Creative Hobbies for College Students

The dangers of college include one huge season of your life becoming boring. Imagine just slaving away to your long list of deadlines, one too many essay writing assignments , and endless quizzes and examinations. With nothing else to keep you going other than caffeine and bowls of ramen (see our post on the best college dorm meals for other alternatives), stress and sickness in college can definitely overpower you. Also, college can easily sap not just your energy, but your creativity as well - and do not ever let that happen.

While it may be incredibly tempting to just skive off hobbies due to your already overflowing schedule, there are endless benefits to building hobbies, and in particular, creative hobbies. They take us out of our dead routines, bringing us to experiences beyond our everyday lives. Here, we are given the chance to do the things we are passionate about. Engaging in creative hobbies can also be a form of mental escape, along being given opportunities to interact with like-minded people. Moreover, they help us hone other skills and provide a general holistic improvement. 

“Hobbies are often thought of as activities for people who lead quiet, relaxed lives. However, people with full, busy, even stressful lives may need hobbies more than the average person, and benefit greatly from having hobbies in their lives. Hobbies bring many benefits that usually make them more than worth the time they require” (Scott, 2018, para. 1).

The Benefits of Building Creative Hobbies

As mentioned, building these creative hobbies comes with many benefits. Here are some of those benefits:

• Physical wellness

Creative hobbies include physical activities, and such benefits happen because a body in motion increases brain function and heart rate. When your blood keeps pumping, other benefits follow like muscle building, bone strengthening, healthy weight loss ( freshman 15 , anyone?), and an overall increase in energy. A healthy body knows how to handle and regulate stress, which is perfect for college students.

• Mental and emotional health

Looking for a way to take care of your mental health  and emotional well-being? Creative hobbies can do just that for you. Creative hobbies are a way to decrease your stress, as they become an escape from pressing concerns of daily life. Doing things you actually love and enjoy induces relaxation. More than this, hobbies also help us regulate our emotions. As hobbies come with a healthy focus mode, they allow us to develop a sense of control and mastery. Our self-esteem also takes a boost, as completing a certain creative task helps us feel accomplished. 

• Social and interpersonal benefits

Creative hobbies also paves way to meeting new friends. Social hobbies, such as attending workshops, help us meet like-minded people and form bonds. Studies show that interacting with people, especially those we bond with the most, helps reduce stress. 

• Boost in creativity

As the adjective suggests, these creative hobbies inspire us to tap into our creative side. This particular benefit is especially helpful for people who are stuck in routines, with little to no creative outlets in sight. As a college student juggling a busy life, this hits close to home - your never-ending flow of assignments continuously obstructs your time to engage in hobbies. As a result, your creative side is blocked off. Engaging in creative hobbies actually trains your brain into channeling creativity, which can also prove to be useful in other areas of your life.

• Overall self-improvement

Other people enjoy creative hobbies that help improve not only their mental health, self-esteem, or physical well-being, but their overall quality of life. One of the many benefits of building creative hobbies is that it helps you with overall self-improvement - keep in mind that a specific creative hobby hones not just one skill. Need a healthier heart? Dance and learn to cook healthier! Planning to improve your painting skills? Take up both drawing and painting classes! Do you find the need to practice your attention to detail? Take up journaling and read more. Remember: a single creative hobby has the power to open up multiple doors. 

Creative Hobbies for College Students

The many benefits that come with building creative hobbies may have already convinced you by now, so this part of the blog is dedicated to helping you figure which will work best for you. Check out our curated list below, ranging from the usual (but still exciting) down to completely novel creative hobbies!

1. Paint to your heart’s content! And yes, forget about trying to paint like Monet. Or Van Gogh. Not even like Da Vinci - your tiny blobs of human beings are more than enough to warrant the identity of a “painting”. The idea of painting should be for everyone, not just renowned artists. And this is exactly why people are afraid of painting, as art gatekeepers have been barricading the essence of painting for centuries, creating divisions between “good” and “bad” art. The truth is, there should be no definition of art; likewise, there should be no good or bad end products. So yes, do paint away. Studies show that adopting painting as a creative hobby does not only foster creative growth, but enhances memory and motor skills as well. Pick up that brush now.

2. Get a penpal. The idea may be old, but the benefits of finding one is crucial now more than ever. In an age where people spend most of their time mindlessly feeding off social media content, the chances of forming strong bonds and friendships is gradually becoming formidable. As a college student, your idea of a downtime would probably scrolling endlessly through your phone, avoiding all aspects of social interaction. Do yourself a favor - get a penpal as a creative hobby. You spend so much time in front of the screen already, so why not make that time beneficial? Not only do you meet someone and boost your social skills, you also get to improve your writing skills! Not an expert in messaging and emails? Check out our best tips on how to start an email. 

3. Take up cooking classes. There is art in food, no question there. Have you seen those beautifully carved fruits and blocks of ice? Now, do not get us wrong - we are not suggesting that you do exactly the same (but if that is your drift, no judgement). Take up cooking classes, as the mere skill and intelligence of choosing which ingredients work best together is enough to warrant cooking as a creative hobby - one that nourishes not only your mind, but your belly! Start with these simple recipes which you can make with whatever you have in your kitchen. Cooking classes is also a good reason to finally put those pantry staples into good use.

