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I have moved beyond hobbies into METAHOBBIES. Specifically: Collecting Hobbies. I find that following my ADHD hyperfocus until the next shiny thing comes alon
by robotguy 3y ago
I have moved beyond hobbies into METAHOBBIES.
Specifically: Collecting Hobbies.
I find that following my ADHD hyperfocus until the next shiny thing comes along has led to a massively diverse array of introductory knowledge and mediocre skills (as well as a garage stuffed full with bins of unfinished projects). Specifically in the last two years I have dabbled in:
home automation (incl. Node Red, LoRa, MQTT on Raspberry Pi)
weather stations
terrariums
greenhouse climate control
making wooden boxes
Minecraft
mechanical pencils
fountain pens
notebooks
bookbinding (custom notebooks)
Dungeons & Dragons
I realized years ago that I had to embrace the change and I try to dip my toe into any hobby that appeals at the time with as minimal monetary outlay as possible. I find interests tend to resurface after a while, and the skills/tools/materials for one can generally be used somewhere else down the road.
I have found that I learn something and increase my skillset with every unfinished project. That leads to, over the long run, being able to get more accomplished in less time on newer projects. The real treasures are the friends you made ^h^h^h^h^h things you learned along the way.
- gtroja 3y agoAlmost the same here! ADHD and a lot of seasonal hobbies, like bookbinding (just love moleskine, and I started making my own) mechanical pencils (rotring ftw), paper in general
- robotguy 3y agoYou might check out the Platinum Pro Use II. https://www.jetpens.com/Platinum-Pro-Use-II-05-Drafting-Pencil-0.5-mm/pd/1461 https://www.jetpens.com/Platinum-Pro-Use-II-05-Drafting-Penc... They’re out of production and even more expensive than a Rotring, but it’s my fave (even more than my R800). You can get them occasionally on EBay.
- v-erne 3y agoI second rotring! Especially 800 model, it's just so nice piece of precision machinery which combines ideally with Moleskin P notebook and leuchtturm pen holder (after retracting its tip 800 fits nicely on the side)
- qup 3y agoMe too. I only have two of your same hobbies, but I would be interested enough to dive into any of those items. My life is a list of hobbies I used to have. Some of them I became quite excellent at before I abandoned them (temporarily!)
- tgittos 3y agoAlso a metahobbyist. I've tried everything you have (except weather stations and mechanical pencils) but also make/play guitars, hobbyist electronics, paper making, painting/illustration, fixing up old cars, and MtG among others. I realized I was being a little ridiculous when I started planning a peltier powered hydroponic cabinet for growing fresh wasabi. Most of that was to do with the disappointing results with peltier cooling temperature deltas. The garage full of specialist tools is what kills me. I can't imagine how I'll ever use the vacuum chamber I built for epoxy stabilization again, but I have one.
- hotpotamus 3y agoI reused a fermentation setup for the hydroponic wasabi idea. I had some success with lettuce as a test subject but the humidity was not well-controlled which I think would be a problem. The thought of how much energy I'd have to use for years to keep the whole thing running just made it seem a bit ridiculous. Also, I'm not sure if I could reliably source wasabi seeds. I stick with super-hot peppers mostly which don't need a lot in the way of temperature control.
- tgittos 3y agoI reached a similar conclusion, luckily before doing too much building. I'm happy with terrariums so far, they scratch my 'living things in closed systems' itch.
- hotpotamus 3y agoFunny, I was sort of exploring the idea of aquaponics myself and I was trying to explain to someone what was at the root of my curiosity and I realized that it was enclosed ecosystems. I had fun giving the lettuce to people and explaining that it was grown without ever seeing natural sun or soil and showing them a timelapse video of the growth, but no one seemed all that impressed lol. If you've never been, I can highly recommend a trip to "Biosphere 2" in Arizona which is a semi-retired monument to the whole idea, and quite worth the tour.
- yummypaint 3y ago
- shanecleveland 3y agoMy tribe! Fly Fishing Skiing Boat Restoration Sauna (Built & Use) Vinyl Records Side Project Web Apps Deck Pond Etc. As you suggest, interest come and go with the season and/or build on each other. Learning to accept that I will never be defined by a singular interest and embrace the generalist life.
- fuzztester 3y agoNice list. >making wooden boxes Can you describe how you do that? I mean, I can guess in general, because I have done a little carpentry earlier, and making boxes is somewhat common sense anyway (getting and assembling the pieces), but still would like to know how you do it. I can guess the first part: you collect and cut the necessary wood pieces for the sides, top and bottom of the box. But even that is not fully obvious. What kind of pieces do you get? Ones of a standard desired thickness, from a carpentry supplies or timber shop, or do you buy logs or planks and cut them to the desired thickness and length / width? How do you fix them together? With nails/screws or some sort of glue? Not sure glue would work for thinner box sides. Asking because I want to make some myself, to store things.
- robotguy 3y agoI got into it watching Adam Savage. The method he uses is really easy; glue & staples, build all 6 sides, cut off the top with the table saw. One Day Builds: Adam Savage Makes Something Wonderful from Scratch https://youtu.be/-tUHJnl8qPM?si=d8eQ99XiqqKUzWRe https://youtu.be/-tUHJnl8qPM?si=d8eQ99XiqqKUzWRe Here's a few of mine: https://imgur.com/a/O9ybg https://imgur.com/a/O9ybg https://imgur.com/a/ChgDJ https://imgur.com/a/ChgDJ https://imgur.com/a/U4XSO https://imgur.com/a/U4XSO https://imgur.com/a/e3ZG0 https://imgur.com/a/e3ZG0 https://imgur.com/a/DMdMS https://imgur.com/a/DMdMS
- fuzztester 3y agoThanks for the info.
- fuzztester 3y agoThe boxes look good.
- adamhp 3y agoI'd never heard it described this way, but man, this is me and my life in a nutshell! It always felt like a disadvantage. I always yearned to be more of an expert at any one particular thing, but like you, I've been trying to lean into it (with mixed success).
- is_true 3y agoI do something similar, I like to learn techniques used by craftsman. I do it by lurking in facebook groups of people doing the craft.