the importance of HOBBIES

My name is Allison, and I’m a hobby junkie.

Maybe this comes from having a squirrel brain (if ya know, ya know…), but I love trying all the things. Bouncing around from hobby to hobby, idea to idea, medium to medium is my main form of exercise. From active hobbies like ballet barre and yoga to creative hobbies like sculpting and ukulele playing, I just LOVE to try new things. This probably comes as no surprise to you given how much I yap about the joy I find in exploration.

But this exploration sometimes comes with a price. And that price is burnout. The truth is, we weren’t meant to do all the things. We weren’t meant to be good at everything. While I think it’s important to try new things and find the hobbies you enjoy, I also think it’s important to recognize that we can’t do everything all at once (at least not to any level of proficiency).

While I do still love to explore and give new hobbies a try, I’ve also found great joy in grounding myself in just a few hobbies. And one of those hobbies is miniatures! Last year, I put together my first miniature kit, and since then I’ve been obsessed. I think this is probably rooted in how much I loved playing with dolls as a kid (where’s my Polly Pocket and Littlest Pet Shop fam at??)

This was my first kit. A cozy little coffee shop. But I decided to put my own spin on it! I repainted many of the items, carved bricks into the walls (this is incredibly dangerous, and I’m surprised I didn’t slice my finger open with my x-acto knife… seriously, don’t do this…), and even built and stained a wooden flooring for it! I turned it into a coffee shop for the Meraki Meadow, and eventually turned it into an illustration as well.

Fast forward to Christmas of 2023, when I received my second miniature kit: a book shop. I knew instantly that I wanted to revamp it into Fergus the Fox’s library from the Meraki Meadow! I was so excited to get started on this new project. But as many of you know, 2024 hasn’t exactly gone quite as I planned. Between Life Things™, creative burnout, and a general lack of direction, my library project fell by the wayside. In fact, I didn’t even get around to opening the kit until the end of the summer.

But once I did, I was reminded of the importance of making time for hobbies. While miniature making is still a creative hobby, it isn’t one that’s directly related to my career as an artist. Putting this kit together is a “just for me” thing. A cozy time of creativity that doesn’t necessarily need to be filmed and documented. Although I wouldn’t say that life has slowed down, I have been more intentional about making time for this hobby. It reminds me to enjoy the little moments of life and not simply jump around from task to task. Anyhoo, I FINALLY got all the shelves put together and repainted (thanks, Dad, for lending your epic spray-painting skills!), and I’m so excited to begin working on the little books soon!

I’d love to hear about YOUR hobbies, creative or otherwise!