Need a Hobby? Try One of Ours!
From language learning to photography, genealogy to tennis, we’ve rounded up eight of our favorite things to do — just for fun.
Making room in your weekly routine for a hobby (or three!) has long been a sign of living fully. Yet as we’ve written about at The Persistent, too many of us don’t have the luxury of leisure time, or feel guilty when we steal an hour to do something we enjoy simply because. We’re here to give you permission. That’s because giving yourself the gift of leisure time to practice a hobby isn’t just fun; it’s feminist, too.
Of course, it can be hard to know where to start, whether crafts, sports, the arts, or one of the innumerable other options out there. We asked The Persistent staff and contributors for ideas. Whether you’re searching for your first outside-of-work activity or just wanting to add another pastime to your list, we’ve got a hobby for you.
I'm a language nerd. I study languages for pleasure — for a window into how another culture expresses ideas, and for a way to communicate with people in countries I love to visit. Speaking other languages opens other worlds. I'm not like a polymath friend of mine who speaks about eight languages; I speak fluent Spanish and Italian. And while I may be too old to start learning Chinese, whatever country I visit, I make sure to learn enough words to get around before I go, which makes the journey more fun.
— Laura Fraser, contributing writer
After years of experimenting with different jewelry creation techniques (and a lifetime of crafting), I just picked up silver clay. You work with it like any other clay but it’s made with 99.9% silver particles (and .01% fireable binding agents), so when you fire it, the binding agents melt away and you’re left with a big piece of fine silver. It’s significantly more challenging than working with secondhand beads, my usual jaunt, but I enjoy getting to learn something by being bad at it.
— Han Goldstein, social media editor
I don’t know if it’s possible for politics to be a hobby, but that is what I’m spending the bulk of my free time on these days. I’ve found a grassroots group that I really like, and our aim is to fight authoritarianism, protect democracy, and safeguard voting rights, among other things. Before 2016, I was politically aware, but by no means well informed or active. Now, I’ve been canvassing for candidates (and have organized others to do so), done phone banking, written and edited stories on politics for our group’s newsletter, and, of course, drawn many colorful signs to bring to protests. Working with like-minded people for a cause I believe in keeps me optimistic — and reminds me that we all have the power to take action.
— Paula Derrow, features editor
In the last two years, I have rekindled my interest in photography, which was a hobby of mine in my 20s. To help me up my game, I’ve started using a Nikon digital camera on loan from a friend. Going out with the camera instead of just an iPhone helps me get a different perspective on the world. Lately, I find myself gravitating toward taking photos of landscapes, from unusual vantage points or with cool shadows, textures, and reflections). Being able to focus on what’s beautiful and surprising in the world has been a welcome respite from all the turmoil going on around us.
— Stacey Colino, contributing writer
Lucky me: my hobby, my vocation, my avocation, my spiritual practice, and my get-out-of-mental-jail-free card are all the same: writing. Writing always makes me feel better while I’m doing it, even when the intersection of art, politics, and commerce don’t align.
— Meredith Maran, contributing writer
I’m a genealogy nerd. Not just because I’m obsessed with uncovering the lives of my ancestors, but because I love the detective work that comes with it: trawling through census records, marriage certificates, wills and burial records, piecing together fragments of personal history long forgotten. When I’m not doing that, you’ll probably find me wandering the London graveyard scene, searching for hidden graves. Trust me, once you start, you can’t stop
— Helen Simmonds, business director
When I was 13, my mom sent me to tennis camp to keep me occupied over the summer. I'm pretty sure I never played a real match. Now that my own son is 13, and I actually have some time to myself, I started taking tennis lessons on a whim with a friend. Lo, It's the best morning of the week. I'm terrible, but committed. I've decided that this is the sport that will take me into older age.
— Katherine Dykstra, contributing writer
I signed up for a beginners' tap class. It’s a class for grown-ups that isn’t offered in the greater service of anything other than knocking about once a week as we muddle our way through brushes, spanks and heel drops. (Yes, friends, those are actual tap terms.) The class is not aiming to enhance my career, it’s not going to educate me in the basics of accounting or offer guidance on running a business; it’s not culminating in a performance, and it likely won’t even make it to my Instagram grid. It simply is what it is. You do you. I’ll take tap.
— Francesca Donner, editor-in-chief
Do you have a hobby you think more people should know about? Send a description to hello@thepersistent.com. We'll be back with more recommendations next Friday.
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