This is such a gorgeous letter thank you Sabrina. I also had a similar revelation recently when I recently discovered I didn’t really have hobbies but instead had short-lived intensely passionate bouts of finding something new I’m interested in—knife sharpening, woodworking, miso, the science behind scent / perfume etc etc. I find it keeps life interesting and keeps me on my toes! I often wonder what I will I become fascinated with next!
Thank you Simon! And yes, I’m the same way ;) I follow lots of (often) short-lived curiosities - jumping from wood carving to dance class! I’m actually so happy that Seven Senses gives me an excuse to follow these interests (and then write about them!).
Dance class! Oh yes I remember that one I went to back in 2011 😂 I realized pretty quickly I had two left feet hah. I look forward to reading more right here in your letters! 🙏
Same Simon!! I don’t know if you got to read the recent “Present Sense” but I took two dance classes this month (one modern dance, the other was line-dancing) and I was terrible at both! 😅
“What did you do as a child that made the hours pass like minutes?” I read a while back on Substack. It’s rare that, as adults, we indulge in play or a hobby. We are living in this hyper-productivity-obsessed society where we are being told that everything we do needs to turn into a business or needs to have some purpose. But I do think this doesn't seem right. Not everything we do in life must be about being productive or generating income. Resting, daydreaming, and playing are as important as eating and sleeping for a balanced and healthy life. We underestimate the importance of these things. These are also critical things for our creativity. My best ideas sometimes came from doing nothing or pursuing a hobby, just having fun. These days, we need to make a conscious effort to make time for play and hobbies, as everything around us tells us otherwise. It’s easy to get blinded and run on autopilot without taking time for a hobby. Thank you for this great post, Sabrina
Absolutely!! “What did I like as a kid” was one of the questions I asked myself when I was looking for my deep-seeded interests: they were there from the start! And it’s definitely a societal rebellion to nurture our hobbies (not turning them all into profit!). 🙌
Couldn’t agree more. We need more for “nothingness”. Play, resting, daydreaming etc are all things we are made to feel guilty about doing because we should be productive every minute of every day. I’ve been trapped in that cycle a long time and unlearning it. Learning to rest more and play with things for the sake of playing instead of always needing an outcome from it to feel good or to tell someone about. We must learn to engage in things for the state of joy it brings, not for the outcome we hope for it to have 🙏🏽
Letting go of the outcome (even when it’s something just for fun!) is SO challenging. Even when I’m engaging in hobbies, I still tend to aim for perfection (working on that ;)
Healing is a journey that happens in layers and over time. Simply being aware of our patterns and behaviours is a big step in the right direction! I’ve found that needing to be “productive” comes from a overstimulated nervous system, always being in fight or flight because my upbringing didn’t create space for “rest” or “relaxation”. There was always drama and tension consciously or unconsciously felt by me. Plus, our education system is one that focuses our attention on only outcomes. Everything we do leads to a test score. Therefore our efforts must add up to something. Of course that isn’t a healthy recipe for life!
Well said! I, like you have attempted to make a living pursuing my passions but it sometimes feels constraining. I feel like the internet in general and social media in particular have stolen people's energy and time that might otherwise be used for hobbies. And do we value hobbies? When you meet someone at a party or gatherin they usually want to know what neighbourhood you live in or what you do for a living?
Carole, thank you! ♥️ I agree with our screen time taking away from developing our hobbies. Lately I’ve been doing one “screenless” day a week and I find that I focus a lot more on my passions without the distraction! I’m also now going to start asking people at parties what’s their hobby (such a refreshing change from job/home location!).
I've been thinking more about your post! As I was out walking the thought came to me, we live in an age of experts and people have come to believe if they are not instantly an expert at something it isn't worth doing. Perhaps that accounts for some of the diminishing participation in hobbies? I think a hobby is something we do for the joy of it and competence may or may not build over time.
I'm not quite sure how the next idea ties in but it feels like it does somehow. I remember reading a study where children who did an activity for its intrinsic reward (I like doing this) were later rewarded for doing the same activity. Their interest in it diminished. Perhaps this is why when we try to monetize our passions and seek an external reward some pleasure seeps out and they leave the arena of joyful hobbies?
I love how these ideas are lingering with you Carole... I totally agree that the constant striving for expertise must hold us back from exploring our hobbies. I touched upon that idea a bit in this piece, which you might enjoy:
Those are the classic questions Carole! However it’s interesting to break down the idea of “a living”. Are we really living? What does that mean? Doing a job or running a biz doesn’t mean we’re living. For me, living is feeling that deep sense of connectedness and aliveness in ourselves and everything around us. What reminds us of that? It could be our hobbies. It could be different for each of us. For me it’s enjoying deep nourishing conversations with my soul friends, meditation, listening to emotional music, watching a touching movie, writing poetry, throwing paint on a canvas. These are the things that move me and remind me of what “living” feels like, instead of what it “should” be.
