Look, we hate to break it to you but going to the grocery store is not a hobby. In 2019, maybe it’s time to branch out a bit, flex those creative muscles + push yourself to do something just for you.
We all should have hobbies. They help enrich our lives by reducing stress and giving us something to look forward to. Heck, you might even learn something about yourself in the process.
Some of us train for marathons or spend time traveling to exotic locations. Others play recreational basketball, don their wizard hats for a weekly Dungeons & Dragons campaign, or spend hours scrapbooking every moment of their lives. There’s even that one guy on Market Street who collects antiquarian taxidermied animals. (Gross, but cool.)
But if you don’t have a hobby, where are you supposed to start? How do you know what hobby you should take up this year if you’ve never done it before? Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered. From birdwatching (which is more interesting than you think) to amateur cooking, to collecting weird things, there are plenty of hobbies to try this year.
Did we miss your favorite hobby? Let us know in the comments below. ⬇️
Learn how to cook
You don’t have to be a Wolfgang Puck or Ina Garten in the kitchen, but you should be able to feed yourself if you get hungry. Plus, cooking can be fun … especially if you master just a few dishes. Pick yourself up a copy of “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” by Samin Nosrat (watch the Netflix show, too) and learn the basics of good cooking in 2019. Your stomach will thank you. Try one of the classes at The Sweet & Savory Classroom ... they even have classes for the kiddos.
Dive into your family history
Volunteering to put together a family tree is not as daunting as it seems. It just takes time. A ton of great resources are available like Ancestry.com that make genealogical research easier than you think. All you need is a few names to get started and you can watch your tree grow branch after branch. (Pro-tip: The Chattanooga Public Library has free resources available for genealogy research).
Start collecting something unique
Look, you can collect just about anything you want as long as it can be legally obtained. The key is to find something with enough nuance to keep it interesting for the long haul. Stamps, baseball cards and coins are the gateways. From there, you can go in a hundred different (and strange) directions: vintage PEZ dispensers, antique license plates, plush bears, pop culture ephemera, political buttons, books, old photos, cars, ceramic birds, and if you want to be super eclectic, backscratchers. Get started by visiting Chattanooga flea markets + antique stores.
Photography, yo
With the rise of high-quality camera phones, almost everybody thinks they’re a professional photographer these days. But just because you know where the “portrait-mode” button is on your iPhone doesn’t mean you’re Ansel Adams. Photography is an art form. A great hobby might be to start from scratch and learn the basics of photography — aperture, depth of field, white balance, focal length, etc. — on a cheap 35 mm camera. Here’s a great place to start. Meet other local photographers at the Photographic Society of Chattanooga or take a digital photography class at Chattanooga State.
Knitting (embroidery, crochet, etc.)
The act of knitting can be a meditative exercise as much as a creative one. Studies have shown that once you pass the initial learning curve, knitting (and similar techniques) can help reduce stress, lower blood pressure + create something tangible (a blanket, scarf, hat, etc.) Join a local knitting group and you can add “socialize with like-minded people” to the list of benefits. This New York Times article is a great overview of how to start a knitting hobby. Visit Genuine Purl on N. Market St. to get started.
Take an acting/improv class
Like knitting, the benefits of learning a new skill can have a ripple effect in other areas of your life. The biggest fear most adults have is public speaking. Getting involved with your local theater can be a way to get outside of that fear without the risk of professional failure … like botching a big presentation at work. If you’re not ready to step into the spotlight, you can always help with the technical aspects like building sets, painting, costumes + props. At the very least, you’ll meet some amazing people. Classes are offered at Improv Chattanooga+ Chattanooga Theatre Centre.
Learn a new sport
Hobbies should be fun (otherwise, what’s the point?) and learning a new sport can be a lot of fun. It doesn’t have to be basketball or full-contact football either. Two great new sports to try are intramural dodgeball and kickball. Most cities have a growing adult kickball league — we have Chattanooga Sports League + GO Kickball — that offers a chance to meet new people and get a little bit of exercise. If you’re more into improving your health, many amateur runners have had success with the Couch to 5k program. Join a local track club and run with others. The Downtown YMCA also has a ton of opportunities to get involved in various sports.
Pick up a new instrument
Deep down all of us have dreams of becoming a rock star. It’s never been easier to find resources online for almost any instrument you want to learn from guitar to piano to kazoo. The great thing about music as a hobby is that you’ll never run out of ideas to explore and songs to learn. A starter guitar can be found for less than $200 and it only takes four chords to play almost any popular song. (pro-tip: don’t pick up the banjo if you don’t want to drive people away). Once you’ve picked out your ax, you can get lessons from any of these local guitar instructors. When you learn a few chords, sit in with a bluegrass session at Fiddler’s Anonymous in Red Bank.
Homebrewing (not just beer)
A love of beer is not necessarily a prerequisite for homebrewing. You can brew your own Kombucha, too. For most people, brewing beer at home seems like a lot of work (it is) but it can be one of those hobbies that snowballs into an obsession. All you need to know to brew your own beer can be found in this video. Not sure where to start? Visit The Brew Market & Beer Garden and ask questions. Not surprisingly, the people who work around beer love to talk about beer. They’ll steer you in the right direction.
Birdwatching
You remember how people were going nuts over that Pokémon Go game a while back? Birdwatching is the real version of that. Once you start taking a closer a look at and studying your backyard birds, inevitably you’ll want to wander out into your local nature preserves to find even more, rare birds. Before long, you’ll be checking ebird.org on a daily basis to learn which migrating species are visiting the area and find that you’re up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday in the woods looking for a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker. You might even combine your new photography hobby with birdwatching and snap a few photos for your life list.
The Chattanooga-area is home to some of the best birdwatching opportunities in the country. Visit hot spots like the Chickamauga Dam, Standifer Gap Marsh, Audubon Acres, the Tennessee River Gorge and the Brainerd Levee.
The only rule for acquiring a new hobby is that you enjoy whatever it is you take up. That’s it. Whether you’re planning to brew your own oatmeal porter or find that elusive Indigo bunting, a brand-new hobby can elevate your quality of life.
Have a current hobby? Planning to try a new one that didn’t make the above list? Let us know by leaving a comment below or reaching out to us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
