40 Creative Hobbies for Adults

Feeling bored? Check out this list of 40 creative hobbies you can start that are guaranteed to chase away boredom.

If you find yourself with a lot of extra free time, you may be wondering just how you should spend it. While Netflix and chill seem like a good idea for a while, you may want to find something more productive to do with your time.

Thankfully, there are many creative hobbies you can tap into to put your free time to good use. Many of these hobbies are hard work, but they end up creating beautiful art and practical items you can use in your daily life. Sometimes, there are even markets where you can sell the result of your creativity so that you can make money on your hobby.

If you are ready to embrace your hobby time and do something relaxing, creative, and potentially beneficial, here is a list of hobbies to consider.

40 Creative Hobbies to Consider for Your Free Time

1. Crocheting

Crocheting everything from blankets to beanie hats can be a rewarding way to spend some free time. Crocheting uses a single needle with a hook at the end to create loops and stitches. Sites like Etsy give creative types a great place to sell their crochet creations. Local craft shows are always a good option too. This particular hobby has a large following if you can get good at it.

2. Scrapbooking

Scrapbooking gives you the chance to put paper crafting and journaling to work to preserve your memories. You can create beautiful books of the photographs and memorabilia you have taken or gathered for yourself or your family. 

This fun hobby has the benefit of archiving your memories for the future. If you’re going to explore scrapbooking, start saving memorabilia, like ticket stubs and brochures from places you go, so that you can compile those into scrapbooks.

3. Cross Stitching

Cross stitching involves following a pattern to make a picture predominantly using x-shaped stitches. Beginners can purchase cross-stitch patterns and kits online, while those with a deeper artistic flair and skill level can design their own. 

This type of needlework can be pretty relaxing, and in the end, you get your own beautiful piece of art to display in your home.

4. Woodworking

Woodworking includes everything from wood carving to building larger wooden constructions, such as furniture in a workshop. This art form has many practical uses because the items you create can be furniture or home decor items. 

It can also give you some physical activity because many types of woodworking are physically demanding. To embrace woodworking as your hobby, start simple and gradually get more complex with the items you create.

5. Bullet Journaling

Bullet journaling is a form of journaling that uses small dotted lines to organize your day-to-day tasks and responsibilities. In addition, you can use bullet journaling to track other aspects of life, like your mood or even your food and water intake. 

This form of journaling is popular because it does not require you to write in full sentences but instead gives you a place to jot down ideas as quickly as possible. In addition, many people who do bullet journaling will embellish their journal(s) with decorative elements. 

6. Calligraphy

The art of calligraphy, drawing beautiful words using artistic pen strokes, is alive and well. All you need to get started is some calligraphy pens, paper, and a little bit of instruction. 

Calligraphy sees handwriting as art, and you can develop a very personal style as you learn to embellish your handwriting with this artistic technique. You can create beautiful lettering if you learn this hand lettering skill.

7. Flower Arranging

If you have ever purchased a bouquet of flowers, you know that there is more to flowers than simply cutting them and putting them in a vase. 

Beautiful arrangements take a skilled eye. You can learn flower arranging for yourself and enjoy creating floral works of art to display in your home.

8. Sewing

Sewing allows you to make and mend clothes and decorative home items. You will also find that your skills as a tailor can be in high demand. 

Once you learn the basics of sewing, you can become quite creative with this art, crafting everything from clothing to stuffed toys. If you enjoy creating attractive things to wear and display, consider teaching yourself how to sew.

10. Sculpting

Working with clay to create a cute or beautiful sculpture can be a very relaxing hobby. You might be surprised at how easy it is to create clay sculptures with the right tools. 

You can also sculpt with stone and metal if you prefer, and you may find that you enjoy the variety of working with multiple mediums. You can even create colorful sculptures with simple polymer clay. 

11. Quilting

The art of quilting is getting renewed interest. To quilt, you will sew layers of fabric together to create blankets. The quilt patterns are true works of art, and you will find a large world of dedicated quilters exists that you can enter into if you learn this skill as your new hobby.

Today’s quilters may practice their art by hand, or they may quilt using a machine. Either way, the finished blankets are works of love.

12. Candle Making

Do you love the look and smell of a burning candle? Learning to make them yourself, using high-quality ingredients, can be a great hobby. 

There is quite a bit to learn with this hobby, so take some time to study some tutorials about the process to determine the best techniques to use.

13. Doodling

Surprisingly, doodling isn’t just something to do in class when you’re bored as a student. There are classes out there about doodling, and it is turning into an art form. 

