CONTENTS
1. Historical hobby
2. Nature andfunction hobby
2.1 Nature
2.2 Function
3. Modification bycommunity factors
3.1 Cultural
3.2 Environmental
4. Classificationof hobbies
4.1 Basis forclassification
4.2 CollectionHobby
4.3 CreativeHobbies
4.4 EducationalHobbies
4.5 PerformingHobbies
5. Promotion hobbyinterests
5.1 Children
5.2 Youth
5.3 Older Folks
6. Advises forhobbyists
6.1 How HobbyistsBecome Interested
6.2 How To GetStarted — Suggestions to the Individual
6.3 How ToStimulate Hobby Interest
6.4 How To Help the Beginner
6.5 How To Help theHobbyist
1. Historical hobby
In the 16th century a favorite toy childrenof all age was the hobbyhorse. In appearance a hobbyhorse could be as a simpleas a stick, or it could have a decorated wooden framework with an imitationhorse’s heard attached. When their simple or elaborate, children used them forthe games of the time involving war and knighthood, much as children in theearly part of the 20th century played cowboys and Indians. In time thepopularity of the hobbyhorse declined, but the pleasure of doing somethingoutside the routine activities of daily life had brought a new word into thelanguage, the word hobby, which is a shortened form of hobbyhorse.
Before the 20th century, hobbies were somethingthat only wealthy people had the time and money to enjoy. The present dayinterest in hobbies throughout the world is the product of more free time for farmore people, resulting from shortened working hours and greater prosperity.
Some popularhobbies are old as civilization. Ruler in ancient times often collectedvaluable objects, rare manuscripts, and art treasures. The monasteries of theMiddle Ages maintained libraries to store the valuable documents and art worksthat they collected and produced. Later, individuals who were well educated andhad broad range of interests made field trips and traveled to other countries,bringing back fossils, plants, artefacts, and other objects. Such people alsobuild up extensive personal libraries and collections.
2. Nature and function hobby 2.1 Nature
Hobby is arecreation activity joyously pursued with intense interest over a sustainedperiod of time. It is usually not directly connected with the person’slivelihood or his professional and social ambitions. Hobby is basically anindividual recreation pursuit which permits the hobbyist to start and to stop whenhe chooses. It can and often does lead the hobbyist into group participation.The collector of folk songs associates with others who have the same interestsand sings with them.
A hobby offersthe individual a deep and continuing interest in an activity which requireslittle outside stimulation to sustain hat interest. Hobbies are as varied asthe field of human interest and experience. They contain the element ofexploration which dives the hobbyist a chance to discover himself and hisworld. The same hobby activity will often satisfy different needs for differentpeople.2.2 Function
Some of theindividual’s social and psychological needs are not met through the pursuit ofeveryday responsibilities. The function of a hobby is to provide ways in whichsome of these needs can be met to insure balanced and enriched living. Thechoice of hobby is determined by unconscious wishes and desires. The choice isconditioned by experience and environmental factors. What a hobby does for theperson depends on the foregoing plus the satisfaction obtained throughparticipation. Some of the values of hobby are:
1. Hobbiesare the means for relaxation to the person who has limited leisure — like themedical practitioner. His hobby may be the only recreation possible at timeswhen the demands for his professional service leave him with little leisure.
2. Thepursuit of hobbies can be an enemy of boredom brought about by too muchleisure.
3. Hobbiesprovide a means for vigorous release of emotions.
4. Hobbiesserve as a way of meeting the needs of people in period of frustration.
5. Hobbiesoffer many opportunities for creative expression.
5. Hobbiesserve as a means for compensation, such as excelling in the hobby pursuitcompensating for failing to reach desired goals on the job.
6. Pursuinga hobby means acquiring knowledge and leaning skills. It satisfied the desirefor leaning.
7. Whenunwanted leisure creates anxiety the pursuit of a hobby may serve to helprestore emotional balance.
8. Hobbiesstir the imagination and lead to new experiences.
9. Hobbiescan help in meeting the needs for social acceptance and recognition.
10. Hobbiescan provide a refuge from people when time for contemplation is needed.
11. Forthe adolescent hobbies are a good way to try out career interests.
12. Forthe person retired from earning a livelihood the hobby pursuit becomes a way ofadjustment. It can give new meaning and balance to the changed way of life.
13. Hobbiesprovide a means of satisfying the desire to collect knowledge and objects.
14. Formany people a well-chosen hobby growing from innate desires, needs andabilities makes joyful contributions to the art of living. When people’s livesare affected by hobby pursuits the total community life reflects thisinfluence.
3. Modification by community factors3.1 Cultural
Community lifeaffects the hobby pursuit of the individual. Lack of music interest in thecommunity may tend to discourage the individual from considering music as ahobby.
A communitygiving a great deal of its attention to the promotion of sports would indirectlybe guiding hobby interests into sports and game activities. In towns wheredancing is not tolerated, hobby interests in the dance would not be sociallyapproved. Schools that do not reach a wide variety of skills and appreciationin music, arts, crafts, sports, dance, nature education, literature, scienceand others limit the student’s hobby choice and its development.3.2 Environmental
The physicalenvironmental factors influence hobby interests. Urban sections without parksor open fields place a handicap on many outdoor hobbies. However, hobbiesdemanding access to libraries, museums, and educational classes thrive betterin urban section. Hobbyists in music, creative writing literature, and similaractivities receive greater stimulation in or near larger cities.
