Feeling Stuck? Edit Your Hobbies (Editing Life Series)
Posted on September 23, 2010 by LJ Earnest
Categories: Article Series,Editing Life
This is the third article in the Editing Life series.
I love my hobbies. Creativity is second nature to me, and I would spend my days drawing, sewing, knitting, scrapbooking, doing calligraphy, spinning and writing if I could. Unfortunately, I can’t. I have financial and family obligations that preclude my full-time participation in hobbies.
So that leaves a limited amount of time to do hobbies. And my commitments limit that amount of time even further.
The way I edit my hobbies is to look at the hobby as a whole, and then to look at outstanding projects.
The Hobby List
Right now, I have the following hobbies:
- Crochet
- Knitting
- Calligraphy
- Scrapbooking
- Sewing
- Quilting
- Spinning
- Watercolors
- Writing
- Needlework
Wow.
Well, I am over crocheting. Too many big projects have burnt me out, so that needs to be put on hold for a while. I’ve decided I really don’t care for quilting, so that needs to go – permanently. Watercolors are fun every now and then, but not something I want to focus on. Same with calligraphy. I like needlework, but it is not particularly portable and requires setup. Same with scrapbooking.
So that gets rid of some forms of hobbies, preventing me from starting new projects in those arenas. Now let’s look at my outstanding projects:
UFOs (Unfinished Objects)
- Smokey mountain cats
- Entrelac scarf
- The Quilt
I’m proud that I only have three unfinished projects on the list. I’ve worked hard over the last few weeks and finished up projects that have been languishing for years (literally). In the next two weeks I will finish the quilt, or I will send it to my friend who does quilts as a side business. That will leave me with one long-term project (the cats) and my portable project (the scarf).
That’s not to say I don’t have projects queued… 
Putting some of these hobbies on hold really gives me some breathing room. And finding my UFO list so short is actually gave me a happy boost to see it.
Do you edit your hobbies? Share below.
Photo by Vibragiel
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Comments (2)
I like doing hobbies seasonally. I’ll scrapbook in fall and winter. Beach time in summer. Maybe a dance class in spring. Motorcycle rides in fall and spring. Card making in fall. Gardening in spring and summer.
Then writing every weekday morning, piano once a week.
Great job getting those unfinished projects going. Inspires me to go check out the project box. I think I have some pix to frame, a pillow to fix, a decorating idea and a big stuffed animal that needs to be stitched up.
I do this to a certain extent. I do very little fiber work in the summer. But when the cooler weather hits I have an urge to bury myself in yarn.