OMGYNH (Oh My God, You Need Hobbies)

Illustration by Paige Chiusolo

One of the great tragedies in life is the belief that everything you do must amount to something greater. Whether that be a career, fortune, or an ideal physique, we are all burdened by the same motivation to embody more than just our anatomy. To become someone else's example. Every decision that does not result in advancement is considered unimportant. It’s a shame to assume we shouldn’t care about doing things that lead nowhere. The truth is, even if a hobby doesn’t advance your career, it still helps you grow as a person. By that, I mean your identity is shaped by how you engage with your external environment. For instance, I consider myself a creative person – not because someone told me so, but because I’ve observed it in myself. Given a blank sheet of paper, I’ll draw a star. Given a canvas, I’ll paint. Given a prompt, I’ll write. Even without being asked to create, it simply happens. I know I will never be an artist, a poet, or an illustrator, but these labels do not matter. My creativity is who I am, and I wouldn’t be sure of myself if I hadn’t allowed myself to learn without expecting proof in return. 

Beyond doing what you love, it is necessary to attempt new things without the certainty that you will succeed. I remember when I was 12, I committed a summer to learning how to do the splits and a front walk over. Simply put, I still can’t do either, and am now less curious to try again. That said, I gave it my best shot and decided for myself when that pursuit had ended. The point is, not everything is a lifelong commitment, and not everything should be. A couple of summers ago, I decided to take up knitting. Since then, I have knitted maybe 10 scarves and countless headbands. By no means am I a good knitter. I don’t even want to be a good knitter, I just like knitting while I wind down and watch TV. However, I still consider knitting a hobby of mine, even though I don’t do it every day, and I am not so good. Conversely, my sister Stephanie picked up knitting just over 6 months ago. In the time since, she has impressed Grandmas from around the world with her impressive ability to knit intricate designs. She has made beautiful sweaters and mittens with dainty sparrows, and frankly, you might find it difficult to catch her without her tote bag of yarn. Every month or so, she asks me why I won’t try to get better at knitting; she tells me I would be good at it. However, each time, I remind her that I don’t want to be a good knitter; I just like the repetitive task of feeding yarn through yarn while I watch Severance. My relationship to this hobby is different than hers, and that is okay. We both find enjoyment in the same activity, and although I am not nearly as good as her, my limited ability to knit makes me appreciate her talent even more. Trying new things allows you to genuinely appreciate others’ skills and connect with interesting people. 

To be blunt, interesting people have interests, and boring people are bored. I understand that activities like these often require money and always require time. However, you cannot remain ignorant about just how many possible ways you could spend your time. Additionally, I understand that school can sometimes diminish your interests, but there are creative ways to cope. For example, I love to read, but I don’t particularly enjoy reading the classics. Ironically, as an English major, I spend many hours each week doing just that. Once I finally reach the end of my assigned pages, I am often too tired to read the books that I really find joy in. So, every night, I listen to an audiobook of my chosen genre (currently historical fiction) while I paint canvases in my room. This process both calms me down and allows me to immerse myself in my favourite part of reading, the story. Although unintentional, I have become more knowledgeable about historical events and have developed a new interest in different parts of history. I wouldn’t have

learnt this about myself if I hadn’t made the continued effort to explore the hallways of my own enjoyment. 

Everything you do builds transferable skills. Acrylic painting has taught me to see both the individual trees and the broader forest. More importantly, it has shown me that you can’t always focus on both at once, but you still have to trust the process—a lesson that has made me more patient in my approach to course assignments. Writing has strengthened my communication skills and taught me to think before forming a sentence. Doing makeup on others has made me more socially comfortable, improved my sense of timing, and helped me adapt to quick changes. I know not everyone enjoys the same hobbiesI do, and that’s perfectly okay. Some people love hiking for an entire day—I reach my limit after an hour. Some enjoy birdwatching, while I can’t stand being within 25 meters of a bird. Some prefer solitary activities, while others thrive in intramural team sports. Despite their differences, all of these hobbies are valuable and interesting. More importantly, they share a common thread: if you ask someone about a hobby they love, their eyes will light up, and in that moment, a human connection is formed. This result is more important than any accolade or pursuit. It is a buffer to loneliness and the key to contentment. Frankly, you need hobbies because without them, you are committing the massive disservice of being unfaithful to your human capacity.