One of the oldest hobbies of mine that I still keep up with today is visual art. It’s relaxing and is the purest form of self expression to me. I’ve done a lot of painting and three dimensional art, to a lesser extent, but drawing is my favorite mode of art. Cliché or not, for as long as I can remember I’ve been doodling and making actual finished “pieces”. I loved making my own comic books, mostly referencing aspects of popular culture seen through the eyes of a 5-10 year old. My mom has kept one of my comics, “Batman vs. Harry Potter,” for almost a decade, and constantly reminds me that it was the peak of my creativity. While it pains me to admit it, but she wasn’t wrong. After middle school, my interest in drawing took a nosedive. I don’t think I have any drawings from that period in my life, and I keep all of them. High school provided me with opportunities to rekindle my interest in art, through required and eventually elected classes. However, my creative side wasn’t instantly rejuvenated with the art classes. I found myself trying to recreate scenes or people on paper with as much detail and precision as possible. This isn’t necessarily a bad skill to develop as an artist, there also isn’t much room to make it personal. As my high school art career progressed I became increasingly bored with realistic drawings, so I began to add my own quirks to them. They were still detailed, but, I’d purposefully alter aspects of people’s faces or body, like a realistic caricature. I get much more satisfaction from looking at a finished drawing that I know is 100% mine. I don’t have many pastimes or passions, and none that I’ve had for as long as drawing, so art is something I plan or pursuing through college and beyond!

If you’ve seen me in the hallway, you might have noticed that I’m always wearing earbuds. Maybe you’ve even pondered what I could be utilizing such a device for. Well, it turns out I listen to music whilst my Apple EarPods are fixed above my earlobe. Listening to music is something I enjoy very much. I’d say it’s quite possibly my favorite activity to partake in. But what could be so enthralling about this auditory experience? The following formation of words will provide an answer to this question.

1. As a hobby, listening to music is so easy! Other pastimes like knitting or drawing or some kind of physical activity all require work to some extent, maybe even skill! Listening to music requires no work nor skill! It’s just you and your tunes.
2. If you want to watch movies or television programs you have to set aside time to do so. When you don’t set aside time and still watch a movie or show, you’re cutting into time that could be spent doing homework or writing essays for college. It’s sad really… On the other hand, you can listen to music at anytime, anywhere (except at the dinner table, then your mother might scold you!). In fact, when I am doing my homework or writing essays for college, I plant my earbuds in my ears and allow the subsequent sounds to provide background noise that makes the arduous workload somewhat pleasurable. For those of you that find this distracting to yourself, I send my condolences.
3. For any tryhards that like to be challenged, fear not! Listening to music doesn’t have to be entirely for relaxation purposes or to be played in the background. Politically charged and socially conscious music provide great ways to engage in literary explication. The 2015 album, To Pimp a Butterfly, is an excellent example. I myself am not keen enough to fully understand the themes and messages found in the album, so I had to rely on Genius.com annotations. Regardless, if you listen to the album while reading the lyrics and really try to understand what’s being said, your brain will get its exercise for the day!
4. 2 Chainz exists

Some Music Recommendations:

Sike! You thought! Music preference is subjective. Go find your own songs or albums to titillate your auditory sense.