Yes!! It’s so unfortunate that “what we do for a living” just means our work/ money/ title. It should encompass much more than that! I’m now going to use Carole’s suggestion and ask people what their hobby is when I first meet them. ☺️
Such a powerful reflection, Sabrina! I often find myself trying to make sense of personality traits, instincts, dreams, and what not that are not flowing into one another like a symphony but feel more like a disjointed, experimental melody. I'm very grateful for the reminder that it's not only okay, but actually a sign of our humanity, to contain multitudes – and to welcome contradictions as part of our beautiful, and complex, Self.
Same Claudia!! I’m slowly giving up on the need for it to “make sense”... it’s usually hard on judgement. Learning to peel the layers of my onion 🧅 and embrace the many contradictions! 🐛🦋
Amazing. Two of my favourite authors here (Murakami, and more recently Nabokov). I often like to listen to curated jazz lists whilst reading Murakami, to enhance the experience.
Oooo I love the idea of listening to jazz while reading Murakami. Did you know that in recent years he’s been hosting a jazz radio show on Tokyo FM? He’s got such an extensive collection! 📀
There must be something in the air, that Whitman quote has been on my mind so often lately. I’ve been thinking a lot about all the selves we feel it necessary to hide, as you’ll see in my next post ;)
Such a delightful cocktail of sensory bites in here, Sabrina, thank you so much! I dearly wish I could have visited Murakami’s bar and coffeehouse…💛 And I have to attempt Emily’s cake now, too...
I love when that happens! It reminds me that ideas are floating in our collective consciousness and often visit us at the same time ✨can’t wait to read your next piece Chloe! 🪶
Sabrina thank you for taking the time to write this. It’s beautiful and I resonate with so much of it. A couple of years ago I realised I was afraid to share my spiritual side too. And it was suffocating my soul. I had to let it out. I’ve had a deep spiritual hunger grow inside me over the years and it was too much to contain in secret. I also resonate with having multiple outlets of creativity that are hard to describe into a single job. It’s because it doesn’t exist. We’re here to create a new reality and way of being. An astrologer recently told me you can’t use existing labels to describe something unique, you are a magic maker. Don’t try to fit into the box to explain what you do. Your energy has to be felt, it can’t be relayed in a resume.
We often try to monetise hobbies and have lost the art of doing something simply for the sake of doing it. The joy of creating. I love writing poetry, and recently discovered how fun I have throwing paint on a canvas whilst listening to music!
Thank YOU Vipul for taking the time to read and comment 😉 it’s so fascinating hearing the sides of ourselves we hide, when that’s really our special magic (as the astrologer told you!). In this society, it’s such a rebellious act to do something just for the sake of joy (and not profit)! Like you, I also really enjoy writing poetry (and drawing and nature etc). Those activities may be business-useless but they’re the real foundational happiness for my life 💚
Sometimes I feel like I’ve run out of hobbies to enjoy. I know I haven’t tried everything, of course, but I’m convinced I’ve found all the things I like and am certain of the things I don’t. Every once in a while, though, something surprises me—tennis, muy thai, gardening, breathwork. When I’m unsure of a new pursuit, it always helps to ask, “what would I like about this if I liked it?” Sometimes it’s just about approaching unknowns from a different angle.
I love that question! It’s a good reminder that we may enjoy some parts of a hobby (but not all). The exploration is never-ending! What’s the latest one you’ve tried? I recently tried line dancing (which is like a cowboy dance ha!🕺 🤠). I wasn’t good at it but had a lot of fun!
This is such a gorgeous letter thank you Sabrina. I also had a similar revelation recently when I recently discovered I didn’t really have hobbies but instead had short-lived intensely passionate bouts of finding something new I’m interested in—knife sharpening, woodworking, miso, the science behind scent / perfume etc etc. I find it keeps life interesting and keeps me on my toes! I often wonder what I will I become fascinated with next!
Thank you Simon! And yes, I’m the same way ;) I follow lots of (often) short-lived curiosities - jumping from wood carving to dance class! I’m actually so happy that Seven Senses gives me an excuse to follow these interests (and then write about them!).
