How Do You FREEly Express Your Creative Self?
March 10, 2025 1:30 PM Subscribe
Oh sure, there's always the usual mainstream things every article trots out, blah blah blah. But what unusual/surprising/interesting hobby, activity, or task do you find works as a creative outlet? Or talk about anything else - it's our weekly free thread!
After forty years as a jewelry designer, am retired but found delight in gardening...digging soil up, adding mulch,picking annuals and perennials...a delight. I also am dabbling lino cut prints, and the various other printing techniques ..Small kits are available at art stores so you can dip your toe in to see if you like it. My dream of weaving huge wall hanging on a huge loom on a mountain top in Vermont, before I shipped them off to the world's top galleries never quite materialized. Maybe I should buy a small table top loom ...
posted by Czjewel at 1:47 PM on March 10 [9 favorites]
posted by Czjewel at 1:47 PM on March 10 [9 favorites]
I make rings from silver coins; I saw videos and thought, hey, that looks cool, and with a few hundred bucks of tools I got pretty good at it, before we had to pack the garage full of boxes and now I can't get to my stuff š¢ I also started learning stained glass at that time but never really got into it.
Film Student Update which is my main source of creative expression these days: Still working on the local independent film. Last Thursday we filmed two scenes which were sort of 'music videos' -- the first one has the main couple falling in love while singing a song at a grand piano; the second one is just the female lead sadly singing her "I lost him" song at the same grand piano.
To film this, we got out my steadicam rig -- you know them, the cameraperson has a robot-looking arm strapped to their body supporting the camera, which keeps the camera steady. I had practiced with it a bit but was still nervous, but it went quite well.
The main clue that I was doing OK was at the end of the "I lost him" song -- the actress finishes singing, she's starting to cry, I go from my camera leaning under the piano lid and above the strings and slowly back directly away from her. Because I was filming 180° around the piano, the set was cleared but the monitors were set up in the hallway, and as I'm finishing my move away from the piano, I hear from the hallway:
"OHHHHHH fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck" š¤£
In watching the rest of the steadicam footage later, I came to realize something, I was moving wayyyyyy too fast. It didn't feel like it at the time, but I was zooming around way too quickly to get a good sense of the action I was filming. (that last shot described above was almost perfect though).
Which brings me to something about where I'm at in my learning: I'm moving into the phase where I know the things I'm doing wrong but aren't good enough to overcome them yet. You know the feeling, like in the beginning you make something and you go "yay, I made it!" but aren't experienced enough to recognize the details, and then there's a hump that you get over where you're not just satisfied with making something, you have to make it better, but until you practice a bunch you won't be able to make it better. This is the point where I think a lot of people give up or lose interest, but I'm still into it and I think that's a good sign I'll keep getting better.
But -- I am constantly getting compliments on my work, being told the production wouldn't be doing so well if not for me, hints that I'm going to be included in other people's future projects, and even the steadicam footage I wasn't super satisfied with, the editor said was plenty to work with and he has already put together a rough cut and is excited to get me a copy to review. So, I shouldn't be tooooo hard on myself; the stuff I'm already good at is more than enough to make a little film go well.
posted by AzraelBrown at 1:53 PM on March 10 [19 favorites]
Film Student Update which is my main source of creative expression these days: Still working on the local independent film. Last Thursday we filmed two scenes which were sort of 'music videos' -- the first one has the main couple falling in love while singing a song at a grand piano; the second one is just the female lead sadly singing her "I lost him" song at the same grand piano.
To film this, we got out my steadicam rig -- you know them, the cameraperson has a robot-looking arm strapped to their body supporting the camera, which keeps the camera steady. I had practiced with it a bit but was still nervous, but it went quite well.
The main clue that I was doing OK was at the end of the "I lost him" song -- the actress finishes singing, she's starting to cry, I go from my camera leaning under the piano lid and above the strings and slowly back directly away from her. Because I was filming 180° around the piano, the set was cleared but the monitors were set up in the hallway, and as I'm finishing my move away from the piano, I hear from the hallway:
"OHHHHHH fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck" š¤£
In watching the rest of the steadicam footage later, I came to realize something, I was moving wayyyyyy too fast. It didn't feel like it at the time, but I was zooming around way too quickly to get a good sense of the action I was filming. (that last shot described above was almost perfect though).
Which brings me to something about where I'm at in my learning: I'm moving into the phase where I know the things I'm doing wrong but aren't good enough to overcome them yet. You know the feeling, like in the beginning you make something and you go "yay, I made it!" but aren't experienced enough to recognize the details, and then there's a hump that you get over where you're not just satisfied with making something, you have to make it better, but until you practice a bunch you won't be able to make it better. This is the point where I think a lot of people give up or lose interest, but I'm still into it and I think that's a good sign I'll keep getting better.
But -- I am constantly getting compliments on my work, being told the production wouldn't be doing so well if not for me, hints that I'm going to be included in other people's future projects, and even the steadicam footage I wasn't super satisfied with, the editor said was plenty to work with and he has already put together a rough cut and is excited to get me a copy to review. So, I shouldn't be tooooo hard on myself; the stuff I'm already good at is more than enough to make a little film go well.
posted by AzraelBrown at 1:53 PM on March 10 [19 favorites]
I have a collection of synths, guitars, effects boxes, samplers and mixers that I make terrible noise with. I will not say more.
posted by hankmajor at 1:54 PM on March 10 [14 favorites]
posted by hankmajor at 1:54 PM on March 10 [14 favorites]
I spent some time sunday on a video call with a friend, doing art "together". I am working on a very long-term writing project and wrote a few pages sunday, and also had a good chat with my friend about process etc., she is one of my readers and she helped me sort of think through some blockers and last night when I was lying awake at 4am I had this explosion of mental activity and figured out a bunch of stuff and I've already written 12 pages of new material today based on that. I don't even normally write on weekdays but work was slow today. wooooooo!!
nyt best sellers list here I come (haha, maybe some day. fingers crossed)
posted by supermedusa at 1:56 PM on March 10 [8 favorites]
nyt best sellers list here I come (haha, maybe some day. fingers crossed)
posted by supermedusa at 1:56 PM on March 10 [8 favorites]
I've got my blog, I'm starting to get back into journaling again (did that a lot from ages 13 to 40), and I'm also starting to get back into knitting again. I've joined a couple of knitting meetups (one at my local library) to keep me at the knitting - I tend to get project ADD and get bored easy. (It also hit me that my niece and nephew are in their teens, and will be heading off to college and then first apartments before we know it - and I also have a whole hell of a lot of the kind of sturdy cotton yarn designed for dishtowels and washcloths that I need to use up, so I am going to get to work preparing their "kitchen hope chests" now.)
I'm also starting to branch out more into more free-form cooking as opposed to slavishly following a recipe. I'm still using "training wheels", to a point - I found a few Mad-libs type of formulas and have been using those more and more, and making unusual bean stews and salads and casseroles.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:00 PM on March 10 [8 favorites]
I'm also starting to branch out more into more free-form cooking as opposed to slavishly following a recipe. I'm still using "training wheels", to a point - I found a few Mad-libs type of formulas and have been using those more and more, and making unusual bean stews and salads and casseroles.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:00 PM on March 10 [8 favorites]
Oooh oooh, I also got to do some v/o work for a friend's short horror film! I played Janice, Satan's receptionist.
posted by Kitteh at 2:05 PM on March 10 [12 favorites]
posted by Kitteh at 2:05 PM on March 10 [12 favorites]
I play guitar, bass, record sometimes, though not in a while.
I write SFF. I've managed to sell 15 short stories so far, in large part thanks to this AskMe.
I used to draw a bit, but haven't done that in ages.
posted by signal at 2:08 PM on March 10 [9 favorites]
I write SFF. I've managed to sell 15 short stories so far, in large part thanks to this AskMe.
I used to draw a bit, but haven't done that in ages.
posted by signal at 2:08 PM on March 10 [9 favorites]
I bought an inexpensive plush hand puppet and have been practicing ventriloquism for the past couple weeks. It's simultaneously simpler and more challenging than I expected.
Simpler in the sense that there's just 6 letters/sounds that we normally use our lips to produce (b, f, m, p, v, and w) and there are straightforward alternative ways to make them without using your lips (Jeff Dunham has a good playlist if you're interested). I was surprised to find that the learning curve to make them wasn't terribly high, I was able to start doing it at least somewhat convincingly after just a couple hours of practice...still plenty of room for improvement, of course. The challenge is remembering to keep your lips still and use those methods while you're also thinking about playing a character, with it's own voice, and moving the puppet to match, and make that all come off as at least somewhat believable.
The surprisingly fun creative part of it is playing that character and having a dialog with it where you're supplying both sides of that dialog. You even get to set up your own punch lines, improvise, have arguments, etc. It's a hoot.
I don't intend to become a professional ventriloquist, but even at a beginner level it's fun and keeps my brain exercised and flexible. Also the entry-level costs are WAAY less than most hobbies. So if I end up losing interest in a few weeks or months I don't have to feel guilty about it! But even if I do drop it, this might get me going again to put some effort into developing a late-life voiceover career...
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:09 PM on March 10 [10 favorites]
Simpler in the sense that there's just 6 letters/sounds that we normally use our lips to produce (b, f, m, p, v, and w) and there are straightforward alternative ways to make them without using your lips (Jeff Dunham has a good playlist if you're interested). I was surprised to find that the learning curve to make them wasn't terribly high, I was able to start doing it at least somewhat convincingly after just a couple hours of practice...still plenty of room for improvement, of course. The challenge is remembering to keep your lips still and use those methods while you're also thinking about playing a character, with it's own voice, and moving the puppet to match, and make that all come off as at least somewhat believable.
The surprisingly fun creative part of it is playing that character and having a dialog with it where you're supplying both sides of that dialog. You even get to set up your own punch lines, improvise, have arguments, etc. It's a hoot.
I don't intend to become a professional ventriloquist, but even at a beginner level it's fun and keeps my brain exercised and flexible. Also the entry-level costs are WAAY less than most hobbies. So if I end up losing interest in a few weeks or months I don't have to feel guilty about it! But even if I do drop it, this might get me going again to put some effort into developing a late-life voiceover career...
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:09 PM on March 10 [10 favorites]
I walk around a lot, even more so on trips, and take a lot of pictures. I recently cataloged them into my own On This Day thing, like Facebook does.