4. Sign up for a pottery workshop! Pottery? You? - Why not! Pottery is more than just a creative hobby, as it is full of such rich history. It is actually one of the most ancient art forms in existence, next to painting and poems . Imagine learning such a historical art form - that is enough to boost one’s self-esteem. Pottery is generally characterized as both therapeutic and rewarding - you become one with nature for a time (by handling mud), and then from a shapeless blob of earth comes a ceramic piece completely your own. Not for you? Read on to the next!

5. Sewing, anyone? Contrary to popular belief, sewing is not just for women. Let go of gender norms and let your creativity take the lead instead. There are endless things you can create with sewing skills - for instance, your entire college wardrobe ! If you know nothing about sewing, fear not. Countless sewing classes are always available and these classes will not be that heavy to deal with, even for college students. As a creative hobby, it gives you the power to create with a limited budget. And on the spectrum of practicality, the next time you tear your jeans or lose a button, you will know just what to do.

6. Do a thrift flip! Heavily connected to the creativing hobby of sewing mentioned above, doing a thrift flip is exactly what you think it is - revamping thrifted clothes and making them new. This is one of our rather unusual creative hobbies, but we assure you that it can quickly climb up to be one of your favorites! One, it is budget friendly - we understand that saving money for college students  is a priority, and this one hits the spot. Two, a thrift flip is the perfect creative hobby - you get to plan, actually transform old clothes to make them unique, and of course, shop!

7. Create a YouTube channel.  If speaking to an audience is a passion of yours, then this creative hobby is the perfect one for you. The possibilities here are endless - being an open platform, YouTube allows you to produce whatever content you wish.  You can talk about style, art, and even topics about life in general. You can even film another hobby, such as sewing, and then upload it on YouTube. Editing videos actually helps boost your attention to detail, as well as your brainstorming skills. In need of more ideas and inspiration? Check out our post on the best YouTube channels to watch.

8. Try photography.  This is probably a creative hobby well within your reach, as even your campus may provide it! If you are into joining clubs, we believe that joining one that caters to photography is one of the best clubs to join in college . Photography is also an art form, a creative hobby that enables to capture life’s greatest moments. In a way, you become a keeper of your own life and other people’s. There is always something new to learn with photography, too, as a single moment can be captured in many different ways. You also get motivated to experience more of life - say goodbye to being a couch potato!

9. Become a plant parent.  The idea may sound ridiculous at first - who would want their house to be decked with plants of various kinds, making it almost indistinguishable? Am I in a forest or my dorm room ? Well, you will fall into that same trap, but for all the good reasons. For one, taking care of plants allows you to disconnect with the digital world. Imagine waking up to a bunch of green around you, with the atmosphere completely fresh? Thank your plant babies for that. Moreover, taking care of plants will improve your sense of responsibility. Seeing them grow is a reward in itself, too! Do yourself a favor: get a potted plant.

10. Start a bullet journal. Next to journaling, bullet journals are the next big thing. It may be challenging to do at first, but that is exactly the essence of it - it helps you stay consistent. Bullet journals also provide you a big room for creativity, as each page is like a new adventure. If you wish you design one page like the ocean and the other like a dessert buffet, then by all means, do so! Just choose a notebook you have not used yet, and begin from there. If you are interested to know more, here is a guide on how to start a bullet journal. 

11. Pick up books - and actually finish them!  The benefits of reading books, and the benefits of adopting reading as a creative hobby, are indisputable. You are transported into a different world, where you meet characters that feel as if they are real. Your imagination runs freely, and while it does, your vocabulary bank grows ever richer. So, really, we cannot stress how important reading actually is. And oh, we know you are already going through endless stacks of paper to study, but reading for enjoyment is different. To get started, here is a list of books college students should read.

12. Start a podcast. In desperate need to share your thoughts on a subject matter? Or are you passionate about something you wish others should learn more about? Starting a podcast might just be the best creative hobby for you. The subject matters you can touch on are endless, and the skills you shall be honing will definitely be helpful in real life. Here, you get to practice speaking, researching, connecting with an audience, and so much more. Here is a list of the best podcasts for college students, where you can draw inspiration from.

13. Dance! And if none of the other activities are sparking an interest in you, perhaps dancing is your niche. Your physical wellness is the number one benefit to be borne out of this creative hobby. Research shows that engaging in physical activity relieves so much stress, and as a college student always worrying about school work, dancing can be the perfect escape.

Essay writing service for college students

And if you truly cannot find time to adopt a hobby, we have a solution for you: CustomEssayMeister! We are blessed with a team of talented writers, whose hobbies lie in the passion of the written word. They are professionals from their respective fields, and have decided to pursue writing as a break from the stresses of life. And as we have discussed, anything you do as a hobby, you do with all your heart. This is why we just know they can produce topnotch quality papers for you, no matter what kind. We can write your essays, research papers, custom thesis papers, and even custom dissertations. Ready to pursue your hobby? Give us a call now, we shall help you clear up that busy schedule.