“The creative adult is the child who survives”
BY KEAH LILY, IMAGE BY RODNAE PRODUCTIONS VIA PEXELS
As children we are experts at finding hobbies. We picked up swimming, dance classes, painting, basketball, knitting and so much more. In adulthood life can become overwhelming and we forget how to or are unable to make time for the things that bring us joy. With more people working from home once again, lots of people have found pockets of joy in picking up new hobbies, or rekindling activities they loved as children. I’m the latter.
I fell in love with football when I was around seven years old. In the early 2000s football was much like Yorkie, “not for girls,” and so I dropped the sport in my teens. All these years and a pandemic later, I’ve joined a local football team, playing several times a week and loving it. Rekindling this love was one of the most beautiful things to come out of the pandemic for me.
I checked in with members of our LGBTQI community to hear about their hobbies. Here’s what some of our readers have been up to:
@alymoultrie started playing the guitar!
“Played a little before, but during lockdown committed to 30 minutes a day… still rubbish but love it and still playing almost everyday.”
@niccrosara multiple hobbies!
“I was living in rural England for the first part of the pandemic and I was far away from my community so I very much tried to distract myself. I tried to learn Japanese, I took up knitting, I failed the couch to 5k, I started doing virtual dance HIIT classes, I finished a manuscript of a novel which I’d started during university, I had a stint of getting obsessed with batch making food and smoothies. I soon felt burnt out from living the same structured day on a loop and this experience taught me the importance of rest and that sometimes you should really be present and listen to your needs instead of distracting yourself.”
@leahfran_01 baking and reading!
“In lockdown three I started making banana bread (way behind the curve) and throughout started reading lots more and set up our Black Women’s Forum Book Club”
@harveyvolley not a thing!
“I didn’t pick up any new hobbies during lockdown and I’m totally okay with that.”
@jen.in.the.city got into indoor plants!
“I started collecting them and quickly became obsessed. I love them and now my house is filled with greenery. And now I’m even propagating them to grow more.”
@stephanie.espi different crafts!
“Painting on canvas, making friendship bracelets, cooking, painting trays and gifting them to people, diamond painting and making my own stamps! I’m excited to continue learning.”
@eleanornoyce_ running!
“I started running! In March 2020, I started the Couch To 5K. I’d always been put off by sports and never thought I’d be any good, but almost two years on, I love it. It’s helped with my anxiety, and I did the Red Run 10K for World AIDS Day in November to raise money for the Terrence Higgins Trust. Next year, I’m aiming to train for a half marathon.”
Thank you to everyone who shared their hobbies with us, it’s lovely to see creativity thriving. And for those who didn’t pick up a new hobby, that is totally fine. The pandemic has been challenging enough without the added pressure of feeling like you have to pick up a new activity. It’s whatever works for you and brings you joy, in these strange times.
DIVA magazine celebrates 27 years in print in 2021. If you like what we do, then get behind LGBTQI media and keep us going for another generation. Your support is invaluable.