I also make our stuffed animals (we have no kids or real pets) talk to my wife. It's not ventriloquism, like Greg Ace above me, but they all have their own distinct personalities, and it amuses me greatly me make my wife laugh, and I know she loves it.
posted by mrphancy at 2:18 PM on March 10 [5 favorites]
I also make our stuffed animals (we have no kids or real pets) talk to my wife. It's not ventriloquism, like Greg Ace above me, but they all have their own distinct personalities, and it amuses me greatly me make my wife laugh, and I know she loves it.
posted by mrphancy at 2:18 PM on March 10 [5 favorites]
I do traditional hand tool woodworking, mostly 17th century and earlier, since those earlier styles lend themselves naturally to hand tools and, frankly, don't require the same level of time or skill that a lot of 18th and 19th century furniture does. I also turn bowls on a foot-powered lathe that I built, though I'm doing well just to get a functional bowl out of it, without too much consideration for form or surface decoration yet.
Beyond that I've done some embroidery and have been picking up more general sewing lately. My most recent projects were a casual shirt using this pattern and this fabric (in a green colorway and just one patch pocket) and a dress shirt using this pattern and this fabric (without pockets).
posted by jedicus at 2:20 PM on March 10 [11 favorites]
Beyond that I've done some embroidery and have been picking up more general sewing lately. My most recent projects were a casual shirt using this pattern and this fabric (in a green colorway and just one patch pocket) and a dress shirt using this pattern and this fabric (without pockets).
posted by jedicus at 2:20 PM on March 10 [11 favorites]
It usually surprises people to learn that I used to write My Little Pony fanfiction. I'm still waiting for the next fandom to attract my attention.
posted by SPrintF at 2:23 PM on March 10 [7 favorites]
posted by SPrintF at 2:23 PM on March 10 [7 favorites]
I play music, have since I was too young to remember. Music is what kind of orders the universe for me. Last fall, my band released an album. We think itās pretty good. It makes me happy to put on the ear buds and listen to what we did.
Aside from that, Iāve been getting back into film photography, fueled by the gift of a 4x5 Calumet view camera a couple years ago. Itās a beast, takes about 2-3 minutes to execute an exposure. Iām also back in the darkroom, taking classes and I have developed film, enlarged some prints, and yesterday did some cyanotypes. Turns out the 4x5 negs are perfect for that process. Small enough to be just cool little things, but big enough to see. I love being able to concentrate and tinker with things, and this really fits the bill for me.
I also managed to get access to a cave thatās been closed for almost 20 years, and got a few (digital) pictures of it. I like being under ground where They canāt find me and itās real quiet.
posted by Devils Rancher at 2:26 PM on March 10 [7 favorites]
Aside from that, Iāve been getting back into film photography, fueled by the gift of a 4x5 Calumet view camera a couple years ago. Itās a beast, takes about 2-3 minutes to execute an exposure. Iām also back in the darkroom, taking classes and I have developed film, enlarged some prints, and yesterday did some cyanotypes. Turns out the 4x5 negs are perfect for that process. Small enough to be just cool little things, but big enough to see. I love being able to concentrate and tinker with things, and this really fits the bill for me.
I also managed to get access to a cave thatās been closed for almost 20 years, and got a few (digital) pictures of it. I like being under ground where They canāt find me and itās real quiet.
posted by Devils Rancher at 2:26 PM on March 10 [7 favorites]
It usually surprises people to learn that I used to write My Little Pony fanfiction.
so there also people who are like "oh yea, that tracks"?
posted by Dr. Twist at 2:29 PM on March 10 [5 favorites]
so there also people who are like "oh yea, that tracks"?
posted by Dr. Twist at 2:29 PM on March 10 [5 favorites]
Trying to get back into writing more, mostly narrative essays. I have a Substack account, and I think I'm going to focus on me rebooting my martial arts training. (Starting TKD again as a white belt, so I can get a PROPER education from the ground up. Besides, without certificates, my black belts are meaningless.)
I also crochet a bit. I just started to learn to read patterns, which increases my potential projects a lot. Right now I'm gearing up for an event where stuff like scarves and hats will come in handy.
Finally reached a dƩtente with the ex. I know I'm too nice sometimes, but I also have my boundaries well established. :)
posted by luckynerd at 2:30 PM on March 10 [5 favorites]
I also crochet a bit. I just started to learn to read patterns, which increases my potential projects a lot. Right now I'm gearing up for an event where stuff like scarves and hats will come in handy.
Finally reached a dƩtente with the ex. I know I'm too nice sometimes, but I also have my boundaries well established. :)
posted by luckynerd at 2:30 PM on March 10 [5 favorites]
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posted by ginger.beef at 2:31 PM on March 10 [18 favorites]
posted by ginger.beef at 2:31 PM on March 10 [18 favorites]
I few years ago I posted a replica of an Egyptian stool in Projects that got reposted to the main page and from there, to a couple other blogs. It garnered lots of praise and views, so I pitched it to Fine Woodworking magazine and got to see it in print. I contacted several museums and was allowed to visit the storage facilities of the Brooklyn Museum, British Museum, Neues Museum, and Museo Egizio in Turin. I examined and made scans of a number of pieces of furniture, which I've been replicating. Examining 3500+ year old artifacts up close was a bucket list experience. The peak (so far) was building a replica/restoration of a Nubian dais (or possibly a funerary bed) for an exhibit at the Neues Museum and attending the show opening in Berlin.
I posted the stool on some woodworking sites without it getting much notice, so I'd again like to thank Mefites for taking the time to respond so kindly to it.
At the beginning of each project, I make measurements of the scans in Blender, rough out my lumber at a local maker space and then work (quietly) for a couple hours every evening in my apartment. It keeps my mind off the news. I use the same joinery and build them full size. The aim is to replicate the experience of sitting on an original piece.
I work on cooperatively on animated films, so it's important to have a personal creative outlet. It feels like the first thing I've done in a loooong time that was purely my own idea. I tried art-type pursuits but my inner critic kept anything from getting off the ground. Besides the technical and experimental archeology aspects, it's teaching me a lot about how to manage my emotional response to failure. Also how to move forward when I don't have all the answers at the start. Iāve tackled a dozen pieces so far. The first one is the MeFi project and it has an extensive build blog. Most of the others have shorter descriptions. Iām hoping to eventually expand all the descriptions with scale plans turn it all into some kind of book.
posted by brachiopod at 2:35 PM on March 10 [43 favorites]
I posted the stool on some woodworking sites without it getting much notice, so I'd again like to thank Mefites for taking the time to respond so kindly to it.
At the beginning of each project, I make measurements of the scans in Blender, rough out my lumber at a local maker space and then work (quietly) for a couple hours every evening in my apartment. It keeps my mind off the news. I use the same joinery and build them full size. The aim is to replicate the experience of sitting on an original piece.
I work on cooperatively on animated films, so it's important to have a personal creative outlet. It feels like the first thing I've done in a loooong time that was purely my own idea. I tried art-type pursuits but my inner critic kept anything from getting off the ground. Besides the technical and experimental archeology aspects, it's teaching me a lot about how to manage my emotional response to failure. Also how to move forward when I don't have all the answers at the start. Iāve tackled a dozen pieces so far. The first one is the MeFi project and it has an extensive build blog. Most of the others have shorter descriptions. Iām hoping to eventually expand all the descriptions with scale plans turn it all into some kind of book.
posted by brachiopod at 2:35 PM on March 10 [43 favorites]
My current hobbies are: [self-pitying list of current problemettes omitted], not playing with all the cool stuff I collected to play with, being a wet blanket whenever Mrs C proposes an outing or vacation... and obsessing over why I don't think I'm having enough fun.
Bah. The above is mostly winter blues, and being too much online instead of Just Doing Something Fun. It's warming up, and sunny, and I managed a nice walk today, and there will soon be no excuses for getting back on my bike. Spring is good.
Is there a pill one can take that will help me dislodge my head from my ass, mute the anxious self-pitying twerp, and gets me Out, Offline and Doing Stuff? (oh wait, someone will tell me there's an app for that)
posted by Artful Codger at 2:37 PM on March 10 [9 favorites]
Bah. The above is mostly winter blues, and being too much online instead of Just Doing Something Fun. It's warming up, and sunny, and I managed a nice walk today, and there will soon be no excuses for getting back on my bike. Spring is good.
Is there a pill one can take that will help me dislodge my head from my ass, mute the anxious self-pitying twerp, and gets me Out, Offline and Doing Stuff? (oh wait, someone will tell me there's an app for that)
posted by Artful Codger at 2:37 PM on March 10 [9 favorites]
You people!
The level of creativity on display here is quite humbling!
posted by jamjam at 2:53 PM on March 10 [7 favorites]
The level of creativity on display here is quite humbling!
posted by jamjam at 2:53 PM on March 10 [7 favorites]
I make plotter art and now I also make clocks.
posted by seanmpuckett at 2:53 PM on March 10 [10 favorites]
posted by seanmpuckett at 2:53 PM on March 10 [10 favorites]
Based on deep reflection and sophisticated data analysis, my number one hobby where I express myself freely is procrastinating other creative projects.
Procrastinating, thatās where Iām a Viking.
I hope it does not sound arrogant, but I am pretty pretty good at looking at a problem, quickly learning a bit more than is necessary to solve the problem, and coming up with creative solutions.
I am unable to separate how I approach personal life, work, and hobbies, I can not stop my mind from observing, analyzing, hypothesizing, and experimenting. I am always creating.
For example, I am learning to skateboard at almost 50 years old. There is the skating practice itself, learning about the history of skateboarding, the physics, the biodynamics, the culture. I am at a point where I am trying to figure out long distance āpumpingā and in doing so I am learning new stuff about physics simulations, designing and printing 3D parts to modify truck dynamics, learning to print structural parts with urethane, and will definitely have to learn how to print and make molds for aluminum casting at home. In the meantime I sanded the deck to paint my own graphics, and have been experimenting with creative use of grip tape.
Why did I embark on all this? Because the doctor convinced me that physical activity is a life or death choice at this point, and skateboarding has proven a great way to bond with my daughter.
I am extremely lucky to be able to do all this, but even when I had no means or time I would literary do stuff like arrange pebbles on the ground by the bus stop in interesting patterns.
It is a disease.
posted by Dr. Curare at 2:57 PM on March 10 [11 favorites]
Procrastinating, thatās where Iām a Viking.
I hope it does not sound arrogant, but I am pretty pretty good at looking at a problem, quickly learning a bit more than is necessary to solve the problem, and coming up with creative solutions.
I am unable to separate how I approach personal life, work, and hobbies, I can not stop my mind from observing, analyzing, hypothesizing, and experimenting. I am always creating.
For example, I am learning to skateboard at almost 50 years old. There is the skating practice itself, learning about the history of skateboarding, the physics, the biodynamics, the culture. I am at a point where I am trying to figure out long distance āpumpingā and in doing so I am learning new stuff about physics simulations, designing and printing 3D parts to modify truck dynamics, learning to print structural parts with urethane, and will definitely have to learn how to print and make molds for aluminum casting at home. In the meantime I sanded the deck to paint my own graphics, and have been experimenting with creative use of grip tape.