Ourindustrialized economy has created conditions which affect the individual’slife through speed, routine, specialization, and increased leisure. At the sametime it has multiplied our resources in terms of tools, implements, andmaterials for hobbies in some areas like engineering, machines, science, andtravel.
The fact thatcultural and environmental factors may handicap the pursuit of certain kinds ofhobbies does not mean these pursuits become impossible. Such barriers for somehobbyists become challenges for the individuals and the community.
4. Classification of hobbies
The scope ofhobbies is as broad as human interests because hobbies are different things todifferent people. 4.1 Basis for classification
For purposesof convenience the wide scope of hobbies will be classified into fourcategories: Collecting, Creating, Educational, Performing.
4.2 Collection Hobby.
One of themost natural habits of man is collecting. Collection hobbies can be a real artor an accumulation of odds and ends. Collectors tend to group themselves into afew main classifications. People who collect odd objects are in a smallminority. The most popular collection hobby is stamp collecting. Antiquesappear to be next in popularity. They include China, glass, period furniture,laces, needlework, quilts, pictures of early fashion old document, books,autographs, firearms, Indian relicts, paintings, and coins. A large groupconsists of hobbyists with mechanical inclination who collect firearms, modelships, trains, plains, and autos. Memorabilia of great people are objects ofhobbyists — their autographs, documents, manuscripts, books objects, furniture,possessions and articles supposed to have been used by the great persons. Itemsof purely art interest are much sought after such as bronzes, etchings, woodcarvings, paintings, and objet d’art. Collecting historic relicts of one’s ownpart of the country provides fascination for some people. Other collectionsinclude:
Phonographrecords: Old, swing, classical, or one particular artist.
Stamps: U. S.,European, commemorative, covers.
Guns: Modernarmy rifles, old U. S. Rifles, old European.
Coins: U. S.,European, Ancient Greek or Roman, novelty.
Books: EarlyAmerican school texts, First editions, almanacs.
Paintings:Miniatures, water colors, old masters.
Dolls:Antiques, China, rag, rubber, paper, bride, foreign, wax, celluloid.4.3 Creative Hobbies.
Man has apsychological drive to create, to make, or to construct. It is often referredto as the aesthetic drive because it satisfies the person’s sense of beauty andgives pleasure. Much of the creative urge is satisfied by designing, painting,composing, writing, inventing, and making objects of many kinds as exemplifiedin the areas of arts and crafts, drama, music, nature, and camping activities.The creative urge expression is satisfied in different ways for different people- writing a poem, developing a story, telling a story, painting a landscape,making a piece of furniture, constructing a telescope, baking a pie, organizinga club, developing a new bit of strategy in the sports contest, writing a song,and creating a new dance.
The area ofhobbies is one of the greatest potential sources for satisfying the creativeurge. It has become increasingly important as creative expression opportunitiesdecline in many job. Every hobby offers some chance for creative expression butsome are richer in their offerings. In a hobby which has creativeness as itsmajor emphasis collective, educational, and performing benefits are alsopresent.
A suggestedlist of creative hobbies follows:
Woodworking:Furniture, lathework, wood finishing, wooden models of trains, boats, andplanes, children’s toys.
Sculpture:Soap, wood, plaster, clay, stone.
Puppetry:Making the puppets, building the stage, writing the script, presenting theplay.
Leatherwork:Making articles such as bookcovers, handbags, belts; decorating leather,stamping, embossing, carving, flat modeling.
Photography:Used as an art medium to produce portraits, scenes, action shots; still life inblack and white or color; developing the art of taking pictures; processing andprinting, and enlarging stills, movie — black and white, color; amateur movieproduction; slides and transparencies.
4.4 Educational Hobbies.
Hobbies whichemphasize the acquisition of knowledge and the leaning of skills cover a largevariety of activities. Most of the hobbies listed under Collection and Creativeserve as examples for educational hobbies when the participant makes them so.The educational hobbies provide many opportunities for exploring and adventurein a wide scope of activities. Very often a person’s hobby will be pursued forboth collective educational satisfaction, or performing and educationalsatisfactions. These combinations are natural and complement each other.
A suggestedlist of educational hobbies is presented to indicate the scope. These thepursued individually, or in classes, or clubs.
Ornithology:Study of birds, their habits, calls, migrations, effect on nature’s cycle. Astronomy:Study of stars, planets, relationship of celestial phenomena to the earth,falling star plotting, lore related to constellations.
Meteorology:Study of weather, clouds, rainfall, storms, wind.
Music: Leaningto play instruments and sing, music appreciation, study of composers, historyof music and instruments, study of types of music, relationship of music withpeoples culture.
Arts andcrafts: Leaning skills in the various media such as paint, metal, textiles,wood, photography, plastics; study of design artists, art periods; artappreciation, and art in its relation to peoples culture and economy.
