Pastimes as experts reveal why more learning how to make do and mend
Generation are driving unexpected boom in traditional arts and crafts I might not be good at any of it...but it’s all good for me Post writer Alice Hinds reveals her hobby habit
geared towards kids. So, I decided to open up my own place that would cater for people in their 20s, 30s and up.
“In the past five years, we’ve definitely found people are looking for a way to de-stress, and customers
As soon as their little angels can walk, talk and dribble a football, mums and dads quickly sign their children up for every after school club, dance group and sports team available.
Karate, ballet, tennis, baby yoga, swimming, gymnastics...you name it, there’s an activity ready and waiting to turn your wee ones into confident, outgoing youngsters, all for the low, low price of your precious Sunday morning.
Most of my friends have recently become first-time parents, and their enthusiasm for every perfect pirouette, goal and volunteering badge is well documented, with each scroll on my Instagram feed bringing up a new pink-tutu portrait or muddy post-match snap.
Unlike my friends’ well-rounded tots, I didn’t really have any structured interests when I was young. I missed every single Brownie meeting, the only sport I played was in PE, and after school my nose was usually buried in a book. There was a stint playing cello in the school orchestra, but Yo-yo Ma I was not.
I’m quite convinced my lack of interests was directly linked to being the youngest of three children – my brother is a whole decade older, and there’s seven years between me and my sister, so by the time I was born my parents had sat through enough recitals, plays and performances to last a lifetime. Naturally, they didn’t have a burning desire to push me into any activities I didn’t want to attend, and being older makes your parenting style much more hands-off than Helicopter. Plus, who wouldn’t want a weekend free for taxi duties?
But, now that I’m an adult, I’m more than making up for my lack of after-school interests. After graduating from university, I found myself stuck in a job that felt more like an eight-hour torture session than a means to make rent, so began searching for something – anything – that would take my mind off the Sunday-night blues.
My local college offered a range of inexpensive evening classes, so for the first time in my life I signed up for an extracurricular, opting for a weekly three-hour evening class, which quickly ignited a passion for crafts. In the eight years since, I’ve gone from being a dedicated sofa dweller to a hobby obsessive, turning my hand to everything from analogue
Iphotography (admittedly very hipster) to beginner’s ballet (much harder than children make it look).
Although I now have a job I love, crafts, classes and courses continue to offer some respite from screens and stress.
Numerous studies have shown that tactile hobbies, such as knitting, sewing, embroidery and even colouring books, can improve our mental health, leading to a reduction in depression and anxiety. And, according to retailer Hobbycraft, 2020 will see sketching and drawing become a popular way to stimulate mindfulness and relaxation, after a 14% rise in sales of sketch books.
I’ve struggled with anxiety since my early 20s and one of the few remedies that’s helped to ease any self-imposed, irrational panic was attending pottery classes, embroidery lessons, and fine art silkscreen printing.
Most recently, I have taken on a weekly calligraphy class, which has improved my mood just as much as my penmanship. There’s something very therapeutic about putting pen to paper, hand to clay or needle to thread, spending just a few hours of the week without my phone propped in front of my face. Plus, I’ve met lots of interesting, like-minded people along the way.
When was the last time you turned off the TV, closed Twitter, and simply focused on a task that requires your full attention? These days we’re so used to distractions and demands on our time. I don’t claim to be very good at any of the hobbies I’ve acquired (my homemade mugs and bowls are about as useful as a chocolate teapot) but the distraction provided by each project is priceless – which is probably ironic considering how much I’ve spent on craft supplies!