Why did I embark on all this? Because the doctor convinced me that physical activity is a life or death choice at this point, and skateboarding has proven a great way to bond with my daughter.
I am extremely lucky to be able to do all this, but even when I had no means or time I would literary do stuff like arrange pebbles on the ground by the bus stop in interesting patterns.
It is a disease.
posted by Dr. Curare at 2:57 PM on March 10 [11 favorites]
I love living in Chicago and every year I try to pick a new thing to add to my Chicago consumption. Last month I subscribed to the season at the Goodman Theater and have already seen Fat Ham and Betrayal. That last one was on Friday and starred Helen Hunt, and yes if you're wondering, it's very very cool to sit 25 vertical feet from Helen Hunt while she's acting.
Which brings me to:
Is there a pill one can take that will help me dislodge my head from my ass, mute the anxious self-pitying twerp, and gets me Out, Offline and Doing Stuff?
My best tip for this as someone who has big introvert inertia is to buy a season subscription or membership to something. I hate wasting money, so if I already paid for it, that's a huge incentive to go and do it. The subscription thing means I don't suffer from the paralysis of choice. Someone, a team of someones, got paid money to decide what would be nice to have on. Who am I to argue with that? I'll just show up where you tell me. Once I'm out of the house, I don't actually have to talk to anyone or plan anything, I can just show up at the thing and think things like "my goodness isn't this nice" and "I am a person who does things."
This scheme is how I've seen any opera at all, how I started loving classical music, how I could navigate the entire floorplan of the Field Museum with my eyes closed, etc.
Also, if you're buying tickets for things in a subscription well in advance, they're much cheaper. For example, Helen Hunt cost less to see than the cheapest seats at the monster truck show last weekend. I'm certain I spend less on entertainment than the average into-the-bar-scene Chicagoan (not a judgment, just an answer when I get the inevitable "I couldn't afford that!" from that group) and I've got season member tix for the symphony, one of our theaters, a museum, and a zoo.
Anyway Chicago rules and so does doing whatever I want whenever I want because I only have to please my little twerp self.
posted by phunniemee at 3:01 PM on March 10 [18 favorites]
Which brings me to:
Is there a pill one can take that will help me dislodge my head from my ass, mute the anxious self-pitying twerp, and gets me Out, Offline and Doing Stuff?
My best tip for this as someone who has big introvert inertia is to buy a season subscription or membership to something. I hate wasting money, so if I already paid for it, that's a huge incentive to go and do it. The subscription thing means I don't suffer from the paralysis of choice. Someone, a team of someones, got paid money to decide what would be nice to have on. Who am I to argue with that? I'll just show up where you tell me. Once I'm out of the house, I don't actually have to talk to anyone or plan anything, I can just show up at the thing and think things like "my goodness isn't this nice" and "I am a person who does things."
This scheme is how I've seen any opera at all, how I started loving classical music, how I could navigate the entire floorplan of the Field Museum with my eyes closed, etc.
Also, if you're buying tickets for things in a subscription well in advance, they're much cheaper. For example, Helen Hunt cost less to see than the cheapest seats at the monster truck show last weekend. I'm certain I spend less on entertainment than the average into-the-bar-scene Chicagoan (not a judgment, just an answer when I get the inevitable "I couldn't afford that!" from that group) and I've got season member tix for the symphony, one of our theaters, a museum, and a zoo.
Anyway Chicago rules and so does doing whatever I want whenever I want because I only have to please my little twerp self.
posted by phunniemee at 3:01 PM on March 10 [18 favorites]
I'm planning a calendar at work where you get a group and claim a month, then re-enact a movie scene or poster
a few of us are going to do the trash compactor scene from Star Wars
my trick to creativity is to do something with a group, otherwise (see above for everyone's procrastination comment, it be me)
posted by ginger.beef at 3:03 PM on March 10 [6 favorites]
a few of us are going to do the trash compactor scene from Star Wars
my trick to creativity is to do something with a group, otherwise (see above for everyone's procrastination comment, it be me)
posted by ginger.beef at 3:03 PM on March 10 [6 favorites]
Lately I seem to have been doing mostly a mix of original writing and fanfiction, though I don't publish most of it. I've done a couple (published) doujin projects as well; last year I wrote a short fan-fiction novella copyhon (in Japanese) that a friend illustrated, and this year I might end up doing dual-language collaborative fanbook-parody sort of project. I've already done a little bit, but probably not enough to quite call it a proof-of-concept, so we'll see.
I'm honestly kind of new to this sort of stuff; I didn't write much fiction growing up, so it kind of feels like I have to learn the mental process by which one converts brainworms into plot. Also, learning how to write words that I feel genuinely proud of when reading a week later, as opposed to a nigh-instant kurorekishi that I find myself ashamed to touch.
Though I haven't done it too much lately, I used to do a lot more "physical" creative work, like making props (think life-size detailed glowing magic staffs, etc). It doesn't feel like it was quite the same sort of creative outlet as dumping the crem off the top of my brain onto a sheet of metaphorical paper, but it was pretty nice to be able to hold something I made in my hand and wave it around. That's not really something I can do with my words in quite the same way.
posted by etealuear_crushue at 3:05 PM on March 10 [4 favorites]
I'm honestly kind of new to this sort of stuff; I didn't write much fiction growing up, so it kind of feels like I have to learn the mental process by which one converts brainworms into plot. Also, learning how to write words that I feel genuinely proud of when reading a week later, as opposed to a nigh-instant kurorekishi that I find myself ashamed to touch.
Though I haven't done it too much lately, I used to do a lot more "physical" creative work, like making props (think life-size detailed glowing magic staffs, etc). It doesn't feel like it was quite the same sort of creative outlet as dumping the crem off the top of my brain onto a sheet of metaphorical paper, but it was pretty nice to be able to hold something I made in my hand and wave it around. That's not really something I can do with my words in quite the same way.
posted by etealuear_crushue at 3:05 PM on March 10 [4 favorites]
Shocking no one - I ferment things and talk way, way too much about them. It's a silly thing, but it's taken me around the globe to yabber about it. (I truly believe that fermentation may be one of the key developments in human development.) I would like to tackle something with more permanence, but first, a walkway needs to be built.
We had a sad end to our saga of Osiris the Bandit cat with the stupid cancer. We were supposed to have a vet come to the house on Friday to help us, but Wednesday we woke up and he was breathing with great labor and hadnt touched any of his dinner. We called and tried to get the mobile vet here, but she was booked (she's really worth it and isn't much more expensive then the vet option.) Our regular vet normally doesn't have day of slots for anything, but they stayed open during the practice's lunch period to tend to the man. One of the benefits of bringing animals to them for 20+ years.
Demonstrated one of the complimentary patterns my partner and I have - while we were at the vet, I was a mess and they were strong. After the deed was done, they were a mess and I was strong. I suspect we'll both be messes when his ashes are returned and added to the shrine of our goobers.
I kept hoping his sister, Isis, would live up to her namesake, but sadly no. Instead, I heard her wandering the house in the middle of night meowing for him. Several times at least and you could have knocked me over because despite being littermates and together this whole time, they never acted close and cuddled, etc.
posted by drewbage1847 at 3:07 PM on March 10 [9 favorites]
We had a sad end to our saga of Osiris the Bandit cat with the stupid cancer. We were supposed to have a vet come to the house on Friday to help us, but Wednesday we woke up and he was breathing with great labor and hadnt touched any of his dinner. We called and tried to get the mobile vet here, but she was booked (she's really worth it and isn't much more expensive then the vet option.) Our regular vet normally doesn't have day of slots for anything, but they stayed open during the practice's lunch period to tend to the man. One of the benefits of bringing animals to them for 20+ years.
Demonstrated one of the complimentary patterns my partner and I have - while we were at the vet, I was a mess and they were strong. After the deed was done, they were a mess and I was strong. I suspect we'll both be messes when his ashes are returned and added to the shrine of our goobers.
I kept hoping his sister, Isis, would live up to her namesake, but sadly no. Instead, I heard her wandering the house in the middle of night meowing for him. Several times at least and you could have knocked me over because despite being littermates and together this whole time, they never acted close and cuddled, etc.
posted by drewbage1847 at 3:07 PM on March 10 [9 favorites]
Oh also I started sewing, please go tell me what to buy.
posted by phunniemee at 3:09 PM on March 10 [3 favorites]
posted by phunniemee at 3:09 PM on March 10 [3 favorites]
Doing stuff with my hands helps me get out of stuck-edness. Cooking, embroidery, sewing, sketching. Also showers.
I got to meet an otter this weekend. I fed her sardines and shrimp, touched her little toe pads (part of her medical prep training), and I may or may not have gotten to boop her nose. Serious bucket list thing and honest to god, filled up my soul.
posted by cooker girl at 3:13 PM on March 10 [8 favorites]
I got to meet an otter this weekend. I fed her sardines and shrimp, touched her little toe pads (part of her medical prep training), and I may or may not have gotten to boop her nose. Serious bucket list thing and honest to god, filled up my soul.
posted by cooker girl at 3:13 PM on March 10 [8 favorites]
For the past couple of years I have been working on a clifi novel, and after several (million) rewrites, have sent the first third off to a trusted friend to read and tell me whether it feels like a book or not. I am not sure what I will do if the answer is, no, this is crazed rambling and you need to seek help.
I began to feel a problem in my brain recently, and after thinking and talking it over, I realized I was taking on too many hobbies and interests at once. This happens to me. I get interested in a thing, must know all about it, surround myself with information, and then get entirely overwhelmed and burned out. It's a fairly continuous cycle in my life, and I never quite see it coming in time. For some reason this time I had like three all at once, and felt like I was not doing well psychologically because of it. ("For some reason" I say, as though there were some mystery to it: Work is being stressful and I need an escape because good grief I'm tired of thinking about it all the time.)
So I have consciously pruned things down. I pinned a list of Things For Later to the corkboard--interests I'm just not allowing myself to pursue right now, but where I have this weird nagging worry I might forget them if I don't see them listed somewhere. (The worry itself isn't weird, I guess; my memory is terrible.)
I am allowing myself to work on the book, and am allowing a light interest in the other stuff (like, I can read a nontechnical book about one of these topics), but no deep-dives into research, no spending money on things. Big complicated papers have been put into a browser tab group for the future. I haven't blocked arxiv or pubmed yet but so help me god I will if I have to.
posted by mittens at 3:13 PM on March 10 [8 favorites]
I began to feel a problem in my brain recently, and after thinking and talking it over, I realized I was taking on too many hobbies and interests at once. This happens to me. I get interested in a thing, must know all about it, surround myself with information, and then get entirely overwhelmed and burned out. It's a fairly continuous cycle in my life, and I never quite see it coming in time. For some reason this time I had like three all at once, and felt like I was not doing well psychologically because of it. ("For some reason" I say, as though there were some mystery to it: Work is being stressful and I need an escape because good grief I'm tired of thinking about it all the time.)
