I got into leatherworking during the pandemic and it's been really rewarding. The actual act of cutting and sewing the leather is very zen to me, and in the end you have something new that you can use or give as a gift!
Getting started is fairly cheap (some punches, needles, thread, a sharp knife, and leather is all you really need to get started). I order everything online so no need to interact with people.
Lots of good tutorials online to learn (Carter leather, weaver, are both good YT channels)
I'd anyone is interested in trying it I'd be happy to help get you started 😊
This is going to sound a little strange, but playing music on stage works for me. At least in moderation, and provided you aren't the lead singer/MC who has to interact with people. You just wanna be some guy in the corner jamming on whatever you jam on.
You kind of get the best parts of being in a social situation in terms of seeing new places, having interesting experiences you can ponder for days to come, and occasionally getting free food and/or a green room where you can veg out in isolation and no one expects anything of you. But you can avoid the negatives: having to make small talk, looking awkward with nothing to do and no role to play, being labelled antisocial, getting roped into some horrible activity you did not sign on for, etc.
And it turns out there are a lot of introverted musicians. You only really need one extravert in a band.
Do the Blender donut tutorial and learn 3D modeling. It's free. It's a great time sink. Amazing online community. Personally, I find it very rewarding. I learned during lockdown and it's one of my favorite accomplishments and I still have so much to learn.
I believe this is the latest version but it might already be outdated. Blender changes stuff around often so these get outdated pretty quickly. I did the version before that (came out 3 years ago).
edit: if stuff isn't there or not working like it's shown you can search "how to do [x] in [current Blender version]"
Some countries with a wealth of antiquities (like Turkey) have tried to stop looting by banning metal detectors. It doesn't work. Lots of ancient coins are being taken out of Turkey, despite the illegality.
In contrast, England allows detecting, but has strict laws on reporting if you find significant treasure. Their laws on the sale and ownership of the found treasure are also quite fair and reasonable.
Climbing/bouldering at a bouldering gym, its sociable but since its often a solo sport you can leave any time.
Also every climber I've come across is very chill, and its good exercise.
This is going to go against what a lot of people will tell you, but my thought is that you should try to challenge yourself to be social and learn to develop those skills, rather than continuing to develop antisocial skills in your comfort zone. To that end, I'll suggest you look into things like Toastmasters or another public speaking club, and tabletop RPGs - in person, not on Discord. You will have to overcome the challenges of being social and learning at the same time, but I think that those would be valuable experiences for you. Local boardgame groups will also be helpful, as you'll be able to focus on the game rather than the socializing.
Everyone needs to learn how to be social. Don't hide from it.
You're not wrong. That still doesn't change the fact that everyone needs to learn to be more socially adept. What I'm suggesting are hobbies with fixed timelines and specific goals, to try and develop those skills. Being uncomfortable and finding a path forward is an important part of life, too.
Second woodworking. I picked up carving during the pandemic and I find it incredibly enjoyable, it's probably my favourite hobby right now. I just put on Levar Burton Reads or a podcast or an audiobook and work away.
Cycling. Nobody to bother you and you can just keep going for hours. Even if you ride with other people, they're won't be much chatter during the ride. Going for a drink afterwards is optional. And even if you go you can just talk about gear ratios and spring rates.
Yes! I just got back into cycling last month after not touching a bike for 10 years, did my first 40k yesterday. It’s just you and your bike for a few hours, I couldn’t be happier while riding
I enjoy miniature painting, as it will let you engage as much (or little) with the various communities as you wish. Order paint online, and paint in the troll cave by yourself? Certainly! Make some small talk with the clerk and patrons at your local hobby shop, now that you share a common interest and have something to talk about? Absolutely!
Get obsessed with 40K lore, wonder where all your money and free time went, realize you have enough miniatures to paint for several decades, and yet you still can’t stop buying them and oh god those paints would go amazing with that color scheme you pictured so maybe just one more purchase —-
Exactly the answer I had in mind. It's something you can do on your own time and in your own space, but it also creates opportunities to interact with other hobbyists.
Something I hate as an introvert - and notice in many other introverts - is the pain of making idle small talk. Having a common interest as a reason to talk to other people feels much more natural to me and is great as an entry point for introverts wanting to get to know other people without it feeling forced.
You can do it for wargaming like 40K, but also for TTRPGs like DnD. Sometimes I just paint models for the hell of it that I never intend to use in any game. You can also branch out from making models to building terrain and scenery - there's loads of great tutorials on YouTube.
I tried miniature painting for the first time a few years ago. But I did the plastic miniatures that came with board games I liked. I saw a youtube video explaining how to play the game and he painted his. So I thought they looked great painted and so I painted 2 board games miniatures.
Came here to say this. I almost never play Warhammer, but I absolutely love making and painting the minis and putting together little dioramas to photograph or film. Since getting a 3d printer its been even more fun, as you can make your own villages and set up fun scenes!
Disc golf. It can be very cheap to get started. Most courses are free. It gets you outside and in nature.
It can be as social or solo as you want. I like to play alone because then I can take all the time I want to throw/rethrow as long as I don’t have people coming up behind me.
@FrostBolt I’m a big fan of plant care! I find it super relaxing to have a little garden in my apartment (plus I love the pop of color in my living room!)
Other hobbies I have are puzzle games (eg sudoku, crosswords, word scrambles), podcasts, and audiobooks
Music is a good one. Especially electronic instruments, mostly because you can play and record with headphones and it's easy to get a lot of different sounds to play with.
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