Grandma Hobbies in 2024

Written by Verity Borras

For those of us who were unable to continue working, the Covid-19 lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 gave us all the time we had always wanted to do the things we wouldn’t have time for otherwise. Being unable to socialise outside of our households meant an absence of distractions, allowing nostalgic hobbies to return to the forefront of young people’s minds. This continued beyond Covid, leaving young adults with creative skills that are beneficial for their mindfulness.

Old-fashioned hobbies in the digital age

Although it’s possible that these hobbies are regarded as a sharp departure from excessive internet use, it is also true that the cottagecore that stems from these projects is intrinsically linked to social media representation. Cottagecore is an aesthetic designed to imply that somebody is living a certain way on social media. However, the hobbies associated with it hark back to the period before the internet dominated leisure time. Cottagecore hobbies have subverted this, using the internet to connect with others over creative projects that inspire mindfulness.

Knitting vs Burnout

Hobbies such as knitting, crochet, journaling, baking, flower drying and scrapbooking have outlasted the pandemic, insisting that people make time for them even after their lives went back to a new ‘normal’. Before, we would not have prioritised things such as learning to sew or make sourdough starters. Now, many people make a point of allowing time for the things they enjoy around work and other responsibilities.

One of the biggest causes of decline in mental health in young people is burnout in relation to education and work. Creative hobbies and outlets can serve as an antidote to this. When burnt out, it’s not often that we are only doing too much, but also that we are not doing enough of what we enjoy doing. Engaging in creative projects requires effort, but it’s worth it as a means to remain grounded and to spend more time doing the things we love.

Cottagecore and Mindfulness

Skill building and creativity have been linked to improved mental health, with specific benefits to increased self-worth. While self-esteem is awareness of our best qualities and skills, self-worth is the inherent value we see in ourselves. One way to build this is by feeding back into ourselves and forcing ourselves to be passively creative.

The act of creating something is proof to ourselves that we have the capacity to make something, whether it turns out the way we wanted it to or not. Developing a skill and, by extension, having evidence of our improvement, is a way that we can look back and see how far we’ve come. Whether it be progress in the neatness of granny squares for the blanket you’ve been working away at for months, or the perfect crumb on the banana bread you’ve been practicing since lockdown.

Whether your interests lie in bookbinding or birdwatching, macrame or making mosaics, these hobbies carry great benefits for our wellbeing. Not only are they building on creative skills, but for each one of them there is a bustling digital community of people you can engage with in fun and imaginative ways that were not previously possible.

What hobbies do you make time in your schedule for? Are there any new skills you’d like to try out in 2024?