So I have consciously pruned things down. I pinned a list of Things For Later to the corkboard--interests I'm just not allowing myself to pursue right now, but where I have this weird nagging worry I might forget them if I don't see them listed somewhere. (The worry itself isn't weird, I guess; my memory is terrible.)
I am allowing myself to work on the book, and am allowing a light interest in the other stuff (like, I can read a nontechnical book about one of these topics), but no deep-dives into research, no spending money on things. Big complicated papers have been put into a browser tab group for the future. I haven't blocked arxiv or pubmed yet but so help me god I will if I have to.
posted by mittens at 3:13 PM on March 10 [8 favorites]
I run a choir, for which I arrange a lot of the music. It's fun. :)
We do hybrid rehearsals (partly on Signal, partly live), and I have someone who regularly attends from Chicago.
posted by LN at 3:14 PM on March 10 [5 favorites]
We do hybrid rehearsals (partly on Signal, partly live), and I have someone who regularly attends from Chicago.
posted by LN at 3:14 PM on March 10 [5 favorites]
looking at the current price of calendars this past weekend, decided to make my own using a filleted page from a book on Klimt bought at a library sale for a quarter.
posted by clavdivs at 3:16 PM on March 10 [4 favorites]
posted by clavdivs at 3:16 PM on March 10 [4 favorites]
Iāve nattered on about it before, but my main hobby project is an interface card for the retro Apple II computer line. The current implementation is FPGA-based, which has been a seriously steep learning curve. When my life kind of fell apart a couple months ago, I didnāt have the spoons to manage the brain level I needed to make progress. But over the last couple of weeks Iāve been starting to get some traction again.
posted by notoriety public at 3:27 PM on March 10 [6 favorites]
posted by notoriety public at 3:27 PM on March 10 [6 favorites]
Fat Ham and Betrayal
The least popular of Dr. Seuss' books.
posted by Greg_Ace at 3:32 PM on March 10 [21 favorites]
The least popular of Dr. Seuss' books.
posted by Greg_Ace at 3:32 PM on March 10 [21 favorites]
I realized I was taking on too many hobbies and interests at once.
I know what you mean, this is a lifelong issue for me as well. There aren't enough hours in the day - hell, there's not enough days in a lifetime for me to do all the things I'd like to do. But picking and choosing is hard!
posted by Greg_Ace at 3:34 PM on March 10
I know what you mean, this is a lifelong issue for me as well. There aren't enough hours in the day - hell, there's not enough days in a lifetime for me to do all the things I'd like to do. But picking and choosing is hard!
posted by Greg_Ace at 3:34 PM on March 10
Oh, you guys are all FAB--
thanks for sharing!!!
posted by calgirl at 3:43 PM on March 10 [1 favorite]
thanks for sharing!!!
posted by calgirl at 3:43 PM on March 10 [1 favorite]
Picking recipes of things I've never cooked before and then making them! Recent fun: Pralined Walnut pumpkin pie, Rumbledethumps (A Scottish dish), and Ukrainian Cabbage Rolls (cream, not tomato sauce).
posted by honey badger at 3:44 PM on March 10 [5 favorites]
posted by honey badger at 3:44 PM on March 10 [5 favorites]
For me, edible stuff involving yeast, which means baking and brewing. I've been a sourdough baker since way before it became fashionable, and make most of the family bread. And brewing... working my way through the current batch of bourbon porter, about to start a DIPA.
And playing music, although that's taken a backseat since Covid took the local music scene down. Now it's mainly me, a guitar and some blues.
posted by 43rdAnd9th at 4:00 PM on March 10 [5 favorites]
And playing music, although that's taken a backseat since Covid took the local music scene down. Now it's mainly me, a guitar and some blues.
posted by 43rdAnd9th at 4:00 PM on March 10 [5 favorites]
I'm a bookbinder for my job, and I feel very lucky to be able to continue to work with my hands every day. Since I recently opened a brick and mortar again last year after a pandemic hiatus from being in town, I've been dabbling in hand sign painting. I'm also one of those people that has too many side hobbies that fall into the craft category, namely, knitting, ceramic, Lithuanian egg decorating, straw himmeli constructing, etc.
I'm also gearing up do start another gigantic garden after 2 years hiatus. I burned myself out during 2020 and 2021, but having home grown food seems important again this year...
posted by ikahime at 4:20 PM on March 10 [7 favorites]
I'm also gearing up do start another gigantic garden after 2 years hiatus. I burned myself out during 2020 and 2021, but having home grown food seems important again this year...
posted by ikahime at 4:20 PM on March 10 [7 favorites]
I really need to make another FF recap post but I've been a combination of busy and cranky.
The news out of Romania this week has us watching and reading a bunch of Romanian news. I could maybe stand to post on that, too.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 4:35 PM on March 10 [6 favorites]
The news out of Romania this week has us watching and reading a bunch of Romanian news. I could maybe stand to post on that, too.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 4:35 PM on March 10 [6 favorites]
When I need to distract myself from teaching or writing, I work on a dollhouse. I've been experimenting with 3d printing this past year and so my current project has a lot of mini-Ikea furniture (which, in case you're wondering, takes nearly as long to produce as the real deal), although I've also built kit furniture for it and am going to produce a couple of scratch-built sofas shortly.
In the meantime, I'm going to the UK at the end of the week and will therefore be sitting in the British Library for several days.
posted by thomas j wise at 4:42 PM on March 10 [6 favorites]
In the meantime, I'm going to the UK at the end of the week and will therefore be sitting in the British Library for several days.
posted by thomas j wise at 4:42 PM on March 10 [6 favorites]
PNGTubing! It's like VTubing where you livestream with an avatar but instead of a fully articulated model it's a set of static images. I am trying to get a vtuber model but it's slow going. My specific interest is in video games with stage magic in them (my model is based on my Queer Lady Magician stage show) but I play all sorts of games.
Started doing it in 2023 because 3 bouts of COVID back to back made performing live difficult - I have livestreamed before, starting with a weekly Ace Attorney stream with one of my besties that started as a lockdown project, but this was a new method. The most viewers I ever get at a time is like 5 - not even enough to get monetized. I could be doing more to market myself but I find editing sooooooo tedious urgh.
PNGTubing feels a lot like radio - you're talking, sometimes people respond to you and you respond back, there's no camera expectation so I could just lounge back on my sofa and start. I've kinda fallen off it due to life stresses but I'm getting back into it slowly!!
(My Twitch/YouTube/Tiktok username is the same as this one if you ever want to check it out)
posted by creatrixtiara at 4:49 PM on March 10 [4 favorites]
Started doing it in 2023 because 3 bouts of COVID back to back made performing live difficult - I have livestreamed before, starting with a weekly Ace Attorney stream with one of my besties that started as a lockdown project, but this was a new method. The most viewers I ever get at a time is like 5 - not even enough to get monetized. I could be doing more to market myself but I find editing sooooooo tedious urgh.
PNGTubing feels a lot like radio - you're talking, sometimes people respond to you and you respond back, there's no camera expectation so I could just lounge back on my sofa and start. I've kinda fallen off it due to life stresses but I'm getting back into it slowly!!
(My Twitch/YouTube/Tiktok username is the same as this one if you ever want to check it out)
posted by creatrixtiara at 4:49 PM on March 10 [4 favorites]
I poke things with a stick until they stop not working.
I also make messes. I sometimes seem to inspire people, somehow.
And yet everywhere, the dust. I don't mind, and it doesn't, either:
I also make messes. I sometimes seem to inspire people, somehow.
And yet everywhere, the dust. I don't mind, and it doesn't, either:
Dust, by Phyllis Kingposted by scruss at 5:22 PM on March 10 [8 favorites]
I do not know what dust is.
I do not know where it comes from.
I only know that it settles on things.
I cannot see it in the air or watch it fall.
Sometimes Iām home all day
But I never see it sliding about looking for a place to rest when my back is turned.
Does it wait ātil I go out?
Or does it happen in the night when I go to sleep?
Dust is not fussy about the places it chooses
Though it seems to prefer still objects.
Sometimes, out of kindness, I let it lie for weeks.
On some places it will lie forever
However, dust holds no grudges and once removed
It will always return in a friendly way.
I began to feel a problem in my brain recently, and after thinking and talking it over, I realized I was taking on too many hobbies and interests at once. This happens to me. I get interested in a thing, must know all about it, surround myself with information, and then get entirely overwhelmed and burned out.
Ah, a Scanner!
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:22 PM on March 10 [4 favorites]
Ah, a Scanner!
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:22 PM on March 10 [4 favorites]
I took up lampwork glass bead making because furnace glass proved too physically demanding and I genuinely love it. I have never really been able to meditate but there is something meditative about lampwork - you can't have a 1000 thoughts in your head while you have a 1000Ā°C glass rod in your hand, not safely anyway. All you can do is focus on balancing the glass and keeping it round.
posted by jacquilynne at 5:38 PM on March 10 [9 favorites]
posted by jacquilynne at 5:38 PM on March 10 [9 favorites]
I've been doing a daily art thing for more than a year now. It's mostly abstract stuff but it's fun. I haven't missed a day even when I've been traveling or haven't felt well! I can always scribble something on some paper!
After seeing some really amazing photos at the National Gallery of Art, I, uh, oops, bought a Diana camera. Look, I have good cameras too but I will forever have a soft spot of novelty cameras. (I don't consider it a novelty but my Polaroid -- a new gen one -- got me through the pandemic). I know Dianas are quirky but I'm happy to shoot film again. I've sent my first roll off for processing & I shot a second this past weekend (I'll send that off soon too). I'm not expecting much of anything but just some happy surprises.
(With the Polaroids, if I got two I loved out of eight, I was happy. If there were four that were decent, even better. But I kind of loved that, too. The imperfection is what made it great. I'll be happy to get back out with my Polaroid once the weather is better -- it likes a very specific temperature range.)
posted by edencosmic at 5:40 PM on March 10 [5 favorites]
After seeing some really amazing photos at the National Gallery of Art, I, uh, oops, bought a Diana camera. Look, I have good cameras too but I will forever have a soft spot of novelty cameras. (I don't consider it a novelty but my Polaroid -- a new gen one -- got me through the pandemic). I know Dianas are quirky but I'm happy to shoot film again. I've sent my first roll off for processing & I shot a second this past weekend (I'll send that off soon too). I'm not expecting much of anything but just some happy surprises.
