You Should Get Some Hobbies

talking about what to do with your free time...

I have to start out by saying a heartfelt thank you for 1,000 subscribers on Bells & Whistles. I started my substack on a random day in April and am blown away by the support and small community of people that I’ve created here. I get inspired by all of you, the conversations I get to have, reading so many of your substacks- it has meant so much to me.

Back when I first started my substack, I wrote a post called “You Should Get Some New Hobbies”, where I talked about being a functioning adult while still making time to be creative and make things with your own hands! Today’s post is the follow up to that, while also digesting what it means for “simple hobbies” to be major parts of who you are as a person.

“Cool” is definitely subjective when it comes to people, but when I think of the individuals in my life I find particularly captivating, it usually comes down to those with some sort of passion. Life can be impossibly busy and hectic sometimes but I find there is nothing more important, in a world where AI is being shoved down our throats, than being an individual.

@kendramorous @kendramorous ♬ original sound - kendra austin ✨

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This Tiktok came up on my for you page this past week and sparked a really interesting conversation within the comments- last week I put out my post “A Conversation of Personal Style” that really meshed my two topics together in a perfect way. I tend to always harp on this sentiment of being a human being- which I know seems incredibly obvious, but at the root of it, Tiktoks can take that ability away. You can be experiencing things through other people through a phone, rather than going to do those things yourself. We are the culmination of the experiences we have had in life- where you grew up, who your parents are, the cultures that surrounded you, the inevitable traumas we all collect- but also, the things you create. Replicating what you see on Instagram, Tiktok, Pinterest- those are not authentic to you as a person. And I think the brain has its way of subconsciously being inspired by whatever you consume, so I don’t fully think it’s a bad thing, but also taking in inspiration from other mediums is what makes things feel personal.

I spoke in my last post about how my culture and heritage is such a huge part of my personal style- it also heavily influences the mediums I work in. Watching my grandmother in Poland handmade crochet doily’s when I was a child gave me a deep love and appreciation for knitting and crochet within my own work in fashion and beyond. Growing up with a father who is a custom woodworker sparked my love and appreciation for furniture and interiors, leading me to create my own wooden wall pieces I spent time staining with natural dyes.

my grandmother’s antique vanity i brought with me to Philly, full of mementos

I truly believe making the conscious effort to learn new skills is a fundamental part of evolving as a human, the way you think, the way you act, the choices you make day to day, all the way down to how you dress. With just being a few years out of college, I have found that it is a privilege to be able to keep learning things. Life can become so monotonous but the exciting part will always be learning. And I am not even saying it needs to be profound or change your worldview- just the other day I took a 2 hour meditation and manifestation class at my local pilates studio. Go to your local art museum, be part of a book club, sign up for your local knitting class, have a craft night with your friends! Having an activity that is not centered on your career or necessities in life but purely for the love of being a human who can enjoy these things.

What it comes down to is: Be bored!!! We are not bored enough these days!!! Constant stimulation from social media, TV shows, music, podcasts, YouTube, movies, whatever- it’s overwhelming the brain. And listen, I am not perfect at it either, trust me. But some of my favorite hobbies have stemmed from me having to sit in complete silence and solitude, or feeling endlessly tired of the routine I’ve created for myself.

In a world where AI is being pushed upon all of us from every direction, it’s important now more than ever to develop and have more skills under your belt so these things don’t become a “lost art”. Weaving, relief printing, woodworking, bookbinding, anything that has to be done with the hands of a human!! And cannot be replicated by a machine or a computer!

saw this tweet about AI and could not agree more

My goal when it comes to posting on social media has always been to inspire others to be creative and use their hands to make things- never to copy exactly what I do, rather to share the objects I find that end up being part of my next creative project. I am very lucky when it comes to my full time career that it is a very creative position that is also very research heavy- so I am constantly making notes of crafts and techniques that I want to learn. That is the beautiful part about social media and should be the key takeaway- the desire to learn.

RecCreate Collective in Brooklyn

The beautiful thing that can come from having niche hobbies and interests is the community aspect that follows suit. I look to places like RecCreate Collective in Brooklyn, New York as a perfect example of how important it is to have third places like this to connect with others. They base their creative classes around the ability to connect with others while there, and highly encourage people to even come to class alone to meet someone new.

@alexestclineit’s thought daughter o’clock #sewing #quilting #feminism

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I want to end this post with this Tiktok I saw a few months back that really resonated with me. When it comes to the history of traditionally feminine crafts, it has been lost in conversation how intricate of an art form these “domestic” works can be, with much of them being simplified to “housewife activities”. In reality, the art of sewing, quilting, crocheting, dyeing, weaving, embroidery, lacework, mending etc take thousands of hours of dedication to even learn as well as completing full pieces. This topic absolutely has a much deeper history stemming back to feminism and the patriarchy and capitalism (which I unfortunately will not delve into for this post), but my point comes down to carrying on these incredibly important crafts without always feeling the need to commodify them because society feels you should. To make things for yourself and your loved ones because you want to. To pass down these crafts to future generations- I still have vivid memories of my grandmother teaching me how to sew on her vintage sewing machine. I cherish the fact that I have this deep connection to the women in my life that span generations, and hope to be able to continue for many more.

All this to say, with the new year just starting, maybe you can add “start a new hobby” on your resolutions list. Who knows what you’ll learn, who you will meet, the people you will be inspired by, or where it can take you. What an exciting thing to be able to take part in!

That’s all I have for today. As always, leave a comment or send me a dm on instagram if you want to discuss anything hobby related, I would love to chat! Thank you so much for being here and for reading.

-Izabela