insideKENT Magazine Issue 47 - February 2016 | Page 19

ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT

HOBBIES for everyone
Having a hobby is good for us. Busy lives, stressful schedules, and trying to
please everyone at once without a thought for our own health can mean we
often get run down, ill, and tempers can flare. A hobby can help to prevent all
that, and it doesn’t matter what it is, or whether we’re any good at it or not.
BY LISAMARIE LAMB

Hobbies are something – anything – that isn’t
work, and that we enjoy. They aren’t something
that we necessarily make any money doing
(although sometimes hobbies do become
careers), and they aren’t even something that
anyone else really needs to know about if we
don’t want them to. Hobbies are simply a way
to escape from normal, everyday life, and do
something different that makes us happy.
And what makes a hobby even better is that it
can actually help our health too. It’s a stress
reliever, and an important outlet for our creativity
which might not get used on a regular basis

otherwise. A hobby allows us to be someone
else and do something different, even if it’s just
for an hour a week. In the end, that can be the
difference between high blood pressure and a
healthy level, a tense and stressful home life and
a happy one; taking time out to do something
we really enjoy is, some researchers say,
absolutely essential to a long and happy life. A
hobby can even decrease depression and allow
our bodies to rejuvenate.
Even if it feels as though you should be doing
something ‘more productive’ (surely gardening
can wait if the bed clothes need changing? That

POTTERY

report needs to be finished, there can’t be any
time for your judo lesson…) the experts say
missing out on your hobby will only increase your
stress levels. And if you take the time to enjoy
yourself, your body and brain will be more focused
on whatever daily task it is you choose to get on
with afterwards.
Everyone should have a hobby; they’re good for
our health in both body and mind. There are so
many different options out there, here are just a
few to give you an idea of something to try…

JUDO
Judo (which means ‘gentle way’) is a Japanese martial art that combines
physical prowess with mental agility. Lifting, throwing, pinning, and holding
are all part of judo, but unlike karate and similar techniques there is no
punching or kicking, and no weapons – hence the ‘gentle way’. Judo is an
excellent martial art to get into, and there are amateur competitions across
the country throughout and the year. Belt colours run from white to black,
but other dans (ranks) can be won and worn as bands.
The best way to begin with judo is to take a look at www.britishjudo.org.uk
which will tell you more about the sport and show you videos of competitions.
If there is an event going on near you why not go along and speak to the
experts as well as watch judo in action.

Pottery is, perhaps, the oldest hobby around. Pieces of ancient pottery in
the form of vases, tiles, crockery, and more have been found all across the
country and date back thousands of years. Pottery had a resurgence after
Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze had a go in Ghost, and recently, after the
BBC’s Great Pottery Throw Down, it’s become popular once more.
If you want to throw down some clay and make some gorgeous designs,
remember it’s important to be able to laugh at yourself – it will go wrong,
especially at the beginning. And it will take a lot of practise. But it’s fun, a
great way to block out everything else and just focus on what you’re doing.
Plus you can go totally traditional or make some really weird and wacky
designs; let your imagination go wild!
In Kent, why not check out Aylesford Pottery (www.aylesfordpottery.co.uk)
in Aylesford, A Touch of Clay (www.atouchofclay.co.uk) in Sevenoaks,
or Heavenly Glaze (www.heavenlyglaze.co.uk) in Tonbridge.
In Sussex there is the Geoff Pittman Pottery Studio (www.geoffpittman.co.uk)
in Hailsham, Skelton Workshops (www.skeltonworkshops.co.uk) in
Ditchling, and Hummingbird Studios (www.hummingbirdstudio.co.uk) in
Brighton.

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