Workout Your Brain With Hobbies!

Humans are meant to create.  Hobbies are cultivated from what a person enjoys doing when they could be doing whatever they want.  I have found, especially with my peers, that hobbies are disappearing.  If any hobbies are engaged in at all, they tend to be athletically driven like running, hiking or cycling.  I workout for endorphins, health and clarity; however, if I could have a fit and toned body without working out?  Those 45 minutes would most definitely be spent doing something else.  Therefore, for the sake of this post, I'm referencing creative hobbies.  I'm talking about painting, singing, photography, writing, baking, gardening, playing an instrument, wood-working or party planning.  Something that makes the left side of your brain ramp up and start firing on all cylinders.

Creative hobbies can benefit your professional life, too.  There has been a plethora of papers and articles supporting the connection between having a creative hobby and increased mental dexterity in the workplace.  Evernote's Phil Libin wrote a piece for Inc. magazine about teaching himself piano in his 40's:

"When you learn a new skill, you learn new patterns. And then you start seeing these patterns interwoven into the familiar world. The impenetrable becomes less so. Things you always knew, you now know better […] I feel the effects at the office.  I'm smarter than I was a few months ago, with new ways of seeing things, a new mental vocabulary, and greater cognitive dexterity.  I feel more creative than ever, and I get more done every day."

I feel this myself.  Knitting during busy season quiets my brain.  My head no longer spins about how many audit reports I need to issue, how I can get my team to have more attention to detail, or when I'm going to have that difficult conversation with the client.  If I focused on those things instead of my knitting, I'll screw it up.  Knitting is repeating patterns, math, and a balance of tension… basically a mental workout that hones skills I use in the workplace.  Plus, in the end, I created something and creation taps into your four year old self's "look what I did!" pride.

So try it - for ten minutes build a city in the original Sim City game you haven't touched since you were nine (or maybe you were a Rollercoaster Tycoon kind of kid?).  Find some colored pencils and just doodle.  Bake a cake even if it isn't someone's birthday.  Our society is craving creative outlets - why else would Pinterest and Etsy be booming?  You don't have to share it with anyone… you don't have to be good at it.  View it as CrossFit for your brain.

Happy Belated Birthday, Janis!

Taken by Bob Seidemann
From janisjoplin.net 

Did you pay homage to one of the most progressive and free-spirited, yet troubled, women of the last century on Saturday?  Janis Joplin would have been 70 years old and it seems that, like Marilyn Monroe, her memory and message have experienced a recent resurgence in popularity.  I like to think it is because a whole new generation (my generation) of women is finding comfort in her ethos as the pressures of true adulthood begins to set in.  Janis represented being true to oneself, speaking one's mind, embracing quirkiness (hello, blog title!), and trying to make the world a little better.

"I'm one of those weird regular people"

Taken by Barry Feinstein
From janisjoplin.net

My Mom loves Janis.  When I was younger, she would put on Janis and I would complain about the "yelling".  My Mom and I share similar interests but have sufficiently different personalities.  Her prominent "hippie streak" mirrors my type-A personality.  I like to think she captured quite a few traits from growing up in the sixties.  No joke - she pictured getting married barefoot outside with a floral wreath on her head.  My Grandma slowly eased her towards the large traditional wedding at St. Monica's in Garfield Heights.  Flowers were held in her hands and not upon her head.  I assumed these differences were why she liked Janis and I thought it was noise.  However, one night about a year and a half ago, I was visiting my Mom in Florida and we had nothing to watch after dinner.  We chose a Janis Joplin documentary on Netflix and, by the end, my Mom was sharing stories of playing the albums in her first apartment, we were dancing, and I was hooked.  Janis was smart, soulful, and vivacious.  She represented the traits within myself that have been a bit overshadowed by my incessant attention to detail and perfectionism.  She represented the traits I want to bring forward more often in my life.

Taken by Tom Wilkes
From janisjoplin.net

"Don't compromise yourself.  You are all you've got"

Since then, my Mom and I have truly bonded over our love of Janis: we saw A Night with Janis at Playhouse Square, cooked an entire Thanksgiving dinner with her "best of" collection on repeat, and joke that we need to tour Janis sites when near San Francisco for my brother's wedding in June.

"Tomorrow never happens.  It's all the same fucking day, man"

White Silk Romper - Made for Pearl
See madeforpearl.com

I am also super excited for the Made for Pearl clothing line to become available to the public.  A fashion line backed by the Janis Joplin estate, the clothes embody Janis's unique style with some modern twists and is drumming up some positive attention.  The white lace romper has my name written all over it - I don't care what it costs.

"You can destroy your now by worrying about tomorrow"

So join me in wishing a happy belated birthday to the artist that, while only recently has come into my life, has brought me so much joy.  Put on some of her tunes, put some feathers in your hair, and try to let go of some worry.

Taken by Ricky Ferreira
From janisjoplin.net

Do you have an artist that you "grew into"?