By Abbi Zepeda, CityHeART Art from Ashes Intern
With winter well underway, I have officially started what I like to call my “hibernation phase” – a time where I tend to spend more time indoors hiding away from the longer nights and the colder days. It’s a time that offers a lot of much needed relaxation – especially for those of us who are students and are ending the semester around this time – but with that also comes a dilemma for me. I’m never really too certain what I should do.
Recently, during my off time I find myself falling into the trap of endlessly scrolling through social media or browsing randomly for the next thing to watch – and while neither of those things are bad in moderation, I have been on the search for something a bit more substantial to fill my time. If you listen to Moment in Between on CityHeART radio you’ll know that I have been looking for a new winter hobby; with my search underway I wanted to reflect a bit on the hobbies I have already incorporated into my life and how they have helped me both creatively and emotionally.
Jewelry Making
One of the first hobbies I really found myself enjoying was jewelry making – something a bit nostalgic for me that I returned to during a very transitional period of my life. What had started out as a childhood introduction to art – friendship bracelets made at birthday parties or summer camps – had turned into something a bit more real for me.
The art of weaving beads together, cutting and bending wires, and crafting patterns out of the materials available to me became a sort of meditative act. There is something calming about undertaking a jewelry project that really calls to me – immersing myself in the predictability of it and turning it into a mindfulness activity. I’ve tried so many different styles and techniques over the years, and I think that’s another benefit of engaging in a creative activity as a hobby; you get so many opportunities to learn and engage wholeheartedly in the craft in ways that enrich not only your creativity but also just your everyday life. There’s a level of confidence I think I’ve gained from this hobby – not to mention the fact that I get a physical product at the end to symbolize that.
Journaling
I talk about journaling quite often as a mental health activity, but I’ve found that there are so many different ways to engage with journaling that just the standard pen-to-paper diary style of journaling. Something I have been experimenting with more lately is journaling using objects from my life – scrapbooking or “junk journaling” as a more accurate description of it. I like to think about it as a form of romanticising my daily life. Suddenly receipts from outings, product packaging, and all the ephemera of moving through the world becomes a component of something larger. I have a way of remembering – and in doing the remembering I get to engage my creativity and work with my hands. It’s definitely a self-care activity for me, but it has also grown into something much more than that.
Exploring More
With the change of the season coming, I hope to explore more hobbies and engage more with the world around me through creation and education. There are so many craft classes and art workshops around the city of Long Beach that I hope to attend in the future – and I hope to meet some of you out there to swap stories of creativity and share our passions together.
Contact Me For CityHeART Radio!
abbigale@ourcityheart.org OR (562) 579-0084