Once you get skilled with doodling, you can start creating art, like comic books, that is a little more detailed. If you love to doodle, consider learning more about basic drawing skills to turn this into your new hobby.

14. Painting

Painting is one of the most popular creative hobbies. You can tap your creative side by learning watercolor, acrylic, or oil painting, or you can mix media to combine these into one artistic piece. Visit YouTube to see painting tutorials, and you may find that it’s easier than you think to create art with paint. 

You can even dip your hands into abstract painting techniques like pour painting that do not require classical drawing or painting skills but that do create beautiful, colorful pieces of art. 

15. Soap Making

Many commercial soaps are full of chemicals that can damage the skin, but soap making lets you create soap while controlling everything that goes into it. Y

You can experiment with different color patterns, smells, moisturizers, and more. The soap-making world has many different ways to create soap, so your opportunities for creativity are endless.

16. Podcasting

Do you have something you would like to share with the world? Podcasting gives you a platform to do it. With a little bit of recording and computer equipment, you can share your passions and ideas with the world. Just make sure you have a high-quality microphone before you launch your podcast. 

17. Adult Coloring Books

Not all creative hobbies require you to learn a new skill. You can embrace adult coloring books and simply sit back and color. You’ll find this to be quite a relaxing hobby.

You can learn about color theory and apply that to add some creativity to your coloring. Still, overall there aren’t any unique skills you need to explore this hobby idea that you didn’t already learn in preschool.

18. Ceramics and Pottery

Whether you create an urn on a pottery wheel or fire some ceramics you formed in a mold, you might find this hobby to be an interesting one. 

Consider investing in the equipment to have at home if you are going to sell your finished pieces or join a class at a local pottery or ceramics studio. Either way, you can create interesting three-dimensional pieces, and then once they are complete, you can paint them to make them even more personal.

19. Creative Writing

Putting ideas on paper is a great hobby, and many creative writers have gone on to publish their works and turn them into income. Even if your poems, stories, or books never see the light of day, this can be a great creative outlet. Exploring creative writing is also good for your mental health, giving you a place to express your emotions. 

20. Flower Pressing

While flower arranging can be relaxing, the downside is that fresh flowers will eventually wilt. Instead, consider preserving them longer by learning flower pressing or even learning flower pressing to preserve the arrangements after they are done. 

Pressed flowers can decorate everything from greeting cards to indoor artwork once you learn how to preserve blooms in this way. They also look great on canvases hung up in your home.

21. Graphic Design

If your idea of relaxing downtime is spending time working on the computer, consider learning graphic design. You can create many different types and styles of images with Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.

Graphic design is one hobby that can quickly become an income stream, as people always need skilled graphic designers to help them create everything from logos to infographics. 

22. Upcycling

Upcycling involves taking old, unwanted items and transforming them into useful or more beautiful things to use around your home. When you upcycle an item, you don’t just re-use it. You actually take it to the next level to make it better and more valuable. This is a great creative outlet that comes with money-making potential.

23. Art Journaling

Art journaling combines journaling with doodling. In addition to writing down your ideas, feelings, and experiences, you add beautiful artwork around the letters to make the journal more visually engaging. 

Art journaling is a creative outlet and a way for you to protect your mental health with a safe place to express emotions.

24. Card Making

Making your own greeting cards gives you the chance to put paper crafting, rubber-stamping, and designing to work in one place. Once you get good at card making, you’ll always have the perfect greeting when someone needs a pick-me-up or has a birthday.

Hand-made greeting cards make great gift ideas, too, because you can give beautiful cards to people that they can then use when special occasions arise. 

25. Dollhouses

Decorating dollhouses is not just for kids. In fact, if you enjoy home decor but don’t have a large home to decorate, you can turn that passion into decorating a model home. Dollhouse decorating does not have to include dolls, but it does give you a place to show off your decorating skills on a miniature scale.

If you don’t have space for an actual dollhouse, you can decorate scale model rooms, like miniature living rooms or kitchens. 

26. Needle Felting

Needle felting crafts give you the chance to stiffen and shape wool into a unique form by stabbing it with a needle. You can create realistic-looking fur to create stuffed animal figures using this technique. 

This particular creative hobby idea doesn’t require a lot of materials to start, and the resulting finished products are quite visually appealing. They also make great gifts.

27. Paper Quilling

Paper quilling, also known as filigree, uses rolled strips of paper glued to a surface to create three-dimensional art. 

