As warm summer evenings turn cold, and the faint jingle of Christmas gets louder, it can be hard to do anything other than snuggling up in front of the fireplace with a hot chocolate. These dreary months, however, are perfect for taking up new digital hobbies all from the comfort of your own home.
Let’s take a look at the top digital hobbies you can take up this Winter…
1. Cooking
Why not indulge this winter and learn how to cook all your favourite dishes? You can find thousands of free and cheap recipes online for you to master alone or to get the family together. Cooking up delicious dinners, baking cakes for relatives and friends or experimenting with new recipes – this is the perfect hobby for winter hibernation. To stay with the digital hobby theme, it has become a trend in recent years for passionate chefs to create a food Instagram like searchingforspice who has reached over 10,000 Instagram followers for her food blog.
Sharing your food creations online is a great way to develop your skills and to learn about new recipes and techniques. Also, the perfect skill to learn to impress everyone at Christmas.
2. Gaming
Gaming is a hugely popular hobby for all ages. Spend your winter nights in fierce competition with your friends with games like Rocket League and Call of Duty or snuggle up with a laptop to have a relaxing game of Minecraft or Sims 4 to end a busy day.
If you fall in love with gaming, there are many online communities that you can join to learn more about it and share tips with each other. Some gamers also like to livestream their gameplay and with time and skill, this can become a source of income. If you’re thinking about streaming your sessions then you may want to consider purchasing a gaming laptop or PC. If you aren’t sure what is the right game for you, there are loads of YouTube tutorials and trailers available to give you tips and tricks, reviews and reveals.
Although gaming is an investment, it is a great way to get your friends and family together or to sit back and relax and is the perfect hobby this winter.
3: Writing
The worst part about the winter is it can start to feel dull as you wait for the bad weather to pass. Why not spice up your life by trying some writing?
There are thousands of styles you could try. From horror to romance and comedy, the writing world provides endless enjoyment. There’s no better way to get lost from the world than creating a short story or writing about a topic you love. Many people start a blog to discuss their life and things they are passionate about that may help other people.
You can create a blog on WordPress for free where you can store all your thoughts and creations – if you want to share it online with others then there is a small hosting fee of $7.99 a month. Sharing your stories and blogs on the internet is a great way to inspire people and start conversations about the things you are passionate about.
If this doesn’t sound like your cup of tea then you could just start journaling your day and jotting down your personal thoughts and feelings without sharing them with anyone. Experts have said that keeping a daily journal helps boost your mood and reduce stress. Before you start writing, you could look up some ideas of inspiration on the internet.
4. Become a YouTuber
Becoming an internet sensation could be a great way to make the winter months fly by. For the lucky some, this hobby has turned into a lucrative income and full-time career. The first thing you need to do is decide your niche.
When deciding your niche you need to make sure it is going to appeal to an audience and you are an expert in the topic. A lot of people start off with topics such as beauty, fashion, technology and lifestyle and as they gain a following, they expand out to broader topics to appeal to more people. It is important to brainstorm ideas and even create a content plan so you regularly update your channel. A lot of people create logos or personalised banners too to add a little aesthetic to their page.
If you are just posting as a hobby, then you don’t need to invest in state-of-the-art equipment but the more involved you are, you may want to think of buying a good camera for higher sound and video quality.
Once you reach 1,000 subscribers, you can join the YouTube Partner Programme which means you can earn money through promotions and views.
Becoming a YouTuber is a great way to get creative and entertain yourself and others. It’s highly recommended to do some reach on a similar channel before you start so you can look for some inspiration.
Summary
Trying these top four digital hobbies this winter is a great way to get your friends and family together and stay entertained from the comfort of your own house. Learning a new skill or hobby will keep your creative juices flowing and are proven to reduce stress and other health issues.
Author:
Emily Johnson has a passion for music and film. She can be found at Tillison Consulting as a Digital Campaign Manager working with clients from different sectors and campaigns to help with all their digital marketing needs.
