Blogging Challenge: Hobby Blogging and Blogging About Your Hobby
2:00 AM Posted by Unknown
I've written about how to let people know more about who you are so they understand who is behind the scenes of your blog. I've also challenged you to write about what you really know and are considered an expert in, giving you a chance to brag. Now it's time for a different kind of Blogging Challenge.
Blog about your favorite hobby.
Yes, hobbies are personal, but sometimes hobbies are professional. Some people turn their hobbies into multi-million dollar companies, and others turn their hobbies into their blogs. Either way, what you do in your "free" time is your choice and another part of the puzzle of who you are.
During my travels, I've met all kinds of people who do all kinds of things, and what surprises me the most is what they do in their "off-time". I've meet people whose hobbies range from miniature trains (building whole countries for their trains to run through) to people who spend the summer catching butterflies and the winter gluing them into plastic/crystal gift containers with fake flowers to sell in gift shops around the country. I've met people who collect umbrellas, books, rocks, guitars, houses, land, pottery, dishes, silverware, old photographs, stamps, coins, pillows, movies, dolls, miniatures, miniature boxes, post cards, and toys. I've had fun learning from people who tat, knit, crochet, sew, play with clay, collect and share tea at tea parties, create costumes, cook, decorate, race bikes, sky dive, build and fly planes, restore ancient airplanes and houses, cut hair, paint fingernails, make fishing flies, fix machines, and do a wide range of things for little or no money, or a lot of money, but do it for the fun of it, not the "work" of it.
Some hobbies become more than just something to do. They come together with other enthusiasts to share their passion, experience, knowledge, and to buy and sell. My husband and I went to a doll and toy show in North Carolina. We found people eager to talk to anyone about all the toys and dolls they had collected and available for sale, where they were made, how they were made, who had owned them, creating entire biographies for each toy. We found a small plastic robot made of bright colors for USD $800.00. Some people are very serious about their toys. We found tons of toys and games we threw away from our childhoods, now worth hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of dollars. To us this is junk, but to fans, this is gold. Amazing.
What people collect always interests us. I met a woman who collects post cards as she travels. And not just any post cards. She is an expert on post cards. She knows just about everything there is to know about the post card industry and collecting hobby. I didn't realize there was so much to know about post cards. She went through one of my grandmother's photo albums with very old post cards and the values she estimated on many of them might have helped pay off those college debts sooner, if I'd know about them then. Yikes!
In the Middle East, I met a man who turned his childhood hobby for taking things apart and putting them together as a child into a lifetime passion of fixing sewing machines. With huge stubby fingers, he handled tiny sewing machines parts and pieces with the skill of a surgeon, a smile never leaving his face, even now at 70 years old, willing to talk to anyone for hours about the wonders of the sewing machine.
The passion and enthusiasm I've seen for people's hobbies has also been amazing. Get them talking about their miniature trains or butterflies and the eyes glow, the face changes. The whole body changes positions, standing taller, and leaning in closer. Some people are extremely serious about their hobbies, their brows furrowing with concentration as they speak, but others start vibrating and jumping up and down as they share their passion for what they do.
A hobby is a complex thing. For some it's their work, for others, it's what they do after work. My job is my passion and I love it, but I know that I have to take mental breaks away from what I do in order to clear my head and keep the energy flowing. So I use hobbies to keep my brain active learning and trying new things. For many years, I had a rule that every six months I would learn something new and try it for six months. If I liked it, I'd add it to my repertoire of things I enjoy doing, but if I didn't, then I'd understand why and walk away to the next thing. I learned a lot during those six month intervals, and found many things I adore doing and many I don't. What was more important is that I learned more about me, and flexed and expanded my brain in the process. This makes my work even better, giving me even more enthusiasm for it.
Your work might be your hobby. But don't assume it is. Don't look at this challenge as another opportunity to talk about what you do and promote your work. Look deep into your heart at where you get the fuel and enthusiasm to get through the day doing what you do so you can do what you really want to do. It could be playing guitar, singing, walking, hiking, photography, archeology, writing, studying history, reading, whatever it is, you think about it during the day and anticipate doing it. If that is your job, then great. Go for it. If it isn't, let us know why.
It's part of you, so tell the world what it is you do that you call your hobby. Tell us why you do it, what it means to you, and what keeps you working at it over the years.
Your blogging challenge is to write about your hobby. Who cares if it has nothing to do with your blog, it's part of who you are and how you express yourself outside of your work.
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