I have found that when my mood is down, I’m feeling bored or just out of sorts, if I have some sort of hobby to occupy my hands and my mind, these phases pass quickly, leaving me a more pleasant person to be around. I guess I just like to learn how to do new things and try my hand at projects I’ve never attempted before.

Over the years, I’ve learned to sew, created ceramic objects, made candles, taken belly dancing lessons, learned to crochet and attended oil painting classes. Each new activity brought joy into my life and peace of mind when I felt troubled. Of course, there have been other things I’ve had to learn, such as the computer, but I don’t consider that a hobby. To me, a hobby is something that is fun to do, and produces something tangible from your efforts, such as an oil painting, a ceramic mug from which to enjoy my morning cup, a crocheted afghan to keep me warm on cool evenings or some brightly burning candles that I made just for my home.

And now I’ve discovered a new hobby.

While vacationing in Door County, Wisconsin, we traveled through the town of Fish Creek (the name of the town alone intrigued me) where we came upon a large barn with a sign proclaiming it to be the Hands On Art Studio, www.handsonartstudio.com.  Curious, we parked the car and went inside to investigate. We ended up spending several hours there.  We were overwhelmed by the choices of art media offered that we could explore.  For a modest fee, all materials plus assistance and supervision was provided.  I had a hard time deciding between pottery throwing, hand-molding something from clay, making a yard sculpture in the metal workshop or designing my own glass serving dish or bowl.

Then I saw something that appealed to me so much that I wasn’t about to leave until I tackled it. I discovered mosaics. For my project, I selected a large oval tray. I used a background of light green tiles and in the center I made a teapot from blue tiles.  At least I hope it looks like a teapot. I didn’t do the grouting; that was done by the staff at the studio. My tray was ready for pick-up the next day. I was so thrilled with it that mosaic has become my new hobby. Since our return home, I have made a smaller tray, a catch-all box, and a small jewelry chest. The only problem is that since I didn’t grout my project, I have to learn to do that myself so I’m hoping I don’t ruin my work when I experiment with the grout.

When I find myself tired from the hectic life that is so common to all of us now, I sit down with a form, some tiles or stones and glue, and before I know it, I’m relaxed and happy to be creating something beautiful. Just walking through the local craft and hobby shops where I purchase my supplies can be fun and can provide you with many ideas. If you don’t currently have a hobby, I recommend that you discover what you enjoy and immerse yourself in something that will provide you with fun and offer much needed relaxation.

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For more activities of interest to seniors, see What's Happening for Seniors.