Though this might sound like a child’s craft project, in reality, these artistic pieces are often quite intricate, giving you a great outlet for your creativity. You can start simple, then add intricate designs as you learn the craft.

28. Foil Embossing Art

Foil art allows you to create lettering and images using shiny gold or silver film. This technique is actually something you can learn to do at home to add interest to greeting cards, posters, and more.

You can purchase metallic foil sheets and card stock, then use an inkjet printer to transfer the foil onto the cardstock. It sounds technical, but it can be easy to learn with the right tools.

29. Decoupage

Decoupage lets you add colorful, decorative paper on an object using Mod Podge or a similar clear adhesive. This can turn simple frames or decorative items into colorful pieces of art. 

Be careful with this hobby, though. Once you learn it, you might be tempted to decoupage everything.

30. Origami 

The Japanese art of paper folding continues to be a hobby people enjoy today. You can find simple patterns online and work your way up to more complex origami figures. 

The best part about this hobby is the only supplies you need are paper and some good tutorials, which you can easily find online. The better you get at it, the more impressive your creations will look to others.

31. Fairy Gardens

Fairy garden creation combines horticulture with miniature decorations to create a whimsical design that makes you think of tiny fairies coming to your home. 

You can get quite creative decorating a planter or terrarium with plants and ornaments. Then, once you’re done, you can proudly display your creation in your home and hope for some of the wee folk to inhabit it.

32. Cake Decorating

Cake and cookie decorating is quite a creative art. There are many different techniques and strategies for decorating baked goods, and people will pay good money for beautiful cakes. 

Seeing how far you can stretch your creativity is definitely the fun part of this hobby. You can also enjoy a sweet treat after learning these techniques, and that is like the icing on the cake. 

33. Knitting

Knitting is similar to crochet in that it uses yarn to make everything from hats to scarves. However, you use two needles to create various stitches when you knit. 

Quite a few creative stitching techniques can give your finished pieces some character, especially when combined with colorful or particularly thick yarns.

34. Glass Etching

Glass etching creates exciting designs on the surface of a glass object. While once this was somewhat delicate work, requiring precision to etch the glass, today, etching cream and stencils make it simple. Just put the stencil on the glass, apply the etching cream, and let it do its job. 

You can etch dates onto glasses to give as gifts for anniversaries, etch glass vases to serve as decorative items, or etch ornaments to decorate for your favorite holiday.

35. Photography

If you are looking for a creative hobby that will get you out of the house, photography fits the bill nicely. Today you can start capturing images with nothing more than a cell phone that has a decent camera, or you could invest in high-quality photographic equipment. 

Photography extends its creativity to the computer after you’re done taking images. You can use photo editing software, like Photoshop, to manipulate the images and personalize them. In addition, stock image sites make it possible to sell photographs if you want to make some money off of your hobby.

36. Dancing

Dancing is a creative outlet that allows you to be physically active. You can learn different dance styles by taking a dance class, or you can go online to teach yourself. 

Dancing is also a hobby that can help you make some social connections because you can attend dance parties or other dance events. Once you get good at one style, consider branching out and learning a different one.

37. Worldbuilding

Worldbuilding involves creating a fictional world or universe. This is something many fantasy authors must get good at. While it might sound simple, when you stop and think about all of the elements of society, including rules, language, and culture, you realize that it’s a complex task that can keep you creating for a long time. 

Write down the world you create, then consider how you can use it in writing or videography in the future.

38. Screen Printing

Screen printing involves transferring ink onto a surface, often fabric, to make a shirt or other wearable item. To get started with this hobby, you will need the item you will print on, photo emulsion, screen printing ink, a squeegee, a glass, and a light. 

As you get better at screen printing, you may find yourself wanting to screen print everything. Invest in quality equipment, and consider selling shirts after learning the craft.

39. Pyrography

Pyrography is a specialized type of woodworking that involves burning designs onto a piece of wood. You can use a specialized pen to do this, and the temperature and time you apply the heat to the wood make different depths and colors. 

You can get some fascinating designs with this technique to create beautiful art for your home.

40. Bonsai Trees

Bonsai is another Japanese art form that makes a great hobby. For example, you can use bonsai techniques to cultivate small trees that look like full-sized trees but in a miniature package. 

Bonsai does take time, dedication, and patience, but the resulting art is stunning if you are willing to put in the effort. Once you learn the techniques, you will become part of a growing community of enthusiasts who love this art form.

FAQs About Creative Hobbies