A creative mind is constantly engaged. If you’re not thinking of the next big idea, you’re building on an unfinished one. However, an innovative mind needs time off too.
Hobbies help you to get some time off and put balance back into your imaginative mind.
Some hobbies can make you money while others simply build your body. Other hobbies bring you closer to people. These 21 hobbies engage your creative mind and serve your overall wellbeing.
Adult Coloring
Adult coloring might seem like child’s play, but you’d be surprised at how mentally engaging it is. Adult coloring books are affordable, and they can be found in multiple niches.
There are adult coloring books that target mental clarity while others help you get in tune with your inner self.
You don’t need much to get into this hobby. All you need is a bunch of adult coloring books and a good set of colored pencils.
Coloring the intricate images in the books can take you hours. Coloring relaxes the mind, helps you sharpen your focus, and engages your creative centers when choosing colors for every drawing.
Photography
Still on visual hobbies, photography is a hobby that you can pick and develop. You don’t have to spend too much money on equipment. Mobile photography is a great starting point.
After all, it’s a hobby. Smartphones currently have superior quality cameras. You can take exceptional pictures and even learn how to edit them.
Photography extends to more than capturing great pictures. It helps you connect with people. It gets you to pay attention to detail.
Since you’re doing it as a hobby, you don’t have to be too critical of the final product. You can upgrade your skill by getting starter professional DSLR cameras.
Puzzle Games
If you spend hours behind screens and keyboards, you could use some digital detox. While there are plenty of online puzzle games, you can buy a physical puzzle game and take time to put it together. Start simple.
You have a wide range available online. Get simple classics and attempt the easy puzzle games first.
You can get more complex puzzle games as you get better and faster. Puzzle games are great at improving your short-term memory.
As a creative, better short-term memory increases your decision-making speeds up.
Cosplay
Cosplay used to be such a niche. It is now a widely practiced hobby enjoyed by a broad community of people globally.
The cosplay industry has gained so much traction; businesses are flourishing on account of costume orders. Cosplay borrows from the growth of fanfic media and personal creativity.
Cosplay opens you up to content in the form of movies, anime, and music.
It also brings together people who learn skills from each other. It takes a lot of detailing to get a costume right. The ultimate satisfaction you get from finishing a project boosts your confidence.
Listen to Music
Music, for most people, isn’t a hobby. Some people use music as an extension of their personality while others listen to music for pleasure.
Music as a hobby might go as far as getting a new skill and learning how to create music. You can also explore music in genres you wouldn’t otherwise go into.
Science has studied the effects of music on the human mind for years. In some studies, respondents were put in an MRI with music playing. Results showed that creativity centers in the brain lit up, releasing feel-good hormones.
Music helps you refocus your creativity, boosts long-term memory, and improves overall mood. The brain gets fully engaged while listening to music.
Play a Musical Instrument
You’ve heard of the 10,000 rule that states that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to be proficient at a skill.
You might not be looking to be adept at playing an instrument, but the journey to learning how to play the instrument will do your creative mind a world of good.
As a creative in any field, learning how to play a musical instrument as a hobby improves your memory. It also helps you to declutter your mind by doing something different from what you are used to.
Learning an instrument engages both sides of your brain. You improve verbal memory, cognitive ability, and spatial awareness, all with one skill.
Pottery
As a creative, you are continually creating worlds, characters, and scenarios. It takes a toll on the mind, especially if you are racking up hours of creative work and not getting enough rest.
Pottery is a wonderful way to let your mind reset from what you usually do. Putting clay on that wheel and creating diverse shapes is both calming and rewarding.
Scientists who’ve studied people engaging in pottery noted that the brain releases feel-good chemicals from the anticipation of seeing objects taking shape.
Pottery makes you use the effort-driven reward circuit of your brain. If your work involves hand skills, pottery improves hand-eye dexterity.
Origami
The Netflix standout heist drama, Money Heist has one of the main characters, Professor, making origami figures as he executes his plans.
Origami is an ancient art tracing back to Japan. It involves making inanimate figures out of paper. It takes plenty of creativity to make these shapes.
Origami can improve your hand-eye coordination. It also helps you calm down during stressful times.
It slows you down as you think of how to get perfect edges for your figures. In addition, it is an excellent exercise for people who want to practice silent centering and meditation.
Meditation
The benefits of meditation are well known. Creatives use meditation to take time off and to refocus their energies.
Some people use meditation as a prelude to hard tasks ahead. Meditation, as a hobby, teaches you the art of patience and self-control.
One of the best things about meditation is that you only need a quiet place to do it. It might take time to get it, though.
Meditation has incredible benefits for both body and mind. It heightens mindfulness, reduces stress, and improves mood.
Lego Building
There is an inner child in all of us. However, you don’t have to be in inner child mode to get into Lego building as a hobby.
