Some people tinker while others find something new they really enjoy, so they increase the frequency and investment into it and thus turn it into a full-blown hobby. I want to look at a hobby on a slightly more molecular level, seeing what drives someone to pick up a hobby or a project.
We generally see somebody else doing or promoting something through pictures, videos, a post, or in daily life. Finding out about something that interests you is the first step to the world of learning that is tinkering, this is an important step in self-discovery also. Once you find a field that slightly interests you electronics, 3D printing, small motor mechanics etc. Start playing around with it, you will find out quickly if you really enjoy that activity or if you just thought it was cool when other people were doing it. The beauty of dabbling in things is that you don’t have to invest anything other than a little time reading into things for a while. Additionally, most hobbies have a pretty low entry cost.
Hobbies are all about fun, even if you struggle with a project, it is rewarding to overcome that obstacle and can be fun to show what/how you learned. There are great communities of people willing to help you if you get stuck, and a wealth of knowledge that can be bestowed upon you by using the mighty Google.
Having a fun project to mess with can bring about new creative processes while reducing stress. Additionally, anything you put a little time and effort into can be turned into a profitable venture with a little marketing. That’s how airsoft was to me, I started out just doing something I enjoy, but I kept building on it and ended turning it into a full-fledged business (see footer).
I am invested in pretty much every element of airsoft and have grown particularly fond of building new replicas, some of these I keep, others I sell off to make room for more projects.
The one featured in the picture is a culmination of spare parts I’ve collected, this gun cost me about $150 to make and I could probably resell it for about $250. Here are some before and after pictures, the build did not come without sacrifice, see picture #3, I snapped off the birdcage flash hider.
