Hobbies, specifically crafting, can have a significant effect on the wellness of a person. People with anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and other illnesses can supplement their treatment with leisure activities that can help release dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with happiness. For the same reason, stressed-out professionals are usually advised to take up a hobby.
Yet, in this gig economy, there’s a temptation to forego relaxation to create more income streams. Crafting can merge a person’s need to relax and make extra cash. If you’re the type of person who thinks that way, here are some relaxing but profitable hobbies for you. Pick up your choice of crafting tools and make those hands busy.
Gadget Making and Electronics
Not into the idea of needlework or baking? Try gadget making and electronics. Though it seems intimidating, crafting relays, modifying circuit boards, and repairing old school gadgets become easier with practice and research.
Turning your gadget making hobby into a side gig is also easy. The same crafting tools you use to make a lightboard can be used to repair a slightly malfunctioning smartphone. Your new knowledge of electronics can also help you identify problems in your home.
Leather Crafting
Fancy flower designs, bull markings on belts, and fillet-thin tassels on leather bags are just some of the products you can make through leather crafting. Leathercraft can turn any strip of leather, from calfskin to deer, into fashion pieces or decoration via stamping, coloring, and other techniques.
Depending on your skill level and the quality of material you’re working with, well-crafted leather pieces can fetch you thousands of dollars. However, this art takes years to perfect. Starting out in leathercraft means working with cheap leather to practice the different techniques that can turn old hide into works of art.
Woodworking
The art of woodworking has been around since humans learned how to carve wood. Woodworking ranges from crafting tiny toys to big furniture, to carpentry and joinery. Some stores carry basic wood crafting tools, though hardware stores are the best bet for bigger equipment.
Beginner woodworkers can start with pre-made plans for stools or tables, or carve small toys. Hand tools such as saws or chisels are the norm for crafters starting out in this field. As your skills improve, you can eventually make furniture or trinkets that you can sell per order or as parts of sets.
Pottery
Another craft that’s been around for thousands of years is pottery. Pottery takes clay from the ground to red-hot kilns in order to create pots, vases, and sculptures. Pottery is also a craft that can be taken up by everyone, from young children to near-retirees.
Clay can be worked in a garage, shed, or outdoors as long as the right tools are in place. While messy, most potters profess to feel a sense of accomplishment when their projects turn out well. These projects can also give them a modest profit at a local crafts sale.
If you’re the type who can’t switch between relaxation and work easily, it’s also okay to keep your hobbies as hobbies. When a hobby starts to feel like another part of the routine you’re trying to take a break from, it has turned into work. Refocusing on why you took up the craft in the first place can get you back on the right groove.