People of all ages find joy in impactful hobbies that lift spirits, and give comfort in stressful times. Among a variety of hobbies, arts and crafts stands out as a constructive way for people to express themselves with creativity. According to abc.net, arts and crafts provide many benefits; from enhancing creativity and hand-eye coordination to expanding knowledge in how various objects work. Crafts and arts also inspire people to think critically, while being able to produce lasting valuables that can become a beacon of expression.
One positive factor of arts and crafts is that its broad scope is not limited to any rules or expectations. People can paint, write calligraphy, and record their daily lives. For example, students often create scrapbooks and journals to express their feelings and record their daily lives. This hobby is not only a stress relieving way to initiate thought and inspiration, but a valuable way to create lasting objects that one can look back on and treasure. Joline Tran, a sophomore at Northview High School, shares her love for bullet journaling through social media. She states that “bullet journaling has been so relaxing and drives my creativity through modern calligraphy and drawing little doodles. From creating to-do lists to weekly setups, I’ve been more organized with my schedule and have felt more optimistic about myself.” She also loves how the bullet journal community on instagram is supportive of her work, making her feel “more confident about sharing my ideas to my 5.2k+ followers.”
Another unique, artistic pastime is embroidery. The steady rhythm of sewing colorful threads in a weaving pattern can calm the soul and refresh the mind. Ko-Eun Lee, a junior at Northview High School, embroiders every weekend. She not only creates various images of flowers, beautiful scenery, and castles, but also makes pillows and handmade bags with her skills. She states that “embroidery cools down my stress by helping me put my mind to something else and solely focus on just me and my work.” She added that she also “loves the satisfaction of completing a work and being able to feel productive, while relieving stress through embroidery.” Students like Ko-Eun also enjoy making miniature crafts that require great attention to detail, but soothe mental strain. They can build a numerous number of different miniature crafts like music boxes, a mini box theater, mini doll house, and can even create a collection of mini origami pieces and canvas paintings.
Especially while quarantining, when many feel the tiresome effects of the lack of interaction and bond of relationships, arts and crafts can relieve these feelings of anxiety and weariness. By boosting creativity unexplored before and by freeing the mind to pursue various inspirations and forms of expression, arts and crafts can stand out to be a boundless pastime for diverse people to find pleasure in.
