I Knew I Had Hobbies. I Just Didn't Realize They Were Unconventional.
For the longest time, I thought there was something unusual about my hobbies.
Whenever someone asked me, "What's your hobby?", I'd hesitate. Not because I didn't have one, but because my answer never seemed to fit what most people expected.
Many of my friends have hobbies that are easy to describe. They sew beautiful clothes, crochet adorable plushies, create intricate nail art, bake, paint miniature figures, or spend hours making handmade crafts. I genuinely admire the patience and creativity behind what they do.
I've often wondered why I never gravitated toward those hobbies myself.
It's not because I don't appreciate them.
I do.
I simply realized that my brain enjoys different things.
I Love Creating, But in My Own Way
People are sometimes surprised when I say I enjoy pottery, candle making, soap making, watercolor, and painting.
At first glance, those hobbies don't seem to have much in common.
But to me, they do.
I love creating something tangible.
Something I can hold.
Something I can smell.
Something I can display.
Something I can use.
Sometimes, something I could even turn into a product one day.
When I think about making a candle, I don't just think about the wax and fragrance.
I imagine the vessel.
The packaging.
The branding.
The website.
The photography.
The customer experience.
The story behind it.
The same happens when I paint.
It's not simply about putting color on paper. It's about bringing an idea to life, finishing a piece, and creating something that didn't exist before.
I've realized I don't create just for the sake of creating.
I enjoy creating with intention.
My Favorite Hobby Isn't Actually Crafting
The more I reflected, the more I noticed something interesting.
My biggest hobby isn't pottery.
Or watercolor.
Or candle making.
Or soap making.
It's learning.
If you've known me for a while, you've probably seen this side of me.
I'm constantly learning new design software.
Exploring AI tools.
Studying branding and marketing.
Learning UX.
Reading business books.
Watching tutorials.
Improving my creative process.
I genuinely enjoy becoming better at what I do.
Not because I feel pressured to keep up.
Because I love learning.
Every new skill becomes another creative tool.
Every lesson expands the way I think.
Every piece of knowledge makes me more adaptable, not just as a designer, but as a person.
Learning Beyond My Career
My curiosity doesn't stop at design.
Right now, one of my biggest personal goals is learning Japanese.
Since moving to Japan, I've been intentionally studying the language because I want to understand the culture more deeply, communicate confidently, and build a life here with greater independence.
It's challenging.
Some days I feel like I know nothing.
Other days, remembering a single new grammar rule feels like a small victory.
That's the part I love.
Knowing that little by little, I'm growing.
One of My Favorite Things to Study Is... People
Here's a hobby that usually surprises people the most.
I genuinely enjoy understanding people.
Whenever I become close to someone,
I naturally become curious about how they think.
I love learning about personality frameworks like MBTI.
I enjoy exploring astrological birth charts as one lens for self-reflection.
I'm fascinated by love languages, psychology, communication styles, and even blood type personality theories.
Not because I believe any one system can fully define a person.
Quite the opposite.
I enjoy comparing different perspectives and seeing where they overlap, where they differ, and how they spark deeper conversations.
I love hearing people's stories.
Understanding what shaped them.
Learning why they react differently to the same situations.
Discovering the experiences that made them who they are today.
Maybe that's why I've never enjoyed surface-level conversations.
I'd rather spend hours getting to know one person than spend an evening talking to twenty.
Looking Back, It All Makes Sense
For years, I thought my hobbies were completely unrelated.
Pottery.
Watercolor.
Design.
Japanese.
Personality psychology.
Brand strategy.
Business.
Software.
But when I step back, I can finally see the common thread.
I love understanding how things work.
How people think.
How brands are built.
How products come to life.
How technology evolves.
How creativity becomes something tangible.
And once I understand something...
I naturally want to create with it.
Maybe that's why my hobbies have never fit neatly into one category.
Some people collect yarn.
Some collect sneakers.
I collect ideas.
I collect skills.
I collect experiences.
Looking back, I don't think my hobbies were unconventional at all.
They've always reflected the same part of me.
A curious mind that finds joy in understanding, creating, and continuously growing.
If someone asked me today what my hobby is, I think I'd finally have an answer.
It's curiosity.