(With the Polaroids, if I got two I loved out of eight, I was happy. If there were four that were decent, even better. But I kind of loved that, too. The imperfection is what made it great. I'll be happy to get back out with my Polaroid once the weather is better -- it likes a very specific temperature range.)
posted by edencosmic at 5:40 PM on March 10 [5 favorites]
Hello mittens. A bit presumptuous on my part, but people who jump from deep obsession to deep obsession are some of my favorite people. I love conversations with a hundred tangents. I love balancing the brackets at the end.
I relate to the having to prune the hobby tree situation for the sake of sanity. And the sake of the bank account.
It took me a long time to give myself permission to get deep into a subject and leave a dozen projects unfinished before jumping to the next thing. Had to fight against internalized capitalism if I may call it that.
The objective of the side project is not deliver a deliverable, it is to satisfy my curiosity about the world. If it starts to get overwhelming it is ok to jump to something else. I am no longer in school, there is no one to grade my final project.
I would love to read your book. Scanners (thanks for the link jenfullmoon) tend to build really interesting worlds.
posted by Dr. Curare at 6:40 PM on March 10 [5 favorites]
I relate to the having to prune the hobby tree situation for the sake of sanity. And the sake of the bank account.
It took me a long time to give myself permission to get deep into a subject and leave a dozen projects unfinished before jumping to the next thing. Had to fight against internalized capitalism if I may call it that.
The objective of the side project is not deliver a deliverable, it is to satisfy my curiosity about the world. If it starts to get overwhelming it is ok to jump to something else. I am no longer in school, there is no one to grade my final project.
I would love to read your book. Scanners (thanks for the link jenfullmoon) tend to build really interesting worlds.
posted by Dr. Curare at 6:40 PM on March 10 [5 favorites]
Write indulgent fiction and make sappy art about a modern version of Kullervo from the Finnish epic Kalevala.
posted by brook horse at 6:57 PM on March 10 [5 favorites]
posted by brook horse at 6:57 PM on March 10 [5 favorites]
I have a game I play with dr boludo and a non-mefite friend where we invent a word using the letters from that day's spelling bee, and then write a dialogue or very short story with world-building that culminates in the use of that invented word in context. It began simple and just a few sentences long, but lately, it has been getting more ambitious. The stories are texted in small chunks, all the while the other people are trying to figure out what the punchline 'word' will be.
posted by umbĆŗ at 7:00 PM on March 10 [5 favorites]
posted by umbĆŗ at 7:00 PM on March 10 [5 favorites]
I do theater and yarn, essentially. I do do other crafts (glass, ceramics, jewelry, sewing, quilling/papercraft, puzzles), but those are the ones I do the MOST. Yarn is portable and theater is fun and addicting. I've been working on an interminably long project for months that I'm almost done with, thank gawd.
On a related note, I did this play last night (a favorite of mine) and it's freaking amazing. After this we were all, "we'd never get cast in this IRL, but I want to do it IRL so badly." It's a show where all four characters are awesome and someone you'd want to play, and I really really relate to the lead and feel like it is "my part."
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:03 PM on March 10 [4 favorites]
On a related note, I did this play last night (a favorite of mine) and it's freaking amazing. After this we were all, "we'd never get cast in this IRL, but I want to do it IRL so badly." It's a show where all four characters are awesome and someone you'd want to play, and I really really relate to the lead and feel like it is "my part."
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:03 PM on March 10 [4 favorites]
My main creative thing is ostensibly writing, but I don't want to talk about that.
My acoustic guitar dried out in the Midwestern winter; my house is more poorly insulated than I realized and the whole thing went somewhat wonky.
I took it to the repair shop which took a week to rehydrate it. Now I'm trying to get back up to speed after having been out of practice for too long.
posted by Jeanne at 7:06 PM on March 10 [5 favorites]
My acoustic guitar dried out in the Midwestern winter; my house is more poorly insulated than I realized and the whole thing went somewhat wonky.
I took it to the repair shop which took a week to rehydrate it. Now I'm trying to get back up to speed after having been out of practice for too long.
posted by Jeanne at 7:06 PM on March 10 [5 favorites]
My major thing these days is shape note singing. I like it because it feels ecstatic to get caught up in the energy of a singing crowd and feel the emotion of the song. Iām not a Christian and donāt connect to the words on the literal level, but vibes are universal. Also thereās a lot of little subsets of skills you can pick up over time, such that Iāve been singing this type of music for 10+ years and am still expanding what I can do.
Bonusāsinging is a great reason to travel (thereās a community norm of locals putting up out of towners who travel in for larger weekend events), and if you go to a larger event there will be a potluck with some of the best things youāve ever eaten in your life.
I also dabble a bit in collage (often using snippets of shape note lyrics as inspiration), and I knit but Iām feeling stalled out on my current project but also obligated to finish it because itās a gift, so Iām mostly staring at my yarn angrily for now.
Oh! And comedy! I took a two part intro to stand up class that I loved, and it turns out I was decent at it, but putting yourself out there at open mics doesnāt mesh well with having a 9-5 so Iām trying to figure out other ways to keep that skill from stagnating.
posted by ActionPopulated at 7:34 PM on March 10 [6 favorites]
Bonusāsinging is a great reason to travel (thereās a community norm of locals putting up out of towners who travel in for larger weekend events), and if you go to a larger event there will be a potluck with some of the best things youāve ever eaten in your life.
I also dabble a bit in collage (often using snippets of shape note lyrics as inspiration), and I knit but Iām feeling stalled out on my current project but also obligated to finish it because itās a gift, so Iām mostly staring at my yarn angrily for now.
Oh! And comedy! I took a two part intro to stand up class that I loved, and it turns out I was decent at it, but putting yourself out there at open mics doesnāt mesh well with having a 9-5 so Iām trying to figure out other ways to keep that skill from stagnating.
posted by ActionPopulated at 7:34 PM on March 10 [6 favorites]
I am an AFOL (adult fan of Lego). I loved it as a kid, had an extended "dark age", then got back into it when The Daughter was little and I played with her, and have kept at it since, especially since the COVID lockdown. I even joined a local LUG (Lego users group). I create MOCs (my own creations), and also reverse-engineer models from illustrations in old Lego Idea Books.
posted by e-man at 10:28 PM on March 10 [4 favorites]
posted by e-man at 10:28 PM on March 10 [4 favorites]
I started watching "a lot" of movies in January 2021 and writing short reviews about them, mainly so that I can remember what I saw. Except of the "occasional acid trip", this is the only thing I do all day every day. I've seen nearly 4,500 movies since I started, and I may try to see every good movie ever made anywhere in the world since 1888.
It's ridiculous, and I absolutely love it.
I also started creating "reaction shots" (memes), which nobody cares about.
posted by growabrain at 11:45 PM on March 10 [7 favorites]
It's ridiculous, and I absolutely love it.
I also started creating "reaction shots" (memes), which nobody cares about.
posted by growabrain at 11:45 PM on March 10 [7 favorites]
At 54 I'm finally learning how to mix house music, which is great fun. Is dancing creative? We went to an afternoon club for over-30s and danced for five hours at the weekend. That's definitely happening again, it was great. Good lord my knees, though...
posted by dowcrag at 12:39 AM on March 11 [4 favorites]
posted by dowcrag at 12:39 AM on March 11 [4 favorites]
Not creative, but I finally got around to taking swimming lessons after teaching myself a clumsy front crawl via YouTube. Got five tips in the first lesson. After flailing around like a demented octopus in my first post-lesson swim, Reddit told me it's better to focus on one thing at a time. I now seem to be getting better at breathing on both sides at least. The trick for me was to think Stroke-Stroke-BreatheLeft, Stroke-Stroke-BreatheRight. Counting One-Two-Three doesn't work for me as you're doing a different thing on alternate Threes.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 1:47 AM on March 11 [4 favorites]
posted by TheophileEscargot at 1:47 AM on March 11 [4 favorites]
I play music with other people and LOVE it but it is mostly dead-white-guy music so is that creative? I don't know. But it gets me out of the chronic-illness house and out of my head and into the music and I'm good at it and I love it so much.
posted by altolinguistic at 1:49 AM on March 11 [5 favorites]
posted by altolinguistic at 1:49 AM on March 11 [5 favorites]
Even listening to some of those 'dead white guys' can be a supremely creative act let alone playing their music. Let's face it, many, (most?) of the greatest musicians alive devote their entire lives to studying and playing the music of those who have gone before. For me personally, who couldn't play happy birthday on a kazoo, listening to Bach, Handel, Haydn etc and currently, to a host of baroque masters, (Josquin, Obrecht, Lassus, Ockegehem etc) who, to my mind, remain more fully alive in their music 500 years later than many of us who can still moisten a mirror, is profoundly liberating, uplifting, inspirational, joyous and yes creative. It's what I got, what I do and I love it to bits!
I can't macrame a banana, knit a knot, paint a pig, lacquer an alpaca, photo in toto, write for shite, film for fun, but so many of you wonderful folks on the blue can and do I'll happily leave that all to you!
posted by dutchrick at 2:30 AM on March 11 [6 favorites]
I can't macrame a banana, knit a knot, paint a pig, lacquer an alpaca, photo in toto, write for shite, film for fun, but so many of you wonderful folks on the blue can and do I'll happily leave that all to you!
posted by dutchrick at 2:30 AM on March 11 [6 favorites]
Great thread! Me, when I'm not playing some dubious club piano, I'm happy vibrating air at home with my Yamaha U1 upright.
posted by kozad at 5:32 AM on March 11 [2 favorites]
posted by kozad at 5:32 AM on March 11 [2 favorites]
First, I want to pour one out for the boring things I like to do: read, write, play music.
In addition to these boring things, I also do pond management. I live in the Northwestern part of the country but own a pond in the Southeastern part. I raise Bass and Bream (aka Sun Fish) and provide homes for turtles and horrible snakes. Yes, yes, snakes are important, but also, Southeastern snakes would just as soon kill you as be your friend. There are all kinds of things I have learned, managing a pond. For example, you need to "fertilize it". You know when to fertilize it by attaching the top of a tin can to a yard length ruler and dip it into the pond. If you can still see it at a certain depth, your pond needs more nutrients. Anyway, I don't fish at the pond, I just manage it. I am a pond magnate.
posted by Hippoponymous at 7:23 AM on March 11 [7 favorites]
In addition to these boring things, I also do pond management. I live in the Northwestern part of the country but own a pond in the Southeastern part. I raise Bass and Bream (aka Sun Fish) and provide homes for turtles and horrible snakes. Yes, yes, snakes are important, but also, Southeastern snakes would just as soon kill you as be your friend. There are all kinds of things I have learned, managing a pond. For example, you need to "fertilize it". You know when to fertilize it by attaching the top of a tin can to a yard length ruler and dip it into the pond. If you can still see it at a certain depth, your pond needs more nutrients. Anyway, I don't fish at the pond, I just manage it. I am a pond magnate.
posted by Hippoponymous at 7:23 AM on March 11 [7 favorites]
The emergence of sunny weather makes me feel good. But the junk mail this morning makes me feel annoyed. Or old. Or both.
