La Ivana Cert. Life Coach · The La Ivana Podcast

WHY HAVING A CREATIVE HOBBY IS GOOD FOR YOU?

Hobbies? Pfft. Who has the time??
In this age of fast-paced lifestyle, this is too often the response we give or get when talking about hobbies.

Hobbies are not exactly anyone’s top priority.

I think all of us work really hard to get the life we want. Be it doing an overtime every other week, having a side hustle or four, or even offering pro bono work to build your portfolio. We are, without a doubt, a hustle generation. We expend most of our energy to work that the idea of adding another task to your to-do list is already downright exhausting.

So if you cringed even just a tiny bit at the thought of adding a hobby into your routine, I want to let you know that I understand. I get it. These days, it’s difficult to find or make time to do something for fun.

But that’s what I’m encouraging you to do, anyway.

Having a creative hobby seems frivolous, especially when time is such a valuable commodity these days. Heck, a common stigma around hobbies is that it’s a waste of time.

But, friends, let me tell you: it’s the complete opposite.

Having a creative hobby will make you all the more productive. Plus! It does give you some great benefits for your overall health and wellness – physically, mentally, and emotionally. Below are three of the most important aspects of your life that will be positively affected by having a creative hobby and how just one hobby can impact your life.

 

WHY HAVING A CREATIVE HOBBY IS GREAT FOR YOUR WELLBEING

 

YOUR PERSONAL GROWTH

 

This one is not surprising at all. If there’s one clear aspect of your life that can benefit from having a creative hobby, it’s your personal development. Even though going through it is often exhausting, we all thrive on new experiences. That’s how self-improvement happens.

Here are some ways a creative hobby can ignite personal growth:

1. Boosts your self-esteem and confidence

There’s no better confidence-booster than some good ol’ achievement unlocked.

Most new hobbies require doing new things and going through a learning curve. Getting past that learning curve can give you a sense of achievement. Just reaching a goal related to your creative hobby is enough to make you feel accomplished. Finishing a creative side project also gives you that same sense of accomplishment.

You have to keep in mind, though, that having a creative hobby and a creative side project are two different things.

A hobby is an ongoing endeavor. There is no specific end goal with one. On the other hand, a creative project has a specific time frame – a beginning and the end. And usually, creative side projects stem from having a creative hobby. Say, creative writing is your hobby. Maybe, in the future, you’ll try and write a book. That becomes a side project out of a hobby you’ve been doing.

In that case, you can feel accomplished by trying a new hobby or finishing a side project that came out of a hobby you were already doing. Either way, that feeling of accomplishing something you didn’t think you could is so good for building your self-esteem and confidence.

Read next:
3 Things Highly Confident People Never Do
5 Self-Confidence Habits that Will Boost Your Confidence

2. Ignites your inner creative

They aren’t called creative hobbies  for nothing. Having a creative hobby is the perfect way to warm up your brain’s creativity muscles. And that’s a muscle you want sharp and fit all the time.

It’s definitely important in your everyday life. And I’m not just saying this because I often write about creative living. It’s true!

I find creativity is quite an underrated skill. Unless they work in a highly creative field like arts or entertainment, a person’s creativity isn’t exactly a trait most people highlight in themselves. But really, creativity is super important in almost every industry. I would even argue it’s important in all industries.

3. Promotes flow

Extending from its creative benefits mentioned above, having a creative hobby also means you will experience creative flow.

You know when you’re super focused on the task at hand that you don’t notice the time that passed by and your self-consciousness withered away? That’s flow.

It isn’t something you can experience with just anything. The flow requires being fully present as you do the task in front of you. And it’s often ignited by active leisure or tasks that need you and your brain’s full attention. In contrast to passive leisure, like watching TV or scrolling through social media (or both), which places your brain in a sort of autopilot mode.

Passive leisure is basically you being a couch potato whereas active leisure is taking your brain to the gym, which makes the creative flow a long workout session.

