“Learn a new skill” or “pick up a new hobby” is something most of us have made a goal at some point. I originally started leaning into hobbies to spend less time on my phone and learn new skills, both of which I’ve been able to do. However, almost all skills or hobbies come with a learning curve, so what exactly makes learning a new thing worth it? One study from the National Library of Medicine uses multiple approaches and frameworks to break down how leisure activities impact our health.Â
The study finds that there are both immediate and long-term benefits for most hobbies, impacting both physical and mental health. For example, participants with hobbies reported higher levels of happiness compared to those without. This longitudinal study from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study that tracked participants’ cognitive function over the course of six years even found that hobbies decrease the risk of dementia and improve cognitive function. Another study from Lancet Psychiatry found that hobbies improve the health of the endocrine, immune, and central nervous system.
There are all sorts of hobbies, from artisanal crafts to learning a new language. Even with such a wide range of needed skills and desired outcomes, most hobbies have one thing in common: you don’t start out as an expert. We’ve all been a beginner at something at some point in our lives, so why is it so frowned upon to not know everything about a subject immediately? The word amateur is surrounded by negative connotations, usually implying a lack of intelligence. What I find deeply interesting is that amateur comes from the latin word “amator” which means “to love.”
 The origin means amateur can be interpreted as someone who does an activity for the love of it. When we reframe the term as someone who does an activity because they are dedicated to the act of it rather than the result, we remove the pressure and fear of failure. You can’t fail to do something for the love of it unless you don’t do it at all. This is much like the mindset of valuing the journey over the destination. If the goal is just to do the activity, I find it much easier to start.Â
As an artist with many hobbies from sewing and illustration to ceramics, when someone sees my work, one of the top comments I hear is “you should sell these!” and though I take it as a compliment, not every skill needs to be monetized. Personally, I find a lot of freedom in creating things with no intention of selling them. When I am making things to be sold, I have to consider trends, market interest, and profit margins. However, when I make things for myself, I can pour in as much time and effort as I want to and make what I want instead of what will sell. In our consumerist society, it’s normalized that most activities should involve making or spending money, which is exactly why creating without profit in mind is not only a mental break, it’s an act of rebellion.
In a culture that often only highlights those who are experts in their field, it’s easy to forget that everyone starts somewhere. Beyond that, being an expert doesn’t have to be the goal; we can embrace the root of the word amateur and do something just because we enjoy going through the motions of it.Â