It’s curious that I have such trouble when asked what my hobbies are. I know what I like to do: Writing, drawing, gaming, reading. But to admit these things makes me feel vulnerable. They’re all so important to me, but what if the questioner doesn’t hold them in the same regard? What if they find them stupid? Or do they even care?
What a silly thought. Of course they don’t care! Icebreaker questions like “What are your hobbies?” never mean anything to anyone, and it doesn’t matter whether they have a poor opinion of me because I play video games. It doesn’t change things for me-- I can still enjoy my silly games and write my silly essays about them. But I can’t deny that I’m jealous of some peoples’ hobbies.
I wish I could commit to a cool hobby like baking, or guitar playing, or sewing. SO many things I’ve tried but never got off the ground with! And SO many hobbies are blocked by a price barrier from the outset-- Imagine the feeling of spending money on a nice piano and leaving it to collect dust. How terrifying! There’s also this idea that I might be asked to “prove it,” like naming three songs from the band on my shirt or whatever. The idea of showing an IRL a page from this website makes me shudder…
Websites are such a great portal into hobbies, though. Much of my Neocities browsing and following habits revolve around those little sites dedicated to one thing-- A specific game, or plant, or medium of self-made art-- A micro-niche, and a beautiful little glimpse into another person’s life. I really can’t get enough of these.
Neocities is a great place to find hobbies which look appealing, or maybe assuaging the feeling that you’re not doing enough stuff-- Be like the onion-farming blogger and just enjoy what YOU enjoy!
P.S., if you enjoyed the vampires / Resident Evil essay, keep an eye out for more long-form stuff about that game coming soon. I just can't stop thinking about the damn thing!!!!