Don’t pursue your hobbies so aggressively that they turn into a chore!
When I was young I had a skirt, it was bright ocean blue with black fur at the border. It made me feel like a mermaid. It made me feel like I am a pixie who is supposed to hop from flower to flower and look pretty. I wore it to every gathering, every outing and sometimes even at home when my mother used to scold me for ruining the cloth. However — with time, i forgot about it. It got stuffed at the back of the cupboard and I don’t even remember the last time I wore it. I hated it.
Now that I think about it, we grow out of things — even people and objects. Your favourite book at the age of 10 is different than your favourite book now. It is because you’ve grown from the body of that 10 year old child. What you once found beautiful can turn to the devastating reason behind your madness because you are no more the finger nibbling kid who runs to catch kites, you’ve found technology and lost people in your life — you’ve changed.
I started writing poems and reading books when I was in 5th grade. I read most days and wrote most nights. For a kid who could mere understand the tough words in the books, i sure did pile up a bunch in the corner of my room. I was the same until 12th grade. Then I just stopped. I could not pick up a book without yawing 15 times on page 3. I could not pick up a pen to write a journal. The weight of that pen grew heavier each passing day until I locked all the diaries and books in the shelf.
If you’re an artist starting to hate your art, let me tell you you’re not alone. Artists have always had burnouts. It shook me when i started hating books but it took me time to understand that it is just natural for someone to lose interest in something they’ve been doing for years. You forget why you’re doing it. You grow used to it so much so you wish to try something else.
That’s natural!
If you’re a writer — read about art. If you’re an illustrator — try watching some movie. If you are someone who is starting to dislike their most loved hobbie — try letting it go for a while until you want to seek shelter in it again. For when you will go away from it you’ll realise how much you love it.
Don’t pursue your hobbies so aggressively that they turn into a chore!
Your burnout is associated with lack of accomplishment, mundane activity and exhausting inactiveness. Here are little things you can do during a ‘hobbie burnout’
- Go on a walk, or take some time away from the walls surrounding you and get some fresh air you dummy. Being in nature is always helpful. But, since most of us live in cities where skyscrappers are taking most the space — just going to a small cafe or even something as small as as sitting on your terrace for a few hours can help you catch a breath. Go on, you deserve it!
- Try a different hobby. I know it feels like you’re cheating on your main, beloved hobbie — but hear me out, it’s not the same. You as a human should try different things and learn while you still have the chance. By trying out a new hobby you’re not just growing out of the burnout but also increasing your knowledge. Who knows you might get to meet new people through this.
- Reverse gear in your hobby and go back to when you started. Meaning, ask yourself why you started. Meaning, don’t forget the joy this hobby brought you the first time you tried it. How about you try a different approach for the same now. As a reader — try reading a different genre. As an artist — try a different artform. As a singer — learn some new chords. That is, try things differently and experience the excitement of starting something new all over again.
- REST. REST. REST.
While we’re all here trying our best to accomplish in life and make the best out of our time, don’t forget to see the beauty you’re surrounded with. Don’t forget to stop by the little flowers on roadside, eat icecream, dive in oceans and walk barefoot on grass, touch soft petals and shape clouds — don’t speed-run past your life!
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