How a New Hobby Reawakened My Creativity
October 21, 2025Learning a new hobby helped pull me out of a creative block. I recently started drawing and sketching just out of Curiosity. I have always had messy handwriting, so I assumed I would be terrible at drawing too, but it ended up teaching me something important: patience, embracing imperfections, and rediscovering my creativity.
When I was in 3rd grade, I had an art class that I loved. One day, we were asked to draw what we wanted to be when we grew up. Some kids drew police officers or pilots. I drew myself holding a paintbrush because I wanted to be an artist. But my art teacher looked at my drawing and said, “There is no real career for a painter or artist. You should pick something more realistic.” That moment shut me down. I still wonder where I would be if she had said, “You can definitely be an artist or whatever you want to be.”
Looking back, it is wild how one person’s words at such a young age stayed with me, yet here I am, naturally finding my way back to art.
With photography, especially editing, I used to obsess over perfection. I would get so technical, particularly with skin retouching and color grading, that it would mentally drain me. But with drawing, I don’t pressure myself to make every line perfect or beat myself up for mistakes. The results no longer matter as much as the act of creating itself, because I enjoy the process and feel at peace with wherever my pencil takes me. It makes me feel like that kid in art class again, curious, free, and simply creating.