People Are Showing Off Unexpected Hobbies They Picked Up During Quarantine, And They Are Exceedingly Delightful

"It's super calming for all my pandemic anxiety, and it’s been a great stress reliever."

Even though the pandemic has been — and will continue to be — a challenging time, some people have been able to find small bits of joy and meaning through new hobbies they've discovered.

Michelle No

One small silver lining of all that extra time at home? Extra hours to fill. I personally got super into painting. I've found that it's a great outlet for my anxiety and reminds me that I'm capable of doing things other than looking at screens. I call this one "Feet in Park (2020)."

So we recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us all about the new and unexpected hobbies they picked up during quarantine. Here's what people said.

BuzzFeed

1. Doing DIY nail art.

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"I learned how to do my own nails, and now I do nail art for fun on the weekends. I'm definitely going to keep doing it because it's relaxing and it makes me feel cute."

—oliviat491ff0d3e

2. Thrifting

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"I picked up thrifting. At first it was just a way for me to buy new-to-me clothes for work, but I came across a vintage Apple carry-on bag and decided to post it online to sell. Made $40 off a $7 purchase. And thus, my little side hustle began. It’s been six months now and I’ve managed to bring myself out of credit card debt."

—lmreyes2013

3. Turning shoes into skates.

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"I was inspired to start roller-skating from all the cool Reels from skaters on IG. Fast-forward exactly a year later and I started my own custom skate business where I transform shoes into skates!"

—skatewitchcustoms

4. Studying personal genealogy.

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"I was able to finally focus more on my genealogy and recently took a trip to Boston to pay my respects to my ancestors (and solve a mystery)!"

—melialexander

5. Paper quilling.

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"I taught myself how to quill with paper."

—alb

6. Sculpting figures with polymer clay.

amandaram90 / BuzzFeed

"I started making tiny animals out of polymer clay. My intention was to sell them on Etsy, but I ended up just letting them take over my room!"

—amandaram90

7. Historical sewing.

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"I got really into historical sewing. It started with a simple pair of stays and has morphed into several historical dresses. I have stuck primarily to the 18th century for my first few pieces, but I am trying to go more into 19th-century pieces now!"

—mpudelka14

8. Gardening.

Solstock / Getty Images

"I started gardening. I have a small apartment, but I’ve completely taken over every little nook and cranny of outdoor space I have to make a super-lush garden. It’s technically a container garden, but it really pushes the boundaries of what you’d expect from such a small space. I’ve grown carrots, broccoli, eggplant, cucumbers, lots of cut flowers, ginger, culinary and medicinal herbs, and of course just pretty green plants, too. It really is just all of my anxiety poured into a living, breathing ecosystem, and now it’s always covered in pollinators and lil' lizards.

"It’s also completely changed how I see my life going. I’m looking into different career paths, with a focus on plant life, and I'm looking forward to buying land so I can set up a bigger operation."

—adrianao4caf40365

9. Book binding.

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"My early efforts weren't good, but I've been improving fast at both typesetting and the mechanics of binding. I've made 70 books since February, and I'm still going strong."

—spockandawe

10. Crocheting.

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"I started crocheting again! I learned when I was 10 but didn't do it for years afterward. When the pandemic hit and I had oodles of free time, I bought new hooks and a ton of yarn and started making people scarves, pot holders, hats, and other items. I even made myself this absolutely massive scarf in about six months!"

—raveneforshee

11. Taking care of a rescue cat.

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"Here's my pandemic bb. He’s a 12-year-old rescue, wet in this picture because he loves being petted from the bathtub."

—germancanadian

12. Crocheting amigurumi (small stuffed yarn creatures).

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"Crocheting! We have a whole amigurumi menagerie now, including bunnies, foxes, cookies, jellyfish, a narwhal, Grogu, a crazy-ass kraken winter hat, and a Demogorgon! I’ve moved on to sun hats and sweaters. The repetitive hand motions are super calming for all my pandemic anxiety; it’s been a great stress reliever."

—lindschm

13. Professional food photography.

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"Before the pandemic, I had been taking photos of food as a hobby. It wasn’t that serious, but I enjoyed it. I learned a lot of new photography techniques during my time at home and started a legit side business taking food photos for restaurants!"

—Michelle K

14. Growing plants.

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"I am birthing a violet!"

—pvc3313

15. Watercolor painting.

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"I also got very into painting. On bad anxiety days (like yesterday, for example), I’ll crank out five or six tiny watercolor paintings just for something to do with my hands other than picking at my face and cuticles."

—SunburntLesbian

16. Learning how to play the keytar.

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"I took up playing the keytar! I’ve been playing piano but wanted to get some different sounds, like guitar and bass. I have actually learned several bass lines on it and went to an open mic night last Friday and played bass on it. Would have never gotten a keytar if it weren’t for the pandemic."

—Rachel Beth

17. Learning how to play the violin.

Emirmemedovski / Getty Images

"I bought a cheap violin on Amazon and downloaded a violin teaching app. Of course in the very first lesson, they warn you that the violin is one of the hardest instruments to learn, which I didn’t realize beforehand. But I’m still having a lot of fun, even if it will be a while before I’m willing to play in front of anyone besides my cat."

—aditson

18. Doing karate.

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"I started taking karate with my kids, and soon after, my husband started taking classes too. I just recently earned my blue belt and can't wait until I can say I'm a black belt. That has honestly been the best thing to come out of the pandemic for me."

—falalysia

19. Learning how to speak another language.

Miniseries / Getty Images

"I decided to try to learn another language. I picked Russian, which doesn’t really have any practical use in America, but I wanted to learn a difficult one to keep my brain busy. Been having a blast with it!

 —sp00kt

20. Cross-stitching.

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"I still worked through the entire pandemic. But I did take up cross-stitch and hand embroidery. I have made a couple of projects for friends, and they love them."

—Monnie

Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Have you picked up a new hobby during the pandemic? Share in the comments — and upload a photo, if you have one! I'd love to see.