{"id":166584,"date":"2026-02-16T11:46:28","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T11:46:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/166584\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T11:46:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T11:46:28","slug":"how-to-find-a-hobby-in-austin-and-love-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/166584\/","title":{"rendered":"How to find a hobby in Austin and love it"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every so often, when I meet new acquaintances at a party or happy hour and we\u2019ve finished the standard small talk about our jobs and what neighborhood of Austin we live in, I face the dreaded question: What do you do for fun?<\/p>\n

I begin to sweat, my mind suddenly blank. Do I even have hobbies? I do not cross-stitch. I do not belong to a bowling league. I do not take adult tap classes<\/a>. Unlike some of my impressive colleagues, I definitely do not run marathons. What I mostly do for fun, if I\u2019m being honest, is watch TV.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t always like this. Back in my youth, I used to be a decent French horn player, for instance, but now the instrument gathers dust in a corner of my house. It\u2019s easy to turn your brain off after a busy day at work and let old passions fall by the wayside amid the demands of daily life.<\/p>\n

I suspect I\u2019m not alone in this. Maybe you, like me, would like to cultivate an enriching pastime or creative outlet. Maybe you are scared of trying something new, or aren\u2019t sure how to find a group of like-minded individuals. Maybe you\u2019d just like to sound more interesting at happy hour \u2014 no judgment here.<\/p>\n

For this entry to KUT\u2019s Field Guide to Austin, I set out to learn from folks who have made hobbies a priority in their lives \u2014 and have helped other Austinites do the same.<\/p>\n

Reject productivity. Embrace fun.<\/p>\n

If Austin has an expert on hobbies, it might be KUT\u2019s own Mike Lee. On his podcast This Is My Thing<\/a>, Lee\u2019s guests have included a sword fighter<\/a>, a recreational pole dancer<\/a>, light saber choreographers<\/a> and a group of ukulele-playing retirees who call themselves the \u201cUkuladies<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

They all have one thing in common: they do it for the love of the game.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s something Lee can relate to. He thinks of himself as a collector of hobbies, a sort of gleeful dilettante: he\u2019s been known to get immersed in everything from 3D printing to building cigar box guitars, which he actually plays. He enjoys being a novice, but understands why the fear of looking foolish or inexperienced holds a lot of people back from trying new things.<\/p>\n

\u201cLearning in public is one of the scariest things for people \u2014 the idea that someone might see the hidden shame of your bad ceramics,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n

He said one of his goals with his podcast is to make people more comfortable with the idea of being just OK at something \u2014 or even at bad it \u2014 and doing it anyway.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s a couple of results that can happen from that if you keep doing it. One is that you’ll get pretty good at it; that’s really great,\u201d he said. \u201cThe other is that you’ll stay kind of mediocre at it, but enjoy it, and that’s also really great.”<\/p>\n

Another key to prioritizing and enjoying these pastimes, he said, is to let go of the idea that hobbies are only valuable if they can be spun as lucrative or productive; you don\u2019t have to turn the thing you enjoy into a side hustle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t see any real reason why the other stuff you do can’t be just as important [as your job],\u201d Lee said. \u201cIt’s not just a way to spend the time that’s left over. It’s a way to spend your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Find what\u2019s out there<\/p>\n

Hobbies can be a satisfying solitary pursuit. But joining a group of people that shares your interest can help forge accountability \u2014 and maybe a few friendships in the process.<\/p>\n

Austin has no shortage of clubs and groups dedicated to mutual interests. Are you into stamp-collecting? The Texas Philatelic Association has a chapter<\/a> for you. More interested in the Japanese art of bonsai? Look no further<\/a>. Interested in discussing one chapter of James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake each month over the course of years, if not decades? There’s literally a book club for that<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And if there isn\u2019t an existing group that matches what you\u2019re looking for, you can always bring it into existence yourself.<\/p>\n

Emma Van Dam, a marketing professional and Texas State University student, leads Journal ATX<\/a>, an organization dedicated to the art of \u201cjunk journaling.\u201d It\u2019s a lot like scrapbooking, but with the added goal of making use of found objects, like ticket stubs or receipts \u2014 things that may carry memories, but are otherwise likely to be trashed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI invited a bunch of friends to come journaling with me one day, and then I decided to start an Instagram account for it, and then it just kind of became this bundle of all these great things happening,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Courtesy Emma Van Dam<\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

Journal ATX<\/p>\n

Two young women show off their journals at a Journal ATX event.<\/p>\n

Journal ATX hosts periodic, open-to-all community meetups, and has teamed up with other local organizations for events that mash up various Austin communities; members have journaled with film buffs at Hyperreal Film Club<\/a> and scrapbooked under the stars with the Austin Astronomical Society<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In addition to offering folks a creative outlet, Van Dam said she\u2019s seen friendships blossom from the connections formed in her group.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve had people become other people’s bridesmaids from this group, and I’ve had people become other people’s roommates,\u201d she said. \u201cI think it helps them find that community easier.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2026and put yourself out there!<\/p>\n

For myself, the idea of finding a group to engage with was appealing \u2014 but getting over the hump of showing up to that first meet-up still felt like a barrier.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d been wanting to polish off my sad, neglected French horn for a while when I heard brassy strains of \u201cLambada\u201d drifting through Hyde Park on a walk one evening. I followed the sound and discovered Blowcomotion<\/a>, a ragtag nonprofit community brass band that practices weekly at Shipe Park.<\/p>\n

It looked like a group of multigenerational band nerds having the time of their lives. I wanted in! But after a decade without meaningfully practicing my horn, I was nervous about putting myself out there. This story gave me the push I needed to show up to my first practice this spring.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Michael Minasi<\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

KUT News<\/p>\n

KUT reporter Olivia Aldridge plays with the community brass band Blowcomotion during a practice session in March <\/p>\n

Blowcomotion\u2019s bandleader Matt Mossman reassured me that many of the group\u2019s members have shown up in the same boat as me, dusting off instruments they haven\u2019t played since high school.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people come in and they’re already amazing, and some people come in and they haven’t played for 40 years, and some people have never played a note on this instrument,\u201d Mossman said. \u201cOur whole thing is to be warm and welcoming to everybody wherever they are.\u201d<\/p>\n

I can attest that there are some excellent players in this community band \u2014 but no one has held my own rustiness against me. I\u2019d estimate that I only played around a quarter of the notes on the page during that first practice. But the music gets more accessible each time I show up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always compare it to a kickball league, except that it’s music,\u201d Mossman said. \u201cIt’s like, you show up and do what you’re gonna do, and if you’re having fun, you’re doing the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

You heard it here first: there\u2019s no gate-keeping in community band.<\/p>\n

In fact, KUT\u2019s Mike Lee said he has found most hobbies that Austinites bring to the table to be open and judgment-free; people are more likely to hold themselves back than get turned away.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that Austin can be pretty welcoming to people who want to do new and interesting things,\u201d he said. \u201cI think maybe people fear that the thing that they want to do is just like, not Austin-y enough or not \u2018cool\u2019 enough. But who cares?\u201d<\/p>\n

Just get it out there and try it, he said. And if you aren\u2019t sure what your thing is yet, go ahead and try 10 things.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of them might click,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n