The cat does not care.
posted by Wordshore at 7:29 AM on March 11 [6 favorites]
The cat does not care.
posted by Wordshore at 7:29 AM on March 11 [6 favorites]
I don't consider my baking hobby creative, although it does result in the creation of an item, because honestly I don't do it to express anything authentic about myself. I think of it as my Lady Tax. At some point in my 20s I realized I simply was not ever going to be good at performing femininity in 99% of ways -- I'll never be dressed properly for an occasion, I'll never be pretty, I'll never master any number of nifty crafty things, and I'll never have or raise kids. So I figured I had better really nail that last 1%.
And honestly? It worked. Like just having that one percent of Correct For Lady actually made an enormous difference in my dating life, my friendships, and my family relationships. Which is (to quote Wayne Campbell) both bogus and sad. But in the end I get cake, so ... okay.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 8:04 AM on March 11 [8 favorites]
And honestly? It worked. Like just having that one percent of Correct For Lady actually made an enormous difference in my dating life, my friendships, and my family relationships. Which is (to quote Wayne Campbell) both bogus and sad. But in the end I get cake, so ... okay.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 8:04 AM on March 11 [8 favorites]
But in the end I get cake, so ... okay.
I think I've told this story before but can't find where: in 7th grade a teacher learned somehow that I loved cooking , and asked me what I liked about it. My answer was: "I like to cook because you get to eat after!"
That was 43 years ago, and honestly, same.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:28 AM on March 11 [4 favorites]
I think I've told this story before but can't find where: in 7th grade a teacher learned somehow that I loved cooking , and asked me what I liked about it. My answer was: "I like to cook because you get to eat after!"
That was 43 years ago, and honestly, same.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:28 AM on March 11 [4 favorites]
But the junk mail this morning makes me feel annoyed. Or old. Or both.
I've started getting junk mail for AARP and Medicare, though I'm apparently not in a high enough economic demographic to be offered a retirement home. I'm too young to be this old!
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:35 AM on March 11 [1 favorite]
I've started getting junk mail for AARP and Medicare, though I'm apparently not in a high enough economic demographic to be offered a retirement home. I'm too young to be this old!
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:35 AM on March 11 [1 favorite]
I've long been an urban sketcher (terrific chapters in cities around the world!) focused on pen and watercolor. This year I've decided to mix things up and start working in colored pencil. It's pretty cool so far!
posted by quiet wanderer at 9:14 AM on March 11 [3 favorites]
posted by quiet wanderer at 9:14 AM on March 11 [3 favorites]
I have started doing pottery! I took ceramics in college and was terrible at it. I had an awful teacher, or awful for me anyway. Nothing was allowed to go into the kiln until he had approved it and he didn't approve much. You had to throw five perfect cylinders - he'd cut them down the middle to check that they were the same thickness all the way down - before he would even let you start to do any other shapes or, of course, fire anything. It was horrible. I hated him and I walked out of that class with a strange slab box and a wonky backwards pitcher I was kind of fond of. 6 months, 2 projects and a C. I decided I was hopelessly bad at ceramics.
Fast forward forty years. A drop in ceramics studio place has opened about half an hour away. They do projects - you sign up, it's $40 which includes everything, you spend 4 hours making your project and then in 3 weeks or so you pick it up. I have made a little slab box which is admittedly terrible but I'm relearning, a wobbly handbuilt bowl which is going into the raku kiln for obvara raku (I am so excited) and, Sunday, a birdhouse! Purple with an orange roof and teal polkadots! All round and strange! I don't think I'm terrible at ceramics anymore and even if I am - this is the grace of age - I don't care. I no longer give a flying fuck if my stuff is even and perfect and clean and the sort of thing other people make. And it's great. I am having so much fun that I am planning to take a "real" ceramics class next fall.
And I'm still a photographer, that will never go away and neither will painting and prints. I just wish I had more time and - really key - more space to do anything.
posted by mygothlaundry at 9:34 AM on March 11 [7 favorites]
Fast forward forty years. A drop in ceramics studio place has opened about half an hour away. They do projects - you sign up, it's $40 which includes everything, you spend 4 hours making your project and then in 3 weeks or so you pick it up. I have made a little slab box which is admittedly terrible but I'm relearning, a wobbly handbuilt bowl which is going into the raku kiln for obvara raku (I am so excited) and, Sunday, a birdhouse! Purple with an orange roof and teal polkadots! All round and strange! I don't think I'm terrible at ceramics anymore and even if I am - this is the grace of age - I don't care. I no longer give a flying fuck if my stuff is even and perfect and clean and the sort of thing other people make. And it's great. I am having so much fun that I am planning to take a "real" ceramics class next fall.
And I'm still a photographer, that will never go away and neither will painting and prints. I just wish I had more time and - really key - more space to do anything.
posted by mygothlaundry at 9:34 AM on March 11 [7 favorites]
I do long distance backpacking. It's getting to the point where backpacking feels like my real life, and everything else is just a long break, full of bills and annoying things. I never figured that an out of shape, nerdy asthmatic who hated the outdoors would suddenly be like "yeah, I hike hundreds of miles in the mountains for fun" but turning 40 brought all sorts of changes. I'm starting the AZT tomorrow, and I will be posting photos and updates on my Instagram.
posted by surlyben at 9:54 AM on March 11 [10 favorites]
posted by surlyben at 9:54 AM on March 11 [10 favorites]
Ice dyeing works well for me as a hobby because it's creative and produces unique wearable items, but part of the outcome is out of my control. I can decide what kind of garment to dye, how to tie or arrange it for dyeing and elements of the setup, but ultimately it's up to the ice melt flows to distribute the colour. It's a collaboration between me and the unconscious processes of ice melt physics.
posted by terretu at 10:55 AM on March 11 [3 favorites]
posted by terretu at 10:55 AM on March 11 [3 favorites]
I've been doing erasure poetry in my spare time. I consider myself a professional writer, in that I get paid for it, but the poetry part is close enough to a hobby I'm going to say it counts.
I am also embroidering a blanket.
posted by joannemerriam at 10:57 AM on March 11 [2 favorites]
I am also embroidering a blanket.
posted by joannemerriam at 10:57 AM on March 11 [2 favorites]
These days I mostly stream making noise/"music" on Twitch for hours at a time (annoying when cat comes in and makes me stop after I just start - I swear they're psychic).
I started to release on bandcamp because I'm currently jobless and figured any little income is better than nothing, only 2 tracks now. One is a long and heavy track (not sure how to define it, IDM, maybe. The first half/9 minutes is a bit repetitive, but decent I think for zoning, the latter half is a switchup in tempo and more "jammy"... The other (Piblokto) is a more traditional 4 on floor banger.
Feel free to be annoyed by my endless jamming on Twitch whenever. LOL.
posted by symbioid at 11:21 AM on March 11 [3 favorites]
I started to release on bandcamp because I'm currently jobless and figured any little income is better than nothing, only 2 tracks now. One is a long and heavy track (not sure how to define it, IDM, maybe. The first half/9 minutes is a bit repetitive, but decent I think for zoning, the latter half is a switchup in tempo and more "jammy"... The other (Piblokto) is a more traditional 4 on floor banger.
Feel free to be annoyed by my endless jamming on Twitch whenever. LOL.
posted by symbioid at 11:21 AM on March 11 [3 favorites]
ā
Sometimes I feel that, but in the Cronenberg exploding head kind of a way
posted by scruss at 11:30 AM on March 11 [2 favorites]
Ah, a Scanner!
Sometimes I feel that, but in the Cronenberg exploding head kind of a way
posted by scruss at 11:30 AM on March 11 [2 favorites]
I'm so inspired by this thread! I have long wanted a creative hobby; when I was younger, I took a lot of dance classes and played the violin in a community orchestra, but my stupid hypermobile, underconditioned body now takes umbrage to these activities and I had to drop both. (Yes, I am trying to get stronger. Being in your 40s sucks.)
I have so many friends who knit, crochet, embroider, make art, etc. but I don't have those kinds of talents. I'm sure I could develop them, but I'm one of those gifted children / perfectionists who can't stand making mistakes and gets frustrated if I can't master something immediately. It would probably be very, very good for me to take up some kind of craft, even if I'm terrible at it.
posted by leftover_scrabble_rack at 11:38 AM on March 11 [3 favorites]
I have so many friends who knit, crochet, embroider, make art, etc. but I don't have those kinds of talents. I'm sure I could develop them, but I'm one of those gifted children / perfectionists who can't stand making mistakes and gets frustrated if I can't master something immediately. It would probably be very, very good for me to take up some kind of craft, even if I'm terrible at it.
posted by leftover_scrabble_rack at 11:38 AM on March 11 [3 favorites]
This is not a crafting/creative thing, although it could lead to some -
So, my local Buy Nothing group is pretty lively and active and it is 100% the reason I flog it for Community Building Ideas, because that's exactly what has been happening. I have finally gotten around to giving some things away, and it's lead to some delightful conversations:
* The woman who came to pick up the exercise bands chatted with me a bit about my job hunt, and when I told her about why I quit my last job and told her some of the oversteps my last boss did, she instantly blurted out "oh, FUCK her" then. Then apologized profusely while I laughed and admitted I'd thought that real loud myself at the time.
* An English fellow who came by to get some movies and I got into an in-depth conversation about What Movies These Days Are Worth It.
* I was splitting the other DVDs up between two other people who discovered they were neighbors, and so I just went to them. The three of us ended up chatting a while, and then after I let them split their movies up, one left and the other invited me in because she had free food; she's got a wildly overstuffed pantry she's been going through. She insisted I take some things because I'd mentioned I was unemployed, and sent me home with about a dozen cans of salmon, beans, and tomatoes, about five bananas, four oranges, a couple onions, a head of lettuce, four bags of rice and six bags of pasta. I just got a Rancho Gordo shipment and I'm going to make up a little variety box of beans for her as a thank you.
