Why Don’t We Do What We Love Anymore

I used to be a really big reader, my dad would take me to the library on Monday after school and I would get out five books for that week. I would completely tear through those motherfuckers and be ready to go for another round the following week. I had an iPad and a DVD player but I just had no interest in those things, I just wanted to read for hours on end.  

When people ask me what my hobbies are now, I don’t really know what to say. I spend more of my free time rewatching the same TV shows and occasionally building LEGO. It’s not like I don’t enjoy reading anymore, it’s just that it feels like I have more important things to do - like doom scrolling TikTok for hours on end. When the time comes and I actually feel like picking up a book, I’m exhausted and can’t be bothered. I was wondering if this was a universal experience, whether everyone’s hobbies fall into a deep grave along with Tamagotchis, Vine and Club Penguin. Turns out it is - lots of us have had things we used to be passionate about turn into a chore or an afterthought.  

Abby used to be a keen artist, a blatant brag she shared with me was that she was even arts prefect at her high school, a true testament to her talent. Since studying and doing lots of life stuff, she has been too busy to focus on her art. When I asked her why, she couldn’t really remember if she made a conscious decision to stop, or whether life just got in the way.  

“The hobbies I had when I was younger, like painting and reading, let me live different lives other than my own. Now that I’m reasonably happy with my life and don’t need those distractions, I’ve just fallen out of those hobbies and just spend time in the moment,” she says.  

There’s also a certain level of pressure when it comes to revisiting old passions. I used to read for three hours straight after school, and now I feel bad when I can only stomach 20 minutes before getting distracted.  

Abby feels the same way about her old hobbies. 

“I feel like I don’t want to get back to doing art because I used to be really good at it, and I have such an idealistic view of what my art used to look like. I kind of view myself as this artistic, crafty free-spirited girl. I just know if I got back into it, I would get frustrated with myself that I wasn’t immediately perfect at it.”  

There’s a lot of research that suggests regular hobbies are excellent for mental health. One article from Utah State University found hobbies can reduce stress, improve general and social wellbeing and decrease signs of depression and anxiety. In fact, a study in little old New Zealand found that creative activities can have long-term positive effects on your wellbeing. Participants in the study found that there was a clear positive effect on their mood and sense of positivity and even a sense of ‘flourishing’ for a few days after. The even better news is that feeling the positive impacts of creative hobbies is not limited to those who have previous experience in them.  

Lockdowns last year were an absolute treasure trove for people rediscovering their favourite hobbies. Everyone was baking bread, my mum got really into painting again and I rediscovered one of my other hobbies - drinking eight cups of coffee a day because I had nothing better to do.  

Massive’s very own Aiden Wilson also got back into a hobby that they had previously neglected while they were in lockdown. Aiden’s hobby is not a common one like baking or LEGO. They are very into the elusive trade of mask making.  

 
“I started doing it as a small hobby in 2019, originally in preparation for Halloween because I had made a Slipknot costume. It ended up spiralling and I kept buying cheap masks from the costume store here in Palmy and making them look cool.”  

Aiden has a similar situation to Abby, where they couldn't pinpoint exactly why they stopped making masks.  

“It’s definitely something that I still enjoy doing, but I think a combination of lack of funds and lack of time contributed to it. Buying all of the materials like paints, masks, glue and everything got a bit hard on a tiny budget.”  

Uni also got in the way of Aiden continuing with mask making, having to do assignments put them off the idea of doing craft work during their free time. They got too tired to do much other than gaming or binging Netflix.  

“I picked it up again in lockdown when I had time on my hands, but once uni started up again, I had to stop due to lack of money and lack of time,” they said.  

Obviously, there’s a huge number of people who have lost passion for their hobbies, but I thought it would be a good idea to end the piece on a high note, by talking to someone who has managed to maintain the hobbies they’ve had since they were younger.  

Caitlin has been painting and drawing since she was young, and still manages to find time to destress and express herself in her free time.  

“Even though I’m working full time, it’s really important for me to find time every now and then to be creative and continue with my hobbies. If I just sit and paint in front of the TV, I always find myself feeling calmer and more accomplished - even if it results in me neglecting housework or life stuff that I have to do.”  

The point of this story isn’t to try and convince you to get out your RipStik and start shredding the streets - but instead to remind us all that finding time to do something that’s just for you. The best thing about a hobby is that it’s not competitive, it’s just something that can take our minds off of the disgusting chaos that adult life often is.