Isabelle Casey
Along with the new year comes brand-new resolutions, revelations, and often the sudden desire to try out a new hobby, which is why January is national hobby month. To celebrate, Empoword chatted to some wonderful individuals who love their hobbies. Whether you are thinking of joining a new sports team or starting crafting, buckle up because these people’s hobbies will give you lots of hobby inspiration.
Women’s Rugby
Meet Shauna Kiernan, 30. Talent agent by day and rugby player by weekend, Shauna has played the sport for 10 years, starting when she was at University.
“Work provides a level of security but my hobbies give me a reason to exist.”
She said: “You might love your work— which I am lucky enough to do— but at the same time you can’t let it become your be-all and end-all because the way I look at things, you work to live you don’t live to work is.
“I’ve always enjoyed sports. I went to join the women’s football team but I didn’t particularly like the vibe and rugby had a better one. I just picked it and went from there.
“The camaraderie of rugby made me want it to play it all the time. At all times, I’ve got a group of 30 women who are ready to back me up in any given situation. Some of them have become my best friends. We’ve had weddings together, it’s become a proper little community—more than friendship—it’s like a little family.
“Work provides a level of security but my hobbies give me a reason to exist.”
So, whether you’re looking for your new girl-gang or just love the feeling of being part of a team, joining a sports club may be the perfect option for you.
If, however, you prefer riding solo then don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Beer Brewing
Now we all know that drinking at home became the new night out in 2020 but how about actually brewing your own alcoholic beverages?
Meet David Willis, 54, Head Brewer at his own make-shift home brewery.
The first time David tried brewing his own beer he was at university and bought a do-it-yourself kit from Boots, which perhaps didn’t make for the best pre-drinks – although, apparently, it did get consumed at some point by one of his friends.
“like creating your own art, you have total control over that.”
He said: “It took me some time to get the knack of it. I forgot about that for many years, then I had a friend who was running a brewery. I then got some books. I’ve always loved scientific stuff, I’m an engineer by background, and I read up on it.
“I started doing a few more test ones, or small batch brewing and they started to taste pretty good.
“It’s like creating your own art, you have total control over that. It’s the same pleasure that people take from creating a beautiful cake or doing a nice painting or just something that you’ve created yourself that like-minded people can then share.”
David explained that brewing his own beer was great throughout the pandemic and his own personal beers made for fantastic Christmas presents!
Each brew takes between seven and ten days to complete so if you don’t mind a sticky kitchen floor and have patience in abundance this could be one to try out this year.
Crochet
Hozelock carried out a study that showed that eight out of ten adults took up a new hobby in lockdown to boost their mental or physical health and improve their overall wellbeing.
This certainly was the case for crochet-queen Libby Forsyth, 21.
An aspiring teacher, Libby took to crocheting during the first lockdown which not only landed her with a wonderful new hobby but also a TikTok following of 91K.
She said: “I was rubbish, but I just stuck with it.
“There was a couple of weeks where I was like, this is too hard—I’m not doing it”
“There was a couple of weeks where I was like, this is too hard—I’m not doing it. Then I realised it’s really relaxing, once you get it it’s very therapeutic and I started to really enjoy it.
“It’s just excellent to have something that’s just completely independent from the rest of your life.”
Libby added: “It’s something else to do instead of scrolling on my phone and it’s good for your mental health as well.
“There’s a lovely community on TikTok of crochet artists and other fibre artists in general which I’ve managed to connect and make friends with as well. It’s so nice to chat to people who are doing the same thing as you. It’s just excellent to have something that’s just completely independent from the rest of your life.”
Libby explained that, after gaining confidence from a year of crocheting experience, she set up a TikTok account. A video of a jumper she had made went viral leading her to gain a humungous following.
As well as creating her vivacious cardigans and selling her own patterns, Libby also makes hats for her furry friends— what is not to love!
So, if making fun outfits for your pets and distracting yourself from mindless scrolling sounds sublime, then it’s time to get yourself a hook and some yarn.
Whether it’s sports, beer, or crocheting it is clear that hobbies bring so much joy to the people who do them and evidently boost their mental wellbeing, something we could all do with!
Hopefully, these insights into the wonderful world of hobbying has helped you make up your mind on what to try first—happy hobbying!
Featured image courtesy of Mel Poole on Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.