....She even said she may need someone to water her plants in the summer and asked if i"d be interested in that. She's a dotty retiree who summers in the Catskills and owns this gorgeous house in my neighborhood that's just crammed full of Stuff. I'm getting serious "Harold and Maude" vibes from her, honestly.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:30 PM on March 11 [4 favorites]
So, my local Buy Nothing group is pretty lively and active and it is 100% the reason I flog it for Community Building Ideas, because that's exactly what has been happening. I have finally gotten around to giving some things away, and it's lead to some delightful conversations:
* The woman who came to pick up the exercise bands chatted with me a bit about my job hunt, and when I told her about why I quit my last job and told her some of the oversteps my last boss did, she instantly blurted out "oh, FUCK her" then. Then apologized profusely while I laughed and admitted I'd thought that real loud myself at the time.
* An English fellow who came by to get some movies and I got into an in-depth conversation about What Movies These Days Are Worth It.
* I was splitting the other DVDs up between two other people who discovered they were neighbors, and so I just went to them. The three of us ended up chatting a while, and then after I let them split their movies up, one left and the other invited me in because she had free food; she's got a wildly overstuffed pantry she's been going through. She insisted I take some things because I'd mentioned I was unemployed, and sent me home with about a dozen cans of salmon, beans, and tomatoes, about five bananas, four oranges, a couple onions, a head of lettuce, four bags of rice and six bags of pasta. I just got a Rancho Gordo shipment and I'm going to make up a little variety box of beans for her as a thank you.
....She even said she may need someone to water her plants in the summer and asked if i"d be interested in that. She's a dotty retiree who summers in the Catskills and owns this gorgeous house in my neighborhood that's just crammed full of Stuff. I'm getting serious "Harold and Maude" vibes from her, honestly.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:30 PM on March 11 [4 favorites]
I have been doing International Folk Dancing since college(and boy, are my feet tired) which was a long time ago. I especially like Balkan music and dance.
I started a novel and a nonfiction book, and both have languished since the election;I can't focus with all this *waves hands*.
Soon there will be gardening, lots more sun, all the good stuff.
posted by theora55 at 1:23 PM on March 11 [7 favorites]
I started a novel and a nonfiction book, and both have languished since the election;I can't focus with all this *waves hands*.
Soon there will be gardening, lots more sun, all the good stuff.
posted by theora55 at 1:23 PM on March 11 [7 favorites]
And now that I've gotten all the food packed into my pantry suddenly I am realizing "wait a second what the hell am I going to DO with this much spaghetti and canned salmon...."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:24 PM on March 11
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:24 PM on March 11
Here's a few random ideas ...
(untested by me, I'll admit, but after seeing them I'm adding at least a few to my list)...
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:22 PM on March 11
(untested by me, I'll admit, but after seeing them I'm adding at least a few to my list)...
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:22 PM on March 11
Yeah, pasta and salmon feels like a natural pairing to me. At the most basic, some lemon juice and butter would be all you need. And lots of ways to doll it up more than that. A lot of those recipes listed feature capers, which I love. They're a great way to add a big punch to the dish if you're starting to get bored of the same ol' thing. Kalamata olives, same deal.
I hope you bounce back and get in the game again soon, EmpressCallipygos! I also hope that in the interim, you can take what advantage you can of having a little extra time to spare on things like your community building and maximizing the generous gifts of strangers.
posted by notoriety public at 4:49 PM on March 11 [3 favorites]
I hope you bounce back and get in the game again soon, EmpressCallipygos! I also hope that in the interim, you can take what advantage you can of having a little extra time to spare on things like your community building and maximizing the generous gifts of strangers.
posted by notoriety public at 4:49 PM on March 11 [3 favorites]
My good news this week is that I just did my one-year follow-up with my oncology team and I'm still cancer-free!
posted by gentlyepigrams at 6:28 PM on March 11 [16 favorites]
posted by gentlyepigrams at 6:28 PM on March 11 [16 favorites]
I can't macrame a banana, knit a knot, paint a pig, lacquer an alpaca, photo in toto, write for shite, film for fun, but so many of you wonderful folks on the blue can and do I'll happily leave that all to you!
I love the range and variety of creative talents on display in this thread. You are amazing folks. I'd have made it more obvious that I think this and that the above was aimed at me and my lack of all these skills if the edit window allowed more margin for manoeuvre. No snark intended, more, I can't sing for toffee either.
posted by dutchrick at 12:59 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]
I love the range and variety of creative talents on display in this thread. You are amazing folks. I'd have made it more obvious that I think this and that the above was aimed at me and my lack of all these skills if the edit window allowed more margin for manoeuvre. No snark intended, more, I can't sing for toffee either.
posted by dutchrick at 12:59 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]
I love reading about what everyone else does!
I wish I were more creative. I have written a lot of fiction in my life, none of it published, and finished 90% of a novel during lockdown. But I find it hard to write nowadays, with increasing demands on my time. I'm also a (remote) carer for my mother, which zaps a lot of my energy and creative thinking, as I'm frantically trying to problem-solve a lot of the time.
Every year my friend holds a month-long creative writing challenge which I find really helpful and healing in ways I find hard to articulate, which is ironic, given that it's all about writing. The whole point is to produce something as close to everyday as you can manage, without any pressure to write something that's actually good. There's a really nice community aspect to it too. I wrote my first poem in ages as a result of this challenge, and I'm actually pretty proud of it. It feels so positive, but if you chase too hard after it, it doesn't work.
posted by unicorn chaser at 3:30 AM on March 12 [4 favorites]
I wish I were more creative. I have written a lot of fiction in my life, none of it published, and finished 90% of a novel during lockdown. But I find it hard to write nowadays, with increasing demands on my time. I'm also a (remote) carer for my mother, which zaps a lot of my energy and creative thinking, as I'm frantically trying to problem-solve a lot of the time.
Every year my friend holds a month-long creative writing challenge which I find really helpful and healing in ways I find hard to articulate, which is ironic, given that it's all about writing. The whole point is to produce something as close to everyday as you can manage, without any pressure to write something that's actually good. There's a really nice community aspect to it too. I wrote my first poem in ages as a result of this challenge, and I'm actually pretty proud of it. It feels so positive, but if you chase too hard after it, it doesn't work.
posted by unicorn chaser at 3:30 AM on March 12 [4 favorites]
On the other hand, dutchrick, you can certainly tell a story, and you can turn a phrase. I would call your Metafilter commentary quite creative!
posted by notoriety public at 3:46 AM on March 12 [5 favorites]
posted by notoriety public at 3:46 AM on March 12 [5 favorites]
It feels so positive, but if you chase too hard after it, it doesn't work.
posted by unicorn chaser
āDonāt go chasing unicorns, please stick to the horses and the mules that youāre used toā¦ā
posted by notoriety public at 3:49 AM on March 12 [2 favorites]
posted by unicorn chaser
āDonāt go chasing unicorns, please stick to the horses and the mules that youāre used toā¦ā
posted by notoriety public at 3:49 AM on March 12 [2 favorites]
Yeah, pasta and salmon feels like a natural pairing to me. At the most basic, some lemon juice and butter would be all you need. And lots of ways to doll it up more than that.
Unfortunately those recipes all feature fresh salmon, and I have canned. I have been finding things for canned salmon - the only problem is that most of them are in the casserole/soup pantheon and serve families of eight, and I'm a solo eater.
Then again, I could turn one of the big cans of salmon (i have both the smaller size cans and the bigger size) into some fish cakes and freeze some to start a bento stash for when I start going to work again...
Okay, new creative challenge for myself: when I open a can of something but only need half of the can, find a way to use the other half that's different (i.e., don't just make the same recipe again 2 days later just to use up the can).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:05 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]
Unfortunately those recipes all feature fresh salmon, and I have canned. I have been finding things for canned salmon - the only problem is that most of them are in the casserole/soup pantheon and serve families of eight, and I'm a solo eater.
Then again, I could turn one of the big cans of salmon (i have both the smaller size cans and the bigger size) into some fish cakes and freeze some to start a bento stash for when I start going to work again...
Okay, new creative challenge for myself: when I open a can of something but only need half of the can, find a way to use the other half that's different (i.e., don't just make the same recipe again 2 days later just to use up the can).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:05 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]
On the other hand, dutchrick, you can certainly tell a story, and you can turn a phrase. I would call your Metafilter commentary quite creative!
Very nice of you to say so, notoriety public. Much appreciated.
posted by dutchrick at 5:35 AM on March 12
Very nice of you to say so, notoriety public. Much appreciated.
posted by dutchrick at 5:35 AM on March 12
Using canned salmon for a pasta dish is perfectly cromulent! Published recipes tend to specify the fancier options to sort of justify their existence, but just making something to feed yourself, there's nobody to impress. I use canned salmon or tuna for that sort of thing all the time. I mean, if I'm just microwaving a prepackaged noodle bowl or making a package of ramen, cooking and adding fresh salmon to add to it is just a little silly, you know?
A simple way to use a half a can of something- put it in a bowl, add some fresh ginger (minced), add a little rice vinegar and soy sauce, and mix it all with some rice. If you have some vegetable to add to it, that's a bonus, but not necessary if you're just trying to efficiently polish off some leftovers. Since you got a lot of rice along with the other stuff, do you have a rice cooker? If not, get one! Even a cheap one does a perfectly fine job, and it makes making rice so easy that it's much less of a brain or time burden to do it. Particularly, they have an automatic keep-warm setting so you can start the rice well before you're really ready to eat, get some other things done, and you don't have to worry about perfect timing. The rice will still be warm and ready by the time you get back to it.
Of course, that often leaves you with leftover rice! Fried rice is great for using that up, at those times when eggs aren't crazy expensive, anyway. Or throwing it in soup, or eating it with beans. Cooking for oneself at home, recipes are overrated and overkill. Just throw some stuff together! Sometimes it works out, sometimes it winds up a little weird. It'll be fine anyway, if you're just trying to feed yourself.
posted by notoriety public at 5:49 AM on March 12 [2 favorites]
A simple way to use a half a can of something- put it in a bowl, add some fresh ginger (minced), add a little rice vinegar and soy sauce, and mix it all with some rice. If you have some vegetable to add to it, that's a bonus, but not necessary if you're just trying to efficiently polish off some leftovers. Since you got a lot of rice along with the other stuff, do you have a rice cooker? If not, get one! Even a cheap one does a perfectly fine job, and it makes making rice so easy that it's much less of a brain or time burden to do it. Particularly, they have an automatic keep-warm setting so you can start the rice well before you're really ready to eat, get some other things done, and you don't have to worry about perfect timing. The rice will still be warm and ready by the time you get back to it.
