Starting a new hobby

[yorkshirepudsx]

I want to know about the hobbies you started during adulthood, things you always wanted to try & finally got around to, (whether they're sporty or not)
Why did you finally start them?
How did it make you feel?
And so on

I feel like I have such a big list of things I want to do and achieve, some of them probably laughable 🤣 & mostly random,
but I'm determined to do as many as I can within the next 10 years.

Could you do one per year ?
That be fun.

Then you get to do everything on your list

I took up photography again. I treated myself to a really good digital camera, for which my lovely husband later bought me a zoom lens and I also have a macro lens.
There is no real need to know all the techie stuff: the camera does it for you if you wish.
I have a Flickr site and belong to all sorts of groups for areas in which I'm interested. Very friendly and supportive.
Carrying a camera, and looking purposeful and engaged, is good way for a woman on her own to go places I find.
I have pics published on special interest websites [plants, architecture], had a small commission from a sculptor, and even had one of mine used as an illustration in a big Dorling Kindersley book.
Makes me feel both creative and that I have a good reason to get out and about.
Only downside: remembering not to step backwards off curbs into traffic, trying to get my shot!

I'm very much into photography too, it all started during the pandemic, I tried online courses back then and attended the in-person classes once they were re-opened. It's not something I had actively planned, my DH had a camera that he didn't really use anymore (also tried photography but got bored quickly), and so I started taking random photos and editing them. I got a better camera since and a professional photo editing software.
Photography appeared to be both entertaining and challenging to me, because you really have to keep a lot in mind in order to take a good photo. I also like the process of editing itself, it's like pure magic when you look at the "before" and "after" of your photo. Choosing a program was difficult, though, because there are so many of them and you don't know where to start. Look at any list of photo editors like photography.tutsplus.com/articles/best-photo-editing-software-pc-free-paid--cms-36447 and there are more than 20 of them 😅
Good news is that there are tons of free photo editors or one time buy deals so you don't waste money on subscriptions to stuff that doesn't work for you.

I feel like I have such a big list of things I want to do and achieve, some of them probably laughable 🤣 & mostly random,
but I'm determined to do as many as I can within the next 10 years

I'd love to know what's on your list.

My biggest hobby atm is knitting socks, I'd been a crocheter for ages but could never quite get to grips with knitting. I sort of became determined to do it because two pointy sticks and a ball of yarn weren't going to beat me 😂I started off with shawls once I knew the basics. 2020 was the biggest motivator to learn how to knit socks and now I've made around 20 pairs.

I also make junk journals after falling down a YouTube rabbit hole of tutorials.

I tried needle felting but couldn't produce anything remotely decent.

I started learning piano a couple of months ago at the age of 53. I'm loving doing something new and challenging!

Watercolour painting. I bought a cheap set of paints, brushes and paper from The Works and just started trying different techniques. Washes, layering and some more detailed work. I've given myself a practice project to paint a little card to use as a bookmark for each of the books that I'm reading throughout the year. I read about a book a week so I should have a little collection by the end of the year.

Omg my list is below! Some really random stuff but all things I'd love to have a go at - some of them I can't do right now because I'm pregnant but I will be doing them as soon as I can🙈

-Knitting/Crochet
-Pottery
-DIY garden projects (I want to get good at making my own planters!)
-Scrapbooking!

-Skateboarding or Rollerskating (random I know! But I tried both as a kid and with each, I let one fall put me off, I want to try them again in a few years, probably give my partner and sons a massive laugh but it'll make me feel good 🤣)
-Fishing - my partner goes a lot and I've never been with him! So I want to get good with that 🙈
-Swimming! I did swim lessons as a kid and I ended up a really strong swimmer, I just stopped because I couldn't be bothered 🤣 so I'd love to start swimming again!

There's so many other things I want to try! Some aren't so much 'hobbies' just things I want to do!
I've always been really active, throughout pregnancies etc and as soon as I can after birth I continue, I have medals for competing in walking challenges and stuff, all medals I got whilst pregnant or carrying baby on my chest/back 🙈 so I also want to do some more of those and I'm really keen on doing something a bit more 'out there' and maybe raising some money for charity!