Living Creatively: The Joys of Hobby Hoarding

I love tea! Strong tea, sweet tea, light tea, tea leaves, and tea bags. My cabinet cabinet can’t get enough of them! So you see my dilemma when I enter the tea aisle at my local grocer. Regardless of the carefully curated list on my notes app I can’t just grab one tea flavor. I have to try at least 3 more. I can’t help it!

Why must I choose one when I want them all!?

Well, you know what I love even more than tea? Creating!

And there are so many art mediums and hobbies that, just like my tea, I can’t choose just one!

The Hobby Hoarder

People like me are what I like to call, hobby hoarders. These are individuals who accumulate various hobbies without commitment. The beauty of the hobby hoarder is in their love for creation and knowledge. We have an unquenchable sense of seeking in us; to do as much as we can, while we have the time to do it. The Hobby Hoarder’s heart needs (and no I am not exaggerating) to see, learn, create, and experience until they are overflowing with knowledge and memories.

As a fellow hobby enthusiast, I used to be somewhat ashamed of my inclination to switch my latest interest like a new nail color. Today, I am a proud Hobby Hoarder for several reasons.

1. We Live to Do!

The hobby hoarder lives to do. Living is creating and with all the forms of creative expression that are available to us, we have the luxury of not needing to commit. We aren’t shackled by the need to become perfect at one or two crafts. Instead, we seek to learn and experience all that life has for us! We can experience the joys of life without being tied to a specific craft. And, as we move from one endeavor to the next, we create a life filled with adventures and stories.

2. We are a wealth of information and experiences!

The hobby hoarder can relate to almost anyone, as they have the ability to draw from their own wealth of experiences. Heck, even if they haven’t done something, they certainly have found an interest in everything.

“Oh you play the didgeridoo? I once looked into lessons.”

“You’ve been tap dancing for 10 years? That’s amazing! I took up tap dancing briefly in 2017 and realized I have two left feet.”

As hobby hoarders we have a little bit of everything in our resume. We have either done it or thought about doing it. Our homes are brimming with supplies, gadgets, and doo-hickies that bring interest to our daily lives.

3. Not Good at Anything. Can do Everything!

With the lack of commitment to a craft, comes the inability to become proficient at anything. That’s what makes us hobby hoarders: we follow every whim and try to learn everything. But, as the saying goes, to be a “jack of all trades” we must also be a “master of none”. Since the main goal of the hobby hoarder is to simply create, we are less focused on perfection and more concerned with the joy of making.

So do not be ashamed. There is nothing wrong with being more concerned about the creative moment than the creative result.

My art skills are underwhelming to say the least, but that doesn’t stop me from pulling out a pencil and doodling in my sketchbook. The goal is to enjoy making something, not start a painting exhibition.

4. Never a Boring Day

Without a mental commitment to one task or schedule, the hobby hoarder has the privilege of never having a boring day. The random urge to create a giant turkey with glue and scrap paper or crocheting a hobbit hat on a Tuesday afternoon is a regular and accepted occurrence.

I often find myself coming home from work an deciding to make a felt plushie or try one of my saved painting tutorials. Everyday is an opportunity for me to have fun!

For the hobby hoarder, our week can go from making a clay plot for our broaches to painting a donkey on a thrifted band-tee just because we can. We doodle in those little moments of boredom and will randomly start writing a song in the middle of the grocery store just because a tune came to our mind. The spontaneity of our lives is our best quality (or our undiagnosed ADHD but I’m not a doctor)!

Do It All!

There are times it is important to focus on one thing at a time. Yet, for some of us, our brains aren’t wired that way. Forcing our minds to only have one interest feels stifling. Not everyone will understand this mindset. Often times we can feel shame for our varied interests. Always noting that we are constantly learning but never mastering.

However, I am a firm believer that for some of us, it is important that we embrace our love for just doing. As I stated before for the hobby hoarder, living is doing.

If this is you, I encourage you to do as much as you can as randomly as you want!

Travel, learn how to play the guitar, then maybe the cello. Grow a garden, accidently kill your plants, and then try your hand at baking. Take salsa classes, make homemade candles, look into woodworking. Have fun and don’t let anyone shame you for “doing too much”.

Are you a hobby hoarder? What are some of the interests you’ve started? Let’s talk in the comments!

Until Next Time,

The Road Writer

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