2026 started off with a bang for me. Surrounded by my friends at a festival, which was filled with both good conversation and good dancing. At the end of the festival, a particular conversation stuck with me. One of my friends and I had spent a lengthy time discussing the importance of ‘creating’ in our lives, and as we drove home, it truly hit me how important hobbies are. We live in an age where there is an abundance of content, which the majority of us consume daily, and it is vital that we don’t let our brains rot.

Hobbies are so vital to who we are as people. In an era where our attention is money, we must put our time towards things that bring us joy. When we spend hours endlessly scrolling, we get an instant dopamine hit, which makes us feel like we have done something worthwhile, but in reality we haven’t, and although you might not immediately get a dopamine hit when engaging in a hobby, in the end, the result of what you create or learn is more fulfilling.

Hobbies don’t have to be things that you already excel at; it’s about learning and cultivating new things. For example, towards the end of 2025, I decided that I wanted to make my New Year’s outfit. After being struck by inspiration, I started to plan. I wanted to create a skirt of ties. I didn’t have any ties I wanted to use; I had basically no experience in sewing, other than the occasional school project, and still, I set my mind forward. 

When I start a creative project, the first thing I do is conceptualise it. I went onto Pinterest and collected an abundance of ideas. I turned to my community, asking questions to the people around me who had more experience in the matter – sending out messages in hopes of getting my hands on some ties. In the end, my grandmother ended up getting me a total of 80 ties. My sister came up with the great idea of using fabric glue and then sewing over the glue, since it would be a lot easier. Hobbies are something that grow and strengthen the communities around us, engaging in activities that bring groups of people together or require you to reach out to new people.

By the conclusion of this project I made a sum total of two skirts. The first skirt I made was too heavy, as the sewing needle wouldn’t push through the amount of fabric that I had glued together.

The second skirt came out almost perfect. I glued less ties together, making it easier for me to sew. The only problem was the fact that the ties weren’t straight in the front. This, however, was an easy fix; with a few extra stitches, I managed to complete it. The skirts are now complete, and whilst I wouldn’t consider sewing a hobby of mine, since I’ve only done it a few times; exploring this interest was helpful. 

Our brains are in a constant state of analysis, from consuming media to even just walking on the street. Everything we do requires our brain to focus, stay focused and engaged, and that’s when hobbies come in. Giving ourselves time to reprieve from the constant hustle of life, we can find ourselves less stressed and more focused on the things that matter. Doing something you love, something that engages, releases dopamine that leaves you feeling not only happier but also more fulfilled. The easiest way for me to do this is through creating something with my hands; however, for different people, the release isn’t always the same. For example, exercising. Exercising has been a very well-known way to release stress, whether that be running on a treadmill, taking a hike in the mountains or even doing yoga. It’s just about finding what’s right for you.

Finding a hobby shouldn’t feel like a task, and it isn’t. Think back on the things that used to bring you joy when you were a kid, whether that entails sitting down with coloured crayons and drawing for fifteen minutes, or even playing dress up. The importance of hobbies is not to create something that you want to display for the whole world to see, but rather to find yourself a reprieve from the bustling world around you; it doesn’t even have to be a big thing. Bringing a notebook around so you can doodle when you have spare time, or bringing a camera with you as you complete day-to-day tasks. It is not about perfection, but rather about embracing the imperfections that we, humans, have when we create.

I talk about the making of this skirt as an example of how things don’t always work out perfectly. Sometimes, at the beginning of a project, we find it daunting to start, but if we just push past that, we can create things we are proud of. Our minds are so used to watching people create things that seem so far out of our reach, and so we don’t even give ourselves a chance. Moving into the New Year, we need to un-rot our brains. Getting off social media and starting projects that engage our minds is important. The best way to start this is to get off our phones, feel the boredom and let ourselves create.