Four hobbies (that aren’t writing) that improve my creative practice

Trigger warning: This piece features descriptions of behaviours comparable to binging.

Have you ever prepared a meal for yourself so rewarding you feel like you could eat it every day for all eternity? So that's what you do, and life is good until one fateful day when the thought of having it again makes your stomach turn.

That’s what it felt like when writing was both my hobby and my day job.

I’d go through cycles of fixation—creativity steadily streaming from frontal lobe to fingertips, riding that writer’s high, ignoring my watch as it buzzed every hour urging me to move, until one day I just couldn’t do it anymore. Burnt out and frustrated, I’d go weeks dreading the keyboard, wondering if a creative thought would ever come my way again. But I still had to show up to work, still had to actually deliver those deliverables, and that meant forcing my way through my writing practice.

I don’t need to tell you that this was a problematic way to live. But that’s what masters of a craft do, right? To be an artist is to live a tortured life. More writing = better writing. At least, that’s what I thought, until one day I did something radical. I shelved writing as a hobby and picked up a new one. Then another.

Here are my top extra-curricular picks and how they helped improve my writing:

Pottery

If you are a person who enjoys multi-sensory experiences, the tactile nature of pottery makes it a rewarding hobby. The process is a feast for the eyes, ears, hands, and nose – a level of engagement that you just can’t get at the keyboard. Whether you are throwing a form on the wheel or hand-building a project at the table, the process is equal parts challenging and satisfying, each adjustment of your hand (and attitude) immediately reflected on the piece in front of you. Plus, the product of your efforts is a balance of art and utility. Who doesn’t love a handcrafted mug?

How it helps my practice: Pottery is an immersive activity requiring presence of mind, especially as a beginner. When I enter the pottery studio, my writing brain gets a break. I can’t fixate on a project or ponder my next line of prose because my full attention is needed elsewhere. Rest is a crucial part of the writing experience, and pottery offers a positive way to disconnect, while still nurturing the creative part of you that loves to explore new possibilities.

Beyond that, pottery studios are hubs of community. The potting circle often elicits interesting conversation and moments of connection with the people around you. These interactions are nourishing on a social level (writing can be such solitary work!) and provide human perspectives that are essential in crafting authentic narratives and characterisations.

Yoga

I thought I knew how to breathe until I started yoga. Imagine my surprise to learn my lungs had capacity beyond the shallow breathing that gets me through most days. The combination of focused breathing and gentle stretching is an incredible stress reliever, with the added benefit of increasing flexibility, balance, and posture. My preferred practice is a slow flow, allowing me to tinker with the movements and draw awareness to what my body needs in that moment.

How it helps my practice: You can’t write if you are uncomfortable. I mean that on a physical and psychological level. Yoga creates space to regularly assess your physical and mental state and identify pain points that may be hindering your creative expression. On top of that, my personal practice of mindfulness – right now I’m working on letting thoughts come and go without fixating – is an incredible way to give my creative brain a chance to rest (I’m seeing a theme here!).

Hiking

Most of my days are spent in the same three square kilometres. If I’m being completely honest, there are times I don’t even leave the few square metres surrounding my desk. Hiking is my way of expanding my horizons, getting in a bit of light exercise, and stimulating my senses.

How it helps my practice: The act of noticing is integral to a strong writing practice. Sure, you can picture a bird on a branch in a forest well enough in your head but observing that bird in real life and drawing focus to the ambient sights and sounds that exist around it usually translates to additional colour, dimension, and realism to your work. Unlike the hobbies above, hiking is easily done in tandem with creative thinking. Sometimes the extra movement while pondering a particularly tricky scene or challenge helps to get it unstuck.

Experimenting with new hobbies

Can trying out hobbies be a hobby? I say yes! As someone who enjoys novelty, I love finding new avenues to challenge myself. Even if I don’t end up enjoying the activity enough to stick with it, I know I will end up with a fun story and a new perspective. Some of the hobbies I’ve picked up and set down over the years include: photography, musical theatre, graphic fiction, quilting, cross stitching, axe throwing, beach volleyball, home renovations, camping, and tabletop role-playing games.

How it helps my practice: Playing with new hobbies is a form of experiential learning. It is a terrific way to expand vocabulary and add depth to your understanding of the human condition. Many hobbies come with niche terminology and particular physiological outcomes. Knowing what those are can drive credibility in character work. For example, the experience of an arm vibrating long after putting down a drill is one unique to someone who does construction work. That is a fine detail that adds realism to creative writing, and not something you can gather from observation alone.

A parting thought: Not all hobbies are free, and costs can be a barrier to entry. Your local public library and volunteer organizations are a great place to start if you are looking for an accessible and affordable way to connect with a new hobby.