Of course, that often leaves you with leftover rice! Fried rice is great for using that up, at those times when eggs aren't crazy expensive, anyway. Or throwing it in soup, or eating it with beans. Cooking for oneself at home, recipes are overrated and overkill. Just throw some stuff together! Sometimes it works out, sometimes it winds up a little weird. It'll be fine anyway, if you're just trying to feed yourself.
posted by notoriety public at 5:49 AM on March 12 [2 favorites]
Oh, yeah, I know about ShakƩ no takikomi gohan, and I do have a rice cooker and I regularly use leftovers in fried rice dishes and for something-on-rice leftover meals (I just ate leftover rice with leftover red-beans-and-same for dinner last night, in fact). I'm thinking more about how to finish up half cans of things like canned diced tomatoes or canned cream-of-whatever soups (95% of the casserole recipes I read all serve six people and call for a whole can of cream-of-something soup - and I can scale everything down okay and use other ingredients in things, but what the hell do I do with the rest of the can of cream of mushroom or whatever?).
I have found guidance on how to freeze leftover canned tomatoes - they get mushy after you freeze them, so someone suggested just pureeing them and freezing the puree. My go-to tomato sauce is Marcella Hazan's, where you just stew 28 ounces of canned tomatoes with an onion and some butter; I could freeze the smaller quantities as I go until I get 28 ounces and then turn it all into sauce. (Tomato sauce goes pretty fast around here.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:29 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]
I have found guidance on how to freeze leftover canned tomatoes - they get mushy after you freeze them, so someone suggested just pureeing them and freezing the puree. My go-to tomato sauce is Marcella Hazan's, where you just stew 28 ounces of canned tomatoes with an onion and some butter; I could freeze the smaller quantities as I go until I get 28 ounces and then turn it all into sauce. (Tomato sauce goes pretty fast around here.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:29 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]
Unfortunately those recipes all feature fresh salmon
Fair point, and while I agree with notoriety public I nevertheless feel compelled to redeem myself by offering a few more canned-salmon-centric ideas. :)
I always feel safe recommending Chef John, for example Salmon Loaf or good ol' Salmon Patties.
I like The Spruce Eats as well - Salmon Quiche? Salmon SoufflƩ?
In the mood for a Fruity Salmon Salad? (though I'd use a Gala or Fuji, or possibly go the other direction with a Pink Lady or Granny Smith; IMO Red Del is always the poorest apple choice, bleah)
How about a classic Tuna Melt, but replace the tuna with salmon?
Dammit, now I'm hungry...
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:58 AM on March 12
Fair point, and while I agree with notoriety public I nevertheless feel compelled to redeem myself by offering a few more canned-salmon-centric ideas. :)
I always feel safe recommending Chef John, for example Salmon Loaf or good ol' Salmon Patties.
I like The Spruce Eats as well - Salmon Quiche? Salmon SoufflƩ?
In the mood for a Fruity Salmon Salad? (though I'd use a Gala or Fuji, or possibly go the other direction with a Pink Lady or Granny Smith; IMO Red Del is always the poorest apple choice, bleah)
How about a classic Tuna Melt, but replace the tuna with salmon?
Dammit, now I'm hungry...
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:58 AM on March 12
Sweden's Eurovision entry (previously) is currently the favourite to win (though it's a very open year), and has been endorsed by a musician who's group have sold a few records since they won. This pleases me.
posted by Wordshore at 9:53 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]
posted by Wordshore at 9:53 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]
We donāt really have a particularly active AI thread right now, but this made laugh like a madman and I need to put it somewhere, so:
Putting AI into a Fish.
To everyone who has ever walked into a Mefi AI thread and said some variant of āI just donāt see the practical applications!ā: Check. Fucking. Mate.
posted by Ryvar at 10:14 AM on March 12 [3 favorites]
Putting AI into a Fish.
To everyone who has ever walked into a Mefi AI thread and said some variant of āI just donāt see the practical applications!ā: Check. Fucking. Mate.
posted by Ryvar at 10:14 AM on March 12 [3 favorites]
Putting AI into a Fish.
Awesome. I had the exact same Billy Bass that I was going to hack similarly (to accept and "mouth" any speech audio, and subsonic or other cues for specific motions, etc), but I've been in cleanup mode for the last year or so, reluctantly parting with the stuff I've kept for years without using. I did pass it along to a hacker at a makerspace who's done some amazing rebuilds with Furbys etc, so it will hopefully live on.
I have hung onto a talking Christmas tree thing that I modified for any audio. Hmmm.
posted by Artful Codger at 10:34 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]
Awesome. I had the exact same Billy Bass that I was going to hack similarly (to accept and "mouth" any speech audio, and subsonic or other cues for specific motions, etc), but I've been in cleanup mode for the last year or so, reluctantly parting with the stuff I've kept for years without using. I did pass it along to a hacker at a makerspace who's done some amazing rebuilds with Furbys etc, so it will hopefully live on.
I have hung onto a talking Christmas tree thing that I modified for any audio. Hmmm.
posted by Artful Codger at 10:34 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]
I just saw this tweet and had to share:
I tried to walk like an Egyptian. Now I need to see a Cairo-practor.
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:41 AM on March 12
I tried to walk like an Egyptian. Now I need to see a Cairo-practor.
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:41 AM on March 12
My company (who laid me off in June then rehired me in September) sold my division off to a rival. I sort of had the feeling it would happen (it's been an expected goal to sell off my division for a while; trimming headcount to facilitate that was why they let me go for a bit). I still don't know how I feel about it. It won't take effect until next year, so I have some time to figure things out and make plans one way or another. So it's a gentler landing, I guess.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:57 AM on March 14 [1 favorite]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:57 AM on March 14 [1 favorite]
11 months, almost to the day, of being unemployed after I rage quit my job, I am so incredibly pleased to say that I have accepted a position at an amazing nonprofit org that provides gender-affirming care to the LGBTQIA+ community, and care to those living with HIV/AIDS.
I start next month!!!!
posted by cooker girl at 9:08 AM on March 14 [13 favorites]
I start next month!!!!
posted by cooker girl at 9:08 AM on March 14 [13 favorites]
Yay Cooker girl!
I'm having a similar stroke of luck - I went from zero job leads on Monday to having SIX today. I had a first-round interview Monday, another first-round on Tuesday, got a request for an interview for a contract gig on Wednesday, HAD that one yesterday morning and then had a SECOND round interview yesterday afternoon, then had STILL ANOTHER first-round this morning and I'm doing STILL ANOTHER this afternoon - and I have a THIRD ROUND interview on Monday and then a second-round on Tuesday.
And I did a pantry sort after meeting that neighbor who gave me all the food and realized that the only groceries I need to pick up this weekend are coffee, butter, and ground beef.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:01 PM on March 14 [5 favorites]
I'm having a similar stroke of luck - I went from zero job leads on Monday to having SIX today. I had a first-round interview Monday, another first-round on Tuesday, got a request for an interview for a contract gig on Wednesday, HAD that one yesterday morning and then had a SECOND round interview yesterday afternoon, then had STILL ANOTHER first-round this morning and I'm doing STILL ANOTHER this afternoon - and I have a THIRD ROUND interview on Monday and then a second-round on Tuesday.
And I did a pantry sort after meeting that neighbor who gave me all the food and realized that the only groceries I need to pick up this weekend are coffee, butter, and ground beef.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:01 PM on March 14 [5 favorites]
All fingers and toes crossed for you, EmpressCallipygos!
posted by cooker girl at 12:08 PM on March 14 [1 favorite]
posted by cooker girl at 12:08 PM on March 14 [1 favorite]
I might be tempting fate, but - I just placed a very tentative order for a trellis for my community garden plot to support peas and melons. It should be here tomorrow and I can get some of those seeds in the ground. ....Fortunately the seeds all came free - someone in my neighborhood was giving away a pack of smaller-variety vegetables good for small spaces and containers; I have only a 4x4 foot plot so space is a bit tight. But with smaller variety things, and some careful attention to when things need to go in the ground and when they need to be harvested, I might do okay.
And if I do - that would give me peas, carrots, golden beets, chard, butter lettuce, purple string beans, bush tomatoes and single-serving size baby cantaloupes, along with some herbs tucked into corners. I also got seeds for cilantro and another green that takes up a lot of space; I'm going to give those to the rest of the garden, we should be getting a lot of newbies this year.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:49 AM on March 15 [2 favorites]
And if I do - that would give me peas, carrots, golden beets, chard, butter lettuce, purple string beans, bush tomatoes and single-serving size baby cantaloupes, along with some herbs tucked into corners. I also got seeds for cilantro and another green that takes up a lot of space; I'm going to give those to the rest of the garden, we should be getting a lot of newbies this year.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:49 AM on March 15 [2 favorites]
That sounds amazing.
posted by cooker girl at 3:06 PM on March 15
posted by cooker girl at 3:06 PM on March 15
It'll be awesome if it does work. The beets didn't "take" for me last year and I'm hoping there's some improvement this year.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:15 PM on March 15
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:15 PM on March 15
I once bought some golden beets from the local farmers market and put them in the vegetable drawer of my fridge.
I tried to eat them in different things a couple of times but the flavor was just too strong for me. I finally threw them away two years later and they still looked and smelled ... well, as good as they ever had.
posted by jamjam at 10:20 AM on March 16
I tried to eat them in different things a couple of times but the flavor was just too strong for me. I finally threw them away two years later and they still looked and smelled ... well, as good as they ever had.
posted by jamjam at 10:20 AM on March 16
We get these things called watermelon radishes from the food box and I like them a lot. Tennis ball sized, white outside, lovely red inside. Perfect amount of radish-ness to eat raw.
posted by seanmpuckett at 10:58 AM on March 16 [3 favorites]
posted by seanmpuckett at 10:58 AM on March 16 [3 favorites]
I like beets because the beet greens can be used in place of chard in a lot of recipes, so you can cut beets away from greens and save the beets themselves and eat the greens in a whole separate meal. It's two vegetables in one!
It's a rainy morning, and is going to be a rainy wet evening, but things will stop enough in the middle of the day for me to wander out and set up the trellis and get seeds in the ground. I have a promising second-stage job interview this morning and then I think going to do some digging and staking right after will help settle whatever nerves I may still have.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:52 AM on March 17
It's a rainy morning, and is going to be a rainy wet evening, but things will stop enough in the middle of the day for me to wander out and set up the trellis and get seeds in the ground. I have a promising second-stage job interview this morning and then I think going to do some digging and staking right after will help settle whatever nerves I may still have.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:52 AM on March 17
I'm having A Day and can't come up with a nominal topic for this week's free thread, so if anyone is in an ambitious mood please feel free to post one.
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:43 PM on March 17 [1 favorite]
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:43 PM on March 17 [1 favorite]
Done, Greg_Ace! I feel you on the "A Day" thing. Goodness knows I have had many myself. I threw mine together on the fly just to get it out to the community so they could share their stuffs with us. Random topic, but hopefully "good enough" that people have a place to chat.
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 6:57 AM on March 18 [1 favorite]
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 6:57 AM on March 18 [1 favorite]
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