalise the photo but also the Hobby allowing me to explore a whole new side of the photography Hobby which has also led to creating better photos for my content.
Improving yourself and your Hobby
Sometimes it’s not just the Hobby that needs something new and interesting it could be a part of ourselves that needs change or improvement; sometimes certain Hobbies have a physical, mental or attribute and skill that requires the development of ourselves both in understanding and ability before we undertake it. We could go down the path of improving ourselves so we can undertake new depth of our Hobby be it a new variation that may require more physical strength, it could be a problem that require a mental understanding of problem solving that you’ve yet to obtain or simply that you need to practice a new skillset to undertake a new experience within the Hobby.
Sometimes improving an aspect of ourselves helps us engage more in our Hobby, improves our health and wellbeing in the process; leading down one path can lead to multiple opportunities don’t let an obstacle hold you back, find solution and aim for that so you can come back to engage in the Hobby with renewed vigour and skill required.
Health, Social and Financial Benefits
Sometimes the obstacles within our way might be those that affect multiple aspects of our lives, such as health problems, social and mental health problems but also the dreaded financial problems. If these are obstacles in your life and in the way of the Hobby then working on them could allow you to get back to enjoying your Hobby with renewed purpose and ability.
If you’re health is run down you could get check-up, redo your nutritional intake and start a new fitness regime. Once these things are in place you feel a better sense of healthy wellbeing in under to undertake your Hobby with a more able sense of self that can engage with the Hobby in a physical and mental state you can now offer. Don’t neglect underline problems, sometimes throwing ourselves at Hobbies and Work isn’t the solution but ignoring a deeper problem that needs to be addressed and fixed so that we can enjoy all other aspects of our lives not just a single one.
My Reflection within the Community
You could also find that people that share similar experiences and advice in the comment sections of blogs and videos to help those around them, giving advice and tales of reflection that better enable the community to rally to the concept and benefit from it as a whole.
Learning and Researching for Hobby Challenges
While working on this Blog and my content I’ve explored various Hobbies and Special Interests but I always relied on the community, those with more experience and the knowledge all around us via multiple sources to first learn of the Hobby, the concepts and how to engage with it at multiple levels.
I also ensure when engaging in the Hobby I make myself aware of any problems, short comings or issues that are causing me difficulty so I can address them before they become something bigger than they currently are.
Don’t be afraid to seek advice and listen to your Hobbyist community even if they might know as much as you or less they can give you perspective and insights that might just help.
There's always somebody who knows more
If you’re currently in a state that you feel you’ve learned everything from the Hobby, explored every avenue and have no longer nothing to gain from the Hobby trust me there’s always somebody with a new idea, concept or has done more than yourself. Unless you’re currently a world champion, have done your Hobby while in outer space and teach your Hobby to others at all levels or have engaged in your Hobby with every culture and location on the planet there’s always something to explore all that’s missing is the motivation to take that next step. Too much? Just trying to get my point across the finish line and home run… too many phrases… will stop now…
The Dreaded Signing Off
The early days of our content and blog will be focused on around general subject matters, something we can all relate to, such as time, money and organising / routines then branching out to more diverse and sometimes wacky subject matters all to get you thinking about your Hobby in different ways but also for you to pay it forward and teach us about your Hobbies.
I thank you for making it to the end, there are and should be other blogs for you to read; if you like diversity in your content you can watch our video-based content on YouTube, our reels and photos on Instagram or you can swing by our live streaming on Twitch to engage with us in real time, no matter your content of choice I can’t wait to hear from you.
*Please note any funding or donations towards the Hobbyist Community goes into helping fund the creation of the content here and I thank everyone for their time in visiting our website and other media.
Have a lovely day and happy Hobbying.
