Aanshi Shah Week 10 - Hobbies

     Hobbies can be powerful additions to our lives. Most hobbies cause the development of certain skills. My hobby’s drawing, so through practicing, I’ve become pretty good. More importantly, hobbies allow people to develop skills, which opens up a myriad of possibilities. 

    In my case, I can use my artistic skills to branch out in the art field and beyond. My regular art style is semi-realistic black and white pencil. However, the general artistic skills I get from using pencils proved to be useful when I tried painting. Being able
to blend, shade, and sketch complex shapes allowed me to still be proficient in a completely different form of art. I’m not amazing at painting, since using colored liquids with a flimsy brush is much different from using only grayscale with a firm pencil, but I’m definitely better than a non-artist. Even outside the art field, being able to draw improves my skill set. The best example of this is doing my makeup. I only started wearing a full face of makeup for special occasions this year, but I got it right on my first try. Why? Because drawing has helped me understand the anatomy of a face and how best to enhance it. 

 Having just one hobby gives me a variety of ways to spend my time. Having hobbies means having more of a choice of what to do with your time. When I don’t feel motivated to draw but I have some downtime at night, I often find myself stuck between choosing to scroll or watch TV. It feels suffocating to be so limited in what I can do. Just being able to have more options and opportunities to learn and try something new is incredibly liberating. Hobbies give you more power over your time.



Comments

  1. Anagha SainathFebruary 4, 2025 at 7:08 PM

    Hello Aanshi! The topic of your blog is really intriguing as I never considered that hobbies could have a powerful aspect to them. I agree that hobbies can be essential for building skills and gaining control over your time. I thought it was interesting that you were able to perfect your makeup skills on your first try through your prior experience with anatomy when drawing.

    Honestly, your blog really resonated with me because with a busy high school schedule, I have not had much time at all for hobbies lately. Whenever I find myself blessed with free time, I would rather do something mindless and easy like scrolling through my phone or watching TV instead of something actually mentally stimulating. I actually saw a quote online recently that said something to the effect of “if your only hobby is media consumption, then you don’t have a hobby, you have an addiction.” This echoes the sentiment of your blog to some extent as constant media consumption can feel suffocating and limiting, just as you said.

    Overall, your passion for art is admirable and evident, and I enjoyed seeing how you opened up a new line of thought on the power of hobbies. Amazing work!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wesley GuoFebruary 5, 2025 at 6:18 PM

    Hello Aanshi! I seem to be saying this a lot this week, but I will mention how I didn’t expect hobbies to be among the topics discussed this week; nonetheless, I really enjoyed reading your blog post. I liked your point on how hobbies can be great ways to expand your skill set and to expand your possible opportunities for what you can do. However, I think an important aspect not touched upon as much is simply the emotional value, where hobbies are great ways for you to relax while doing something worthwhile, and to find a brief respite from the monotony of daily life. Personally, I enjoy playing chess a lot, and while sometimes it does cause me to be very annoyed(typically when I lose), for the most part it is a great way for me to relieve stress and to take a short break. Still, I enjoyed reading your blog post greatly, and I hope to read more from you in the future!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anthony LiuFebruary 5, 2025 at 9:39 PM

    Hi Aanshi! I never knew you liked to draw! I've seen the semi-realistic black and white pencil style while I was also scrolling on reels and I have to say that they're very impressive. It's honestly amazing what artists can do with just a pencil while I somehow mess up drawing a smiley face. I definitely don't have the experience to connect with drawing nor makeup but I think what you're doing is amazing. I've struggled to find a hobby for a long time now, so for the time being, I'm keeping my doors open to whatever opportunity wants to walk in. Great blog and I'd love to see some of your work sometime!

    ReplyDelete

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