For me, crafts and hobbies are more than just a way of spending time – they are a way of life. Everyone believes that you need to have a hobby, but in my family the philosophy has always been a little bit more specific. In my family, it was seen as important to find something to do with your hands. You see, we are all very intellectual folks. We loved to read, to write, to study math, and to learn about history. Sometimes, however, we really needed to cut loose and do something that involved more physical labor than thought. Finding hobbies and crafts to do was a way of keeping in balance, not allowing the mental to completely replace the physical.
My parents had many fantastic craft ideas growing up, and we would all get a chance to try all of them. Sometimes, we would even get to go to craft shows to see what other people were doing. Although we never started our own craft business, we would sometimes go to art fairs and sell some of the things that we no longer needed. It was a strange hodgepodge of stuff. You see, we made so many things with our various crafts and hobbies that we would run out of room if we did not give some of them away or sell them.
Some people like to take just one craft or hobby and perfect it. Perhaps they make candles, or perhaps they make bookshelves. Perhaps they like to paint, or perhaps they like to sculpt. Whatever it is, they dedicate all of their spare time to it and perfect their craft. I have always thought that this is a mistake. There are too many great crafts and hobbies to have to choose just one. Whether you are working with crafts for kids or hobbies for adults, the key is variety.
The more crafts and hobbies you get to try out, after all, the more different skills you get to develop. If you can develop some painting skills, carpentry skills, electrical wiring skills, and sculpting skills, you will end up very well rounded indeed. crafts and hobbies activate parts of your brain that you don't normally use. Throw in the mastery of a musical instrument or two, and you are all set to go. The more things you try, the more passion you will feel for all of them. Whenever I meet someone who says that there are not enough hours in the day for crafts and hobbies, I tell them that they have to seriously rethink their priorities!