Some people have built life-size items such as cars using only Lego. Lego building takes a lot of mental calculation. That is why it is good for you.
Lego building could be a solo exercise, or you could make it a group thing. Building and creating with Lego will expand your imagination while increasing your problem-solving capacity.
Knifemaking
Now there’s a hobby to keep you sharp. Knifemaking is a hobby that dates back to medieval times when it was an actual job.
Ironsmiths made swords and knives for home use and battle. Now, you can make your knives as keepsakes.
Knifemaking takes a special set of hands. You learn about the dynamics that go into edges and long-lasting fashion blades that can still be functional.
You can borrow from the creative ideas of other people to make your knives.
Brewing
If you’re going to take up a hobby, why not enjoy the fruits – or juice – of your labor. You can take up kombucha brewing or beer brewing.
Brewing in some countries is a home tradition. It is a skill that is passed from one generation to another. The final product is taken by the people closest to brewers.
For you, this is an opportunity to try out something new. Explore flavors and learn about cultures. By fusing different ingredients, you are engaging your mind.
Brewing could do good for your social circle. You can host people to build friendships, which ultimately helps you with communication and bonding.
Coding
Everyone deserves to learn how to code. Coding might be easy for a creative person. You can take it up as a hobby and learn the basics of today’s coding languages for most apps and websites.
There are plenty of online tutorials that will guide you on the basics as you become more proficient.
Aside from its financial potential, coding as a hobby increases your logic skills. It also helps with problem-solving.
At some point in your coding journey, you might need help with what you build. You are bound to discover a community of like-minded coders who will help you in building your skills.
Car Restorations
Car restoration sounds like an expensive hobby. Yet, it is not prohibitively expensive as a hobby. Some garages take in classic cars and attempt to restore them. You could take on an apprentice role for a while before diving into it.
You can also get broken down cars and do it yourself in your downtime if you are good with cars. The process and work it takes to finally hear the engine roar after a long time of silence will boost your confidence.
Painting
Painting as a hobby gives you plenty of creative freedom to express yourself. You can pour out your abstract thoughts on canvas or paper. Painting as a hobby is freeing.
Your final work is not up for scrutiny by any standards. All it takes is your creative ability and time.
Creative people tend to question themselves. Painting offers you an outlet to create beautiful pieces that reflect your mood every time you pick up a brush. You have loads of options.
You can decide to use paint, watercolors, or acrylics. Painting resets your mindset to a calm state, gets your confidence up, and helps you refocus your creative energy.
Make Sauce
Bring out the blenders and fresh produce; we’re making sauces. There is a big room for exploration with sauce making.
Pick up different flavors and explore recipes from all over the world. There is no limit to the flavors you can create.
Carry a bottle of your homemade sauce to any event and see how people react to it. You can teach others to achieve perfect ingredient ratios. The best thing about sauces is that you can use what you produce as gifts.
Drawing
If you experience creativity blocks in your work, take a breather and doodle. Doodling is often a precursor to drawing. Drawing engages the left side of the brain.
The left side is responsible for distinguishing forms, lines, and patterns that require you to form shapes.
Putting your mind to work creates new neurological pathways that increase awareness. You stave off the symptoms of neurological diseases such as dementia that happen due to non-activity.
Yoga
Yoga is not the same as meditation. You can do yoga after you meditate. This ancient practice helps you attain both body fitness and mental calmness.
Yoga can be part of a routine before you start your day. Since it doesn’t take much of your time, you can do yoga exercises as you go about your daily tasks.
Bodybuilding
Speaking of body fitness, bodybuilding can also be a hobby. What does bodybuilding have to do with creativity? Bodybuilding is a great way to blow off steam at the gym.
You meet other bodybuilders who give you helpful tips about meals, routines, and supplements that help both your mind and body.
Working out relieves stress and boosts testosterone. According to research, weight training and bodybuilding rewire the brain to form new neurons that improve memory by extension.
Writing and Journaling
Writing and journaling for personal development help you understand yourself. Putting your deepest thoughts and fears on paper or typing them can help you reduce anxiety and combat stress.
A lot of writers use writing as a tool to reaffirm themselves.
Swimming
Water can calm the mind. Saltwater, especially, has been shown to improve mood as it reverses negative ions in the mind.
The ocean is a beautiful place to take your hobby. You can walk on the beach to clear your mind. The sound of the water can help you focus on your creative abilities.
If you can’t access a beach, a dip at a local pool should help. It not only keeps you fit and lean, but it is also good for your overall health. A healthy mind and a healthy body stay creative.
Summing up Hobbies for Creative Minds
As you can see from the hobbies above, creative minds can be kept occupied and still attain relaxation.
Whether your creative mind needs activity to expand ideas, explore your inner self, or simply enjoy your down-time, we’re sure you’ll find something here to keep you occupied.
