Reconnecting to old hobbies is a great way to reawaken an old part of you that once formed a key part of your identity. While the laid-back times of the past may have come and gone, you’re always free to return to these hobbies in later stages of life.
Naturally, these hobbies vary from individual to individual. Some hobbies may be more physically inclined, like running or playing badminton, while others could be more hands-on and tactile, like woodworking or painting miniatures.
In any case, many deep-seated childhood passions never truly fade away—they just get drowned or cast away from the limelight because of the everyday pressures of adulthood. One common hobby many people still quietly love but rarely have the time and leisure for is painting.
For many creative souls, painting is the purest form of artistic expression that they can undertake. It not only offers a tonne of mental benefits, but it also produces a tangible piece that the painter can return to and enjoy by themselves or share with the world.
If you’re an artist-at-heart who wants to reconnect to your old love of the brush, but are unsure how to pick it up again, then you’re in the right place.
We’ll lend you a fair bit of inspiration and insights to help pull you back to this wonderful and expressive hobby that you once called home. Let’s get right into it.
Immerse Yourself in A Painting Studio
One of the best ways to reignite your passion is by proactively putting yourself in an environment that’s all about it. In various cities across the UK and much of the developed world, there are many creative hubs you can go to to indulge in the arts, like Pinot & Picasso UK.
These community art spaces allow you to reconnect to the hobby with other like-minded individuals, providing a fun outlet that’s judgment-free, social, and unashamedly creative. These hubs also have instructors who can assist you, offer feedback, or help inspire you if you get in a creative rut.
Creative spaces like Pinot & Picasso aren’t simply free-form places to paint in; they are full-fledged studios that provide you with the tools, paint, and canvas to get started.
What makes this particular art studio stand out is its paint-and-sip concept, where, besides having a dedicated space to paint, you’ll also be provided with a chance to sample various delectable wines to taste at your leisure.
By signing up for a painting studio class, you carve out dedicated time for your hobby. This reframes the activity as something you look forward to each week, without the usual pressure of doing something more “productive” or the tendency to procrastinate.
Ease Your Way To Your Creative Revival
As an adult, it’s natural to leave things that don’t pay the bills or keep your household running to a later time. With career and household obligations constantly piling up, many adults find it immensely difficult to create the right conditions to create digital art or paint on such short notice.
The good news is that you don’t have to view painting as a constricting, time-consuming ordeal. It’s a hobby, not an urgent deadline, after all. It’s more than possible to revive your painting hobby by doing it at your own pace, even if it’s just painting one tiny detail every few days.
For instance, you could start by using some free time in your day to sketch an outline on a canvas or sketchbook. You could then use some pockets of the day, like during your work commute or waiting for laundry to finish, to come up with ideas or work on your art.
In any case, you shouldn’t put undue pressure on yourself when easing back into the habit, as this can lead to burnout and a misguided dislike for the hobby. Build a painting habit that you can keep up with—this way, you’ll leave enough room for your imagination to fully express itself and make magic happen on the canvas.
Don’t Stifle Yourself With Perfection – Just Paint!
Do thoughts like “I’m not good enough” constantly creep in before you stroke your brush on the canvas?
Unfortunately, this feeling of inadequacy is far too common among adults trying to revive their old hobbies. Some of these voices may be strong enough to turn down any attempt to even start painting, which can be quite a joyless way to go about things.
Instead of seeing things through a perfectionist lens, reframe your mind into just starting the habit, one stroke at a time. Let go of the notion that you must only create masterpieces and nothing else, as even the most accomplished artists have to go through multiple creative attempts before finally stumbling upon their magnum opus.
Enjoy the process as much as you can, and create art without self-rejection and judgment. By seeing the hobby as something fun and messy, you’ll see the hobby for what it truly is—something that you can find peace and joy in amidst the daily pressures of the real world.
Set a Schedule to Paint at Home
Many creative folks are spontaneous and free spirits, wanting to do and create things on their own terms and whenever they feel a spark of imagination.
However, if you see yourself incessantly pushing back the time to get back into your painting hobby, then it may be worthwhile to steer away from this desire for spontaneity and instead intentionally schedule your paint sessions.
One way you can do this is by setting a weekly schedule to sit down and paint. The timeframe is up to you—whether you want to paint 30 minutes a week or 30 minutes a day. You can also base your schedule around your daily routine, like after your morning coffee or before bedtime.
Remember: your painting schedule shouldn’t feel like a chore; instead, it should feel enjoyable, realistic, and easy to stick to within your daily routine. By picking the right schedule, you’ll build the habit of painting and find it much easier to implement into your life.
Follow a Daily Prompt Painting Challenge
A fun way to get back into the hobby of painting is by undertaking a daily challenge for it. There are countless online art prompt challenges that you can follow and implement to inspire your next work. Consider following these challenges and fulfilling them every day to ensure that you build a habit of creating artwork.
Of course, the art doesn’t have to be the next greatest hit. These prompts serve as avenues to keep you painting and carrying that momentum over to the next day. By the time the challenge is completed, you’d have created a lot of new art pieces and likely learned more about how your artistic style has developed in your adulthood.
Explore New Painting Methods
The great thing about taking a long hiatus from art is that you can play around with your artistic identity and experiment with different modes of expression.
For instance, you can toy around with watercolours for your first batch of paintings, and if this art mode isn’t working for you, then you can experiment with acrylics next time.
Not a fan of painting on paper or canvas? Digital art is more accessible in this day and age than ever before, providing a fresh avenue for adults to explore their artistic imagination.
There are dozens of techniques that you can uncover and consider for your next artistic creation, so feel free to experiment and allow your curiosity to take over. Now is a good time as any to learn the wide list of new ways of painting.
Create the Right Painting Setting
Believe it or not, your environment greatly influences your motivation to paint.
You don’t have to create the fanciest studio to create artworks, but you should ideally work in a space that brings out the best in your creative freedom and clarity of thought. And that all starts by being intentional when designing your personal studio.
For a start, ensure that you have all the materials and supplies you need to create art. You wouldn’t want to be halfway through your artwork only to realise that you’re missing a crucial colour or a smaller-sized brush.
Secondly, design your space in a way that’s welcoming, inspiring, and relaxing. Add calming elements around the studio, whether it’s scented candles, a vinyl player with accompanying music, or motivational quotes.
In any case, being intentional with how you design your space makes you more likely to push through with your art hobby and see it through to the end. This can make a difference in you quitting early or showing up, so if you want to continue to create new art, then definitely be intentional about the design of your primary studio.
Best of luck in reviving your old painting hobby!
