It’s a truth universally acknowledged that I cycle through hobbies like the moon through phases. I’m adventurous, in a crafty, grandma-meets-Belle’s-inventor-dad kind of way.
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Fig. 1 – Belle’s Dad. His name is Maurice.
Thanks to our near-daily Zoom calls from home, my coworkers have gotten a front row seat view to the myriad of DIY ventures I’ve coursed through over the past year and a half. (It can be hard to find something new and relatively lighthearted to talk about when you’re spending 99% of your time inside your house. Not to mention that my laptop is set up in my craft room.) They’ve watched with curiosity and varying levels of concern as I’ve gone from wood-working to embroidery to gaming, sewing, cake decorating, Cricut-ing, painting, crocheting, puzzling, drawing, furniture DIYing and back again.
Fig. 2 – Katie trying.
Having been strongly discouraged from future cake decorating attempts, I’m trying out my first column, aptly named “Katie Tries.”
This idea originally started as a loving joke between my coworkers and me at our very first, post-vaccination happy hour. “What hasn’t Katie tried this year?”
Then, to my surprise, it progressed into an actual invitation from Sociability, and more than a few evolutions.
“What if I did a doodle column?”
“Okay, what would that doodle column look like?”
“…Do I even have a doodle style…?”
Fig. 3 – Note the trash can fire in the background, a smoking gun revelation that a doodle column wouldn’t work out.
Most importantly (to you, at least): what is this column all about? Which inspired me to consider what, exactly, is so genuinely beautiful about trying.
I’ve spent a lot of time in the past few years internally dismantling the idea that everything has to be perfect to be worth doing. Because it doesn’t! Not everything has to be perfectly planned out and executed flawlessly. In fact, most things won’t go according to plan, and nothing can be done impeccably. That’s the fun of it! The fun is in the trying, the learning, the bonding, the moments of absurdity, the epiphanies, and — not to be overly grandiose — the humanity.
This mostly lighthearted column is a celebration of doing things simply because you enjoy them (or think you might), trying out things you’ve never done before, and embracing chaos. I hope you’ll be inspired to explore new hobbies or interests or topics, give yourself some grace, and remember that you can be silly, authentic, imperfect and grow at the same time.
So, we’re here. Hi. Welcome to my doodle column, brought to you by the same girl who changed her major seven times before the conclusion of her freshman year (and still graduated on time!). With just the right amounts of skepticism (slight) and exuberance (abundant), we will journey together through the highs and lows of my rotating hobbies, philosophies and mishaps. If at first you don’t succeed, single-handedly buy out Michaels.
From sewing to DND to maybe even that time I burned all my hair off, join me for the good, bad and ugly as I explore my Interest of the Month (starting next month). There’s no harm in trying.
Except maybe embroidery, the gateway craft. No turning back from that.
