Even with classes out for the summer, a college student’s time may still be consumed with work and other obligations. Nearly 90% of students report working in some capacity this season, according to the National Recreation and Park Association.
However, school is only out for some. In 2020, nearly 7 million students took summer courses, according to The Hechinger Report.
Taking time to indulge in our hobbies is incredibly valuable, especially with the freedom and leisure summer brings.
“We’re more than just what we do for work,” said Jake Loeffler, a clinical psychologist at Boynton Health’s Student Counseling Services.
Loeffler said it is easy to get into “survival mode” during the semester, which makes summer the perfect time to notice the benefits of leisurely activities.
Those benefits include increased creativity, cognitive stimulation and sensory engagement, which calms the nervous system, according to Loeffler.
Loeffler said that group-oriented hobbies can also reduce loneliness and isolation. He said the unity he feels playing soccer with others is “almost like an orchestra playing together.”
Another burgeoning opportunity for a communal hobby is taking shape in Twin Cities Skaters and their new studio in Uptown.
James Adams, founder of Twin Cities Skaters, has roller skated for most of his life, a hobby he reinvigorated 10 years ago as physical therapy for his knees after playing basketball.
“What I loved about it as a child is just like the wheels and being able to roll and go fast,” Adams said. “Now I enjoy the community building and the dancing part of it. I enjoy the teaching aspect. I love everything about it.”
The studio, at the corner of Hennepin Avenue and 31st Street, occupies the space of a former furniture store. It is a wide-open space with a polished concrete floor, energizing dance music and murals adorning its walls. A mural depicting Prince is in progress on the wall facing Hennepin Avenue.
Twin Cities Skaters hosts weekly roller disco events at Rice Park in downtown St. Paul. More events and skating opportunities can be found on their Instagram page and website.
“If you want a night of sober fun, come to Uptown,” Adams said.
Summer hobbies do not need to be movement-oriented, knitting or crocheting are perfect portable activities to bring anywhere, like from the beach to the living room.
Ty Lind is a Minneapolis Community & Technical College student and local crochet artist who got obsessed with the craft two years ago.
“It’s very meditative,” Lind said. “I always have to do something with my hands. Plus you get something out of it.”
Since then, Lind started sharing and selling their colorful creations and offering commissions on Instagram.
Lind was selling at the Pride Makers Market on Saturday in downtown Minneapolis. They sat behind their booth in the dark space, booming with club music, crocheting a periwinkle mesh sweater someone commissioned for a production of “Romeo and Juliet.”
Lind said monetizing their hobby was a good way to show others what they were making and bring in extra money, but it sometimes took the fun out of crocheting.
“Making things just for myself or gifts for others usually feels better,” Lind said.
Loeffler agreed that monetizing a hobby can be stressful, but it can also provide an opportunity to connect with others over that hobby.
“It’s just important to check in with yourself,” Loeffler said. “Finding that balance of doing it for yourself but potentially exploring what it could be.”
A big hurdle for people when it comes to trying a new hobby can be perfectionism, or not wanting to try something for the fear of being bad at it.
However, Loeffler said that hobbies can normalize mistakes, therefore reducing anxiety.
“I tell everybody that I started by falling,” said Aaron Hayes, a performer at Twin Cities Skaters. “All you gotta do is try it one time, get inspired by that one feeling, and you’ll be able to grow.”
