5 Creative Hobbies to Help You Relax After Work
After a long day it can feel almost impossible to slow down and relax. Doing something unplugged and creative can help you to de-stress, relax, and stretch your creative muscles. Even if you don’t consider yourself “artistic” there are great ways to create without having to be a master painter.
Journaling
Journalling is more than just keeping a diary with a little lock on it like the 90s. Journaling can be used to keep track of tasks and habits, such as in bullet journaling, create mini collages with bits you collect throughout your day, like in junk journaling, or use journal prompts to work on tapping into your deeper self.
Bullet Journaling
Originally developed by Ryder Caroll to manage focus, organization, and productivity due to his ADHD, bullet journaling has grown in popularity, and complexity, in recent years. Bullet journaling can be used to keep track of your schedule, upcoming events, habits, to-do lists, and even things like the books you’ve read and a bucket list. Bullet journal spreads can be as complex or as simple as you want them to be and adjusted to whatever best fits your needs.
Junk Journaling
Junk journaling has recently blown up in online creative spaces. Junk journaling is essentially creating mini collages with tidbits you find throughout your day. It can be used for memory keeping or for creative expression. Keep things like receipts, fruit stickers, packaging, napkins, magazines, and anything flat you might like to use. Arrange your items in a way that is appealing to you and glue them down! It’s that easy but so satisfying to make something out of “junk” (and it helps to reduce waste going into landfills).
Traditional Journaling
Much like the little locked journals of the 90s, journaling is a great way to declutter your mental space and work through difficulties. Have a running “brain dump” or write about your day. If you are having trouble thinking of what to write about use a journal prompts. There are many journal prompts for many different goals online. A few of my favorites include “What do I want to let go of this week?”, “What do the habits of the person I want to be look like?”, and a fun one “If I were a fruit what fruit would I be and why?”.
Journaling can be adapted to fit any need and any ability or time commitment. Remember, journaling is for you and no one else has to see it if you don’t want to show it. So release the pressure to create something for others and just let the creativity flow. Pick a notebook that you like looking at so you are more likely to keep up using it. Find notebooks here.
Coloring
Coloring isn’t just for kids! Studies show that coloring helps to reduce stress and improve focus. Coloring helps to slow the mind and reduce racing thoughts. There are many adult coloring books and coloring pages available, and children’s coloring and activity books are still fun as an adult too! If you don’t want to think about color to choose, paint-by-number or color-by-number might be for you. Some of the paint/color-by-number kits are incredible and can be hung up as art in your house.
Creative Writing
Coloring and journaling not your style? Creative writing might be for you. You don’t need to be an author to write a short story, poetry, character background, or world building. Creative writing can be a great way to express yourself through words rather than images. Like journaling, if you are having trouble coming up with a topic there are tons of great prompts online to get the creative juices flowing.
Photography
Photography encourages you to notice the beauty in every day life. Take enough photos and eventually you start seeing the world through photos, I’ve experienced this personally as a photographer. Start with a camera as simple as the one on your smartphone. Snap quick moments in the day that you want to remember or that you think are beautiful or interesting. Find a “photo-a-day” challenge and use your creativity to create photos that fall into the days prompt. Move on to experimenting with editing apps, or the editing software built into your phone’s photo library, to edit your photos to evoke different emotions or showcase different features.
Hand Lettering & Calligraphy
Hand lettering and calligraphy can be more of a challenge to learn but that challenge can help to keep your brain engaged on something and begin to relax. If you value stationery and a good pen learning to hand letter could be for you. There are many different lettering styles to try and even more when you add in learning calligraphy.
Choose the creative hobby that sounds the most rewarding to you, or try them all! Find something that feels fun and relaxing while also rewarding in journaling, coloring, creative writing, photography, or hand lettering and turn your evenings into a time of peace and creativity.
Which hobby are you going to try first?
