If you crave something creative to do after a long exhausting day at work or looking for something fun to do during your leisure time, you’re at the right place as we have some ideas for you.
With the rise of the internet, learning something new has never been easier. Online courses, books and other resources (a lot of them are free), Reddit threads to engage with your hobby fellas, etc, are just one click away. Learning one new creative and fulfilling skill will enrich our lives, not to mention that hobbies will give us something to talk about at parties!
The best way to cultivate a new hobby is to try something new! Here are our ideas to make you move!
1. Learn calligraphy
Put on a good movie and pour yourself a glass of wine to make it even more enjoyable! Calligraphy can be good for mental health. It’s almost therapeutic to leisurely make your way through a calligraphy worksheet while a good movie {or your favorite music} is playing. As far as practical benefits of learning calligraphy, think of those wedding or birthday invitations, Christmas cards, etc, wouldn’t they be even more beautiful if they would be written by your hand? Now when we got you into starting with this skill, here are some resources to start with.
1. If you find yourself wanting to create calligraphy but have no idea where to start, then this is precisely the blog post for you – The Beginner’s Guide to Modern Calligraphy by Lindsey at The Postman’s Knock. Get the initial low-down on modern calligraphy with Lindsey’s comprehensive guide.
2. Or get this extremely affordable beginner practice book on Amazon.
3. For anyone who wants to learn the basics of hand-lettering – Hand Lettering Online Class from Brit.co
4. There are so many talented people who share their knowledge through their Instagram accounts, and we definitely recommend following some of our faves: Calligrafikas, Pieces Calligraphy and The Postman’s Knock.
2. Upgrade cooking skills
If you love cooking or you’re just starting with it, there are some lessons you should not skip. Besides that, there is always something new to learn to expand your skills and be more professional chef alike. Is it hard to learn? Nah but it depends on the amount of time you’re willing to spend. Learning proper techniques, all sorts of specifically designed knives and cooking tools will make cooling a whole lot easier and faster.
1. Start by learning about different types of kitchen knives and what they’re used for.
2. After that go ahead and get your self one professional set of knives and start practising. Our fave is Oxford Chef Four Piece Set you can get on Amazon.
3. Explore food photography! After you mastered some cooking techniques, it is time to show off on social media (yes, we said it). Start with Food Photography Basics from Sally’s Baking Addiction.
Recommended photography book:
- Pinch of Yum Tasty Food Photography eBook: – A solid eBook about food photography (with videos!) by food blogger Lindsey of Pinch of Yum. She provides technical camera setting advice, composition tips, lighting tips, props and setup details, and photo editing and workflow tips. Also, you can watch videos of Lindsey shooting and editing photos, which are really helpful.
Additional food photography resources:
- 12 Things That Have Helped My Food Photography by Bojon Gourmet
- 15 Essential Food Photography Tips from Andrew Scrivani
- Smitten Kitchen’s Approach to Food Photos
3. Gardening
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. – Marcus Tullius Cicero
Gardens are fantastic spaces, whether it’s just somewhere to relax in the sun, work on your gardening skills or simply a little piece of soil and stone to call your own. But sometimes it’s not always possible to have the garden of your dreams at the back of your house (those who’ve ever lived in a high-rise apartment will understand!) Miniature gardens take up virtually no space, and are very fun to make. Browse through our favourite mini gardens and start designing your own miniature paradise!
Learn how to start a fairy garden of your own with Amanda!
DIY Home herb garden
Herbs are the keys to flavor. There’s no shame in using dried herbs, but growing fresh herbs yourself is well worth the effort. Did you know that delicate herbs thrive best in small containers? Genovese and sweet basil, thyme and cilantro will love a sunny window in your prettiest cups. That being said, time to start your own sweet little herb garden. We promise you’ll have so much joy watching it grow! We wrote about it before, here is some inspiration and resources – Inspiring DIY Herb Gardens.
Hanging Baskets From Crocus Credit: Tim Young
4. Practice meditation
Many studies have proven that meditation has numerous physiological benefits, including a study done at Harvard University.
What is meditation? And how and why would I do it? Get the answers on Yoga Journal.
After you gained some basic knowledge of meditation, get your self a neat meditation cushion and start practicing!
Additional resources:
- MINDFULNESS 101 ~ FREE seven-day class!
- Meditation for Beginners ~ 20 tips from zenhabits {great site!}
- Mindfulness: The Basics from mindful.org
- A great book for beginners is Mark Williams and Danny Penman’s Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World.
5. Paint
Wake up your inner Frida Kahlo and get to painting! But wait….what tools will you need? What should you paint first? Do you have to know how to draw? Where does one begin?!? Calm down, we’ll come to that.
I’m sure you don’t need us to tell you that at the very minimum you will need paints, brushes and canvas! These are an obvious necessity when one wants to begin to paint. This painting kit from Amazon has everything you need to get started.
Also, check out Painting for Beginners – A 7 Step Guide to Get You Started form Draw Paint Academy to learn about different mediums, supplies you will need, ideas on what to paint first and how to review and improve.
6. Learn how to apply your makeup
When it comes to makeup, a skillful application can make all the difference. Applying your favorite products the correct way can do two things: help you achieve the beauty look you crave, and help you get the most out of your makeup.
- Makeup Brush Guide: Which Ones You Actually Need and How to Use Them
- How to Apply Makeup: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide
- Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual: For Everyone from Beginner to Pro
7. Learn to taste wine like a pro
Becoming wine savvy isn’t for everyone. But it’s the best way for wine drinkers to enhance their social experiences and gain an improved sense of taste. Also, you’ll become more confident buying wine and be able to taste differences in quality.
Hit the books
At the beginning with a Wine 101-type book that covers its history and why we taste what we taste in wine, like Wine Folly’s The Essential Guide to Wine ($25). When you’re ready to move on to the next level, graduate to Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine ($30).
- Learn how to taste wine like a pro. (video)
- Learn how to take detailed tasting notes. Most sommeliers use some variation of the grid.
- Increase your knowledge of the most important wine regions of the world
8. Learn magic
You don’t have to be a wizard to do magic tricks. The secrets are simple, and anyone can learn them. So if you want to make your family and friends fascinated by your cool skills at the next party, start learning my friend!
- 3 EASY Card Tricks You Can Learn In 5 MINUTES!!!
- Check out Chris Ramsay YouTube channel for more cool card tricks.
- Get Bicycle Black Magic Playing Cards on Amazon
We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, Just Imagine may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page, at no extra charge to you. However, all projects and opinions are our own.