Sport: Leaningto perform in athletics; study of specific sports, their history, the starperformers, and records; developing hunting, fishing, camping, canoeing,sailing, riflery, and archery skills; study of history of sports and itsdevelopment.
4.5 Performing Hobbies
These hobbyinterests are based on the used of body skills. They include the sports skills,music skills, arts and crafts skills, camping skills and other. To understandthis hobby category one must recognize that many persons seek theirsatisfaction in performing with and for others. The range of activities inmusic, arts and crafts, and drama has been illustrated by the other categories.This category recognize those areas as performing hobby sources.
Some specificexamples of performing hobbies include: hiking, swimming, roller skating,hunting, fishing, dancing, camping, baseball, football, bowling, boxing, chess,checkers, orchestras, horseback riding, fencing, canoeing, boating, sailing,golf, tennis, wrestling, acrobatics, choirs, and magic.
5. Promotion hobby interests
FactorsRelated to Hobby Participants.
In thepromotion of hobby interests needs and characteristics of the various agelevels must be kept in mind. Some illustrations of applying these to hobbyparticipation are presented as follows: Age Factors.5.1 Children
In collectionhobbies the child collects bottle tops, campaign buttons, comic books, stones,toads, dolls clothing. The collection of these seems to be based on no logicalpurpose.
This is theage of exploration in all categories of hobbies. Children move from one hobbyto another. Their span of interest is short.
Child’sparticipation in hobby is on a very elementary level.
Most childrenhave a simple collection hobby.
Interest ineducational hobbies does not seem evident.
Performingactivities have great appeal at this age.5.2 Youth
Youth’shobbies become more discriminating.
Not all youthscontinue collecting hobbies.
There arefewer changes from one hobby to another.
Youth oftenuse hobby pursuits to discover career interest.
Youth seeksgreater opportunities to relate hobby interest with clubs and groups.
Youth wants toengage in performing hobbies.
At this agethe foundation is laid for possible educational hobbies which are pursed inadulthood.
Adults.
Their hobbyinterest are specialized.
They need thehobby more than in their earlier years.
They seek toexpress themselves through their hobby interests.
They pursuetheir hobby more seriously.
They joinhobby clubs because they want to share their interest.5.3 Older Folks
They have moreleisure than adults and their hobby becomes a way to make life meaningful.
They use ahobby as a means of making adjustment to retirement.
They enjoyhobbies that require study and offer creative opportunities.
They wanthobbies that give them a chance to receive recognition.
6.Advises for hobbyists. 6.1 How Hobbyists Become Interested
The followingrepresent means of helping individuals get started on a hobby:
1. Parents, grandparents, orfriends give instruction, guidance, and encouragement.
2. A gift received starts theperson on his hobby.
3. Children and youth gettheir hobby ideas while in school or while participating in an agency program.
4. Camp programs arouseinterest.
5. Some hobbies are anoutgrowth of vacations.
6. Some hobbyists get startedby attending classes in instruction in crafts, music, radio, speech, etc.
7. Some persons becomeinterested through seeing a hobbyist in action.
8. Others are stimulatedwhile visiting a hobby show or an arts and crafts display.
8. Some are interested as aresult of trips to museums. Libraries, and parks.
9. Reading magazine articlesand books arouses the interest of some people.
11. Listeningto a talk on a hobby or hobbies start some people on their interest.
10. Talkson radio or demonstration on television start some folks on their hobby.6.2 How To Get Started — Suggestions to the Individual
1. Talk to other personspursuing same hobby.
2. Read books and magazineson hobbies.
3. If necessary attendclasses for instruction.
4. Visit hobby show exhibits.
5. Check on source ofsupplies.
6. If a collection hobby isselected limit the collection and begin at once to classify collection.
7. Join a hobby club.
7. Go to the library, museum,recreation and other agencies.
8. Start on a hobby in asmall way.
10. Subscribeto a magazine specializing in the hobby selections.6.3 How To Stimulate Hobby Interest
The recreationagency can help the potential hobbyist as well as the person who has a hobby.For the beginner it can expose him to activities that may lead up to hobbyselections.6.4 How To Help the Beginner
1. Provide classes onbeginning arts and crafts, photography, music and drama.
2. Provide classes in hobbyexploration.
3. Have displays featuringhobbies.
3. Advise the beginner ofresources in the community such as library, schools, and hobby clubs.
5. Plan trips to local pointsof interest.
6. Provide talks byhobbyists.
7. Organize hobby clubs forolder adults who do not have hobbies.
8. Use older adults hobbyistsin teaching and guiding beginners.
6.5 How To Help the Hobbyist
1. Provide space for hobbyclub to meet regularly. Help clubs by providing facilities and acquaint themwith other resources.
2. Provide special facilitiesand equipment that can be made available to hobbyists who cannot afford theirown. Examples are;
a. Photography room (darkroom);
b. Shop with hand powertools;
c. Ceramics room and kiln;
d. Room for radio amateurs;
e. Field for operation ofmodel planes.
3. Arrange to exhibit hobbiesin store windows.
1. Sponsor hobby interviewson the radio and television.
2. Sponsor a hobby show orfair. This requires much planning, organization and promotion.