Dance class! Oh yes I remember that one I went to back in 2011 😂 I realized pretty quickly I had two left feet hah. I look forward to reading more right here in your letters! 🙏
Same Simon!! I don’t know if you got to read the recent “Present Sense” but I took two dance classes this month (one modern dance, the other was line-dancing) and I was terrible at both! 😅
“What did you do as a child that made the hours pass like minutes?” I read a while back on Substack. It’s rare that, as adults, we indulge in play or a hobby. We are living in this hyper-productivity-obsessed society where we are being told that everything we do needs to turn into a business or needs to have some purpose. But I do think this doesn't seem right. Not everything we do in life must be about being productive or generating income. Resting, daydreaming, and playing are as important as eating and sleeping for a balanced and healthy life. We underestimate the importance of these things. These are also critical things for our creativity. My best ideas sometimes came from doing nothing or pursuing a hobby, just having fun. These days, we need to make a conscious effort to make time for play and hobbies, as everything around us tells us otherwise. It’s easy to get blinded and run on autopilot without taking time for a hobby. Thank you for this great post, Sabrina
Absolutely!! “What did I like as a kid” was one of the questions I asked myself when I was looking for my deep-seeded interests: they were there from the start! And it’s definitely a societal rebellion to nurture our hobbies (not turning them all into profit!). 🙌
Couldn’t agree more. We need more for “nothingness”. Play, resting, daydreaming etc are all things we are made to feel guilty about doing because we should be productive every minute of every day. I’ve been trapped in that cycle a long time and unlearning it. Learning to rest more and play with things for the sake of playing instead of always needing an outcome from it to feel good or to tell someone about. We must learn to engage in things for the state of joy it brings, not for the outcome we hope for it to have 🙏🏽
Letting go of the outcome (even when it’s something just for fun!) is SO challenging. Even when I’m engaging in hobbies, I still tend to aim for perfection (working on that ;)
Healing is a journey that happens in layers and over time. Simply being aware of our patterns and behaviours is a big step in the right direction! I’ve found that needing to be “productive” comes from a overstimulated nervous system, always being in fight or flight because my upbringing didn’t create space for “rest” or “relaxation”. There was always drama and tension consciously or unconsciously felt by me. Plus, our education system is one that focuses our attention on only outcomes. Everything we do leads to a test score. Therefore our efforts must add up to something. Of course that isn’t a healthy recipe for life!
Totally Vipul! Our nervous system are definitely fried from that constant fight/flight and I do feel like hobbies help us relax and re-regulate 🌊
Absolutely! I’ve never had a decent idea in my life in front of a screen. Distance lends enchantment...
“Distance lends enchantment”: I love that! ♥️
Well said! I, like you have attempted to make a living pursuing my passions but it sometimes feels constraining. I feel like the internet in general and social media in particular have stolen people's energy and time that might otherwise be used for hobbies. And do we value hobbies? When you meet someone at a party or gatherin they usually want to know what neighbourhood you live in or what you do for a living?
Carole, thank you! ♥️ I agree with our screen time taking away from developing our hobbies. Lately I’ve been doing one “screenless” day a week and I find that I focus a lot more on my passions without the distraction! I’m also now going to start asking people at parties what’s their hobby (such a refreshing change from job/home location!).
I've been thinking more about your post! As I was out walking the thought came to me, we live in an age of experts and people have come to believe if they are not instantly an expert at something it isn't worth doing. Perhaps that accounts for some of the diminishing participation in hobbies? I think a hobby is something we do for the joy of it and competence may or may not build over time.
I'm not quite sure how the next idea ties in but it feels like it does somehow. I remember reading a study where children who did an activity for its intrinsic reward (I like doing this) were later rewarded for doing the same activity. Their interest in it diminished. Perhaps this is why when we try to monetize our passions and seek an external reward some pleasure seeps out and they leave the arena of joyful hobbies?
Thanks again for this thought provoking post!
I love how these ideas are lingering with you Carole... I totally agree that the constant striving for expertise must hold us back from exploring our hobbies. I touched upon that idea a bit in this piece, which you might enjoy:
https://kenshostudio.substack.com/p/joy-or-perfection
Those are the classic questions Carole! However it’s interesting to break down the idea of “a living”. Are we really living? What does that mean? Doing a job or running a biz doesn’t mean we’re living. For me, living is feeling that deep sense of connectedness and aliveness in ourselves and everything around us. What reminds us of that? It could be our hobbies. It could be different for each of us. For me it’s enjoying deep nourishing conversations with my soul friends, meditation, listening to emotional music, watching a touching movie, writing poetry, throwing paint on a canvas. These are the things that move me and remind me of what “living” feels like, instead of what it “should” be.
