hobbies.......................

 

                         thanks Chris

Sort of like blogging.....................

     It's so important to have a hobby.  A hobby is something creative that's just for you.  You don't try to make money or get famous off it, you just do it because it makes you happy.  A hobby is something that gives but doesn't take.  While my art is for the world to see, music is only for me and my friends.  We get together every Sunday and make noise for a couple of hours.  No pressure, no plans.  It's regenerative.  It's like church.

     Don't throw any of yourself away.  Don't worry about a grand scheme or unified vision for your work.  Don't worry about unity - what unifies your work is the fact that you made it.  One day, you'll look back and it will all make sense.

-Austin Kleon,   Steal Like An Artist:  10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative

Wondering if blogging counts as a hobby?

The average scientist is about as likely to have a hobby as any member of the public.  However, eminent scientists (members of the Royal Society or National Academy of Sciences) are nearly twice as likely to have one.  Nobel Prize-wining scientists?  Almost three times as likely.  Steven Johnson found the same thing holds true for geniuses of the past, like  Benjamin Franklin and Charles Darwin.  These guys had lots of hobbies.  Facing different challenges in different contexts allowed them to look at things differently, to challenge assumptions, and to realize breakthroughs.  Getting lots of different ideas crashing together turns out to be one of the keys to creativity.

-Eric Barker, Barking Up The Wrong Tree:  The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong

As a public service.... for those who would prefer "bah humbug" to "happy" or "merry"

thanks gerard