 

CAREER

 

Now, one reason I often hear come up when people talk about hobbies — and why they don’t have one — is that they don’t see the point of having one.

It doesn’t help me in my work, or some similar sentence is usually what they reason out.

The surprising thing is, creative hobbies DO help you in your professional development! Here are some ways having one does:

4. You connect with new people

And there’s nothing more important in most job environments than a good network of people. Sure, there are tons of ways you can do networking. But meeting another professional, whether they’re in the same field as you or not, outside the work environment makes the acquaintance more personable.

In fact, meeting professionals with similar hobbies isn’t the only way you can build a connection with new people. Which brings me to my next point…

5. Having a creative hobby makes you more interesting

Talking about your hobbies is a great conversation starter at any office gatherings. It makes you more interesting, and it shows that while you are dedicated to your work (as I’m sure you are), you also have a life outside of work.

Moreover, talking about hobbies in job interviews can be a great way to show your future employers or clients your time and dedication to be creative and learn new things. I’d say that’s a win-win!

 

6. Creative hobbies positively impact job performance

Now here’s the kicker that will counter that age-old “Hobbies don’t help advance my career” argument.

In a 2014 study, psychologists have found that employees with creative hobbies are more likely to be helpful to their workmates and be creative in accomplishing their tasks. Those who engage in a creative hobby also feel more relaxed and in control inside and outside their work.

Translation: Creative hobbies can aid you in your professional development!

For most people, work is a huge source of stress. And engaging in a creative hobby will help you recover from work. Why do you think Google implemented their famous 20% rule? Because they found people work better when they’re allotted time to take a break from work.

 

MENTAL HEALTH

 

I honestly believe that anything with the combination of artsy and cozy is a perfect therapy combination. And with regards to your mental wellbeing, having a creative hobby means:

7. You have a healthy way to relieve stress

Imagine coming home from a really tiring day and you just plop onto the couch and do some crocheting or a little doodle. Such a relaxing way to end the most exhausting day, isn’t it?

Creative hobbies are meant to be low-risk and low-pressure. This means when you’re doing your creative hobby, you don’t feel like your life depended on it. You just naturally go into the creative flow. Which makes it such a great stress reliever.

Read next:
10 Tips to De-Stress and Reduce Anxiety
10 Fall-Inspired Self-Care Ideas

 

8. It promotes good physical health

I believe that physical and mental health affect each other far more than people think. Think of exercise. Not only does it improve your physiological health, but it’s also great for your brain. Doing active creative hobbies, like dancing and gardening, have the same effect.

In fact, one study has shown that people who regularly engage in physical recreational activities have reduced cholesterol levels and lower risk of dementia. Also, remember what I mentioned earlier about people feeling more relaxed and in control when they have a hobby? So, there you go.

9. Engaging in recreational arts improves mental wellbeing in general

We’re adding in more numbers with this one:

A study in Australia found evidence of a relationship between arts engagement and mental health. They found that those who spend more than 100 hours a year in recreational arts (for enjoyment and entertainment, rather than for therapeutic purposes) have significantly better mental wellbeing than those who spend none or fewer hours.

This means spending just roughly 17 minutes a day doing a creative hobby can improve your overall mental wellbeing.
 

 

CONCLUSION

By now, we’ve already established that having a creative hobby is not frivolous nor is it a waste of time. Actually, it’s really beneficial to you! And when you live in a hustle and bustle world that we all live in today, it’s important to take care of your overall wellbeing.

Now tell me, what creative hobby do YOU have and how has it impacted your life?

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Guest contributor:

Kate is the smol happy child behind All The Trinkets, a blog about personal growth and creative living. She deeply believes every single person in this beautiful world has a seed of creativity and happy growth inside them. And maybe these just need a little TLC to come out and flourish. She hopes that by sharing what she learned in her blog, she can inspire others to nourish the little seeds in them too. When not blogging or spreading happy vibes in the blogging community, you can find her painting pretty people or talking to her beloved cactus, Watson.

Connect with Kate:
Blog / Pinterest / Twitter 

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