Yes!! It’s so unfortunate that “what we do for a living” just means our work/ money/ title. It should encompass much more than that! I’m now going to use Carole’s suggestion and ask people what their hobby is when I first meet them. ☺️
Such a powerful reflection, Sabrina! I often find myself trying to make sense of personality traits, instincts, dreams, and what not that are not flowing into one another like a symphony but feel more like a disjointed, experimental melody. I'm very grateful for the reminder that it's not only okay, but actually a sign of our humanity, to contain multitudes – and to welcome contradictions as part of our beautiful, and complex, Self.
Same Claudia!! I’m slowly giving up on the need for it to “make sense”... it’s usually hard on judgement. Learning to peel the layers of my onion 🧅 and embrace the many contradictions! 🐛🦋
Amazing. Two of my favourite authors here (Murakami, and more recently Nabokov). I often like to listen to curated jazz lists whilst reading Murakami, to enhance the experience.
Oooo I love the idea of listening to jazz while reading Murakami. Did you know that in recent years he’s been hosting a jazz radio show on Tokyo FM? He’s got such an extensive collection! 📀
Nope!!! I didn't. Can that be access outside of Japan? (I'll take a look)
I know his collection is extensive. His writing room (or at least the last image I saw of it) is a desk in a beautiful room of records. #inspiring
There must be something in the air, that Whitman quote has been on my mind so often lately. I’ve been thinking a lot about all the selves we feel it necessary to hide, as you’ll see in my next post ;)
Such a delightful cocktail of sensory bites in here, Sabrina, thank you so much! I dearly wish I could have visited Murakami’s bar and coffeehouse…💛 And I have to attempt Emily’s cake now, too...
I love when that happens! It reminds me that ideas are floating in our collective consciousness and often visit us at the same time ✨can’t wait to read your next piece Chloe! 🪶
Yes! We’re all in the mix together, no matter the distance. Such a sweet reminder 🙏✨🌀
This rocked!!!
Thanks so much Lauren! 🙌
Sabrina thank you for taking the time to write this. It’s beautiful and I resonate with so much of it. A couple of years ago I realised I was afraid to share my spiritual side too. And it was suffocating my soul. I had to let it out. I’ve had a deep spiritual hunger grow inside me over the years and it was too much to contain in secret. I also resonate with having multiple outlets of creativity that are hard to describe into a single job. It’s because it doesn’t exist. We’re here to create a new reality and way of being. An astrologer recently told me you can’t use existing labels to describe something unique, you are a magic maker. Don’t try to fit into the box to explain what you do. Your energy has to be felt, it can’t be relayed in a resume.
We often try to monetise hobbies and have lost the art of doing something simply for the sake of doing it. The joy of creating. I love writing poetry, and recently discovered how fun I have throwing paint on a canvas whilst listening to music!
Thank YOU Vipul for taking the time to read and comment 😉 it’s so fascinating hearing the sides of ourselves we hide, when that’s really our special magic (as the astrologer told you!). In this society, it’s such a rebellious act to do something just for the sake of joy (and not profit)! Like you, I also really enjoy writing poetry (and drawing and nature etc). Those activities may be business-useless but they’re the real foundational happiness for my life 💚
This was such a lovely read. I enjoyed each of the vignettes and relate fully to having “opposing” (or at least befuddling) interests. 💛
Thank you Lindsey! So glad it resonated with you. I hope we can embrace our many befuddling contradictions! 🌊
Imagining Dickinson baking bread makes me so happy.
Same! ☺️ it looks like it brought her so much joy too 🥖🍞🥐
Sometimes I feel like I’ve run out of hobbies to enjoy. I know I haven’t tried everything, of course, but I’m convinced I’ve found all the things I like and am certain of the things I don’t. Every once in a while, though, something surprises me—tennis, muy thai, gardening, breathwork. When I’m unsure of a new pursuit, it always helps to ask, “what would I like about this if I liked it?” Sometimes it’s just about approaching unknowns from a different angle.
I love that question! It’s a good reminder that we may enjoy some parts of a hobby (but not all). The exploration is never-ending! What’s the latest one you’ve tried? I recently tried line dancing (which is like a cowboy dance ha!🕺 🤠). I wasn’t good at it but had a lot of fun!
This is so wonderful, Sabrina! You've covered some of my absolute favorite writers/artists. Also-thanks for the kind mention :)
Thank you Jillian! I love that we share the same taste in art and literature! I always learn so much from your Noted posts 🐝💛
Love “Dickinson as Baker” 😊
It made me think of you 😉 have you ever tried making her coconut cake recipe? 🍰
Oooof! This Seven Senses! Once again your gaze is deep and wide and full of love for this world and its inhabitants.