Hey Pandas, What Is Your Favorite Hobby And How Did It Help You In Life? (Closed)

I have been an amateur musician all my life. I have played two instruments to an advanced level and performed in public on five different instruments. Right now I am focusing on piano. Immensely helpful with everything. Especially stress. I am 74+ years old and have spent tens of thousands of hours on music things. Very grateful.

Writing. Has gotten me through some rough times because it is an escape and it helps me slowly think through things as I type.

Photography. It helps me to think creatively, also it is helping me get through rough time

Writing/drawing. I write, and I do so because it lets me step out of reality (within reason) for a bit. I don't really draw as often as I used to, and not unless it's got something to do with what I'm writing. As in, if I need to do more than mentally visualize a scenario or characters (or their interactions between each other), I'll go ahead and doodle it out if I have the time. I do worry that I go through notebooks so fast that I might ignite the paper with the ink though, lol. I've been doing this since I learned how to read. On an unrelated note, I also play quite a few video games or some tcg if I'm kicking back with friends.

Writing, daydreaming, role playing. Without these little escapes, and things to keep my stupid brain off more serious things, I truely believe I would be depressed rn

I like to draw. It makes me kind of popular but not really. I’ve gotten better and I’m gonna start posting more of my art there on BP! Most will be stuff I did in school or projects but I’ll mix it up. Also my old account got unbanned so now I have 2 useable accounts lol.

sleeping

Playing solo bass guitar, basically music I wrote but also covers adapted to solo bass. I have just one effects pedal, a reverb to give it an acoustic vibe, and I am partial to five string basses, so I’m looking to acquire a backup since the other bass I own is a four stringer that doesn’t allow me to do certain things since it’s missing the lower register. I also love reading and checking out basses, basically watching bass p*rn, and studying about woods and construction methods.

On the other hand, I’m a sucker for art, something I should do more, so I love both painting/drawing and reading about art history, something which I also happen to teach. I’m also kind of gifted at writing, I should definitely explore that side of my skills more since I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it when I’ve done it.

I've been writing since I was ten years old, publishing for the last twenty. It's kept me sane; I'm FTM trans and knew that from a young age. All my writing is done with central male characters, so it was like a 'real' life. JMSBooks has many of mine, and also if you're LGBTQ, she publishes 'Romance for the Rest of Us'. Try a form of creativity, any sort you're drawn to; you don't have to be good at it, but you may surprise yourself anyhow.

Wood burning (also called pyrography). I basically use a scorching hot tool to burn designs into a piece of wood.
Hasn't helped me in life but I've made some amazing designs with it.

I enjoy art, but I’m also a soccer player that can play every position on the field, including goal, which makes it a lot easier to make better teams who want more versatile players. Doesn’t mean I like every position *cough*defense*cough* but I can play all of them, which helps someone like me who isn’t the fastest player on the field.

I enjoy playing the guitar. It helps me waste my money, go deaf, ignore people, get distracted at work because I dont listen to music like a normal person would... It helps me be obnoxious really late at night. Insturment tuning, repairs and maintenance help me burst into fits of rage. Its worth it.

Playing videogames.
Because most of my games are not brainless shooters but historical grand strategy games or at least historical shooters I could Ace most of tests in school (history, politics, sometimes even literature) without leaning at home.

And after playing a lot of games like the Anno- or Patrician series (where you have to manage trade routes and ressourced) I now work as a logistician

Fiber arts. I usually do knitting, but I got curious about the whole yarn process and discovered how to actually make yarn from scratch. From there I learned how to make rope...which I can do using yarn. So now I always have a rope and can make a warm pair of socks or mittens when a cold snap hits. And I always have something to give out during Christmas.

Origami. I've been learning for almost 30 years, and love how concentrating on learning a new and more complex model pushes everything else out of my head, and the satisfaction of finally getting it right. I also like cheering people up, like waiters, by making them a model to thank them

coloring. I have fun making up a color scheme! I also draw sometimes. It can sometimes help my crippling anxiety, but not all the time. Trying to find something that helps a little more.