The path to human nature, I propose, began with capable hands. No surprise there. In our brains formed a desire for hobbies, to take advantage of what our hands allowed. Hobbies were the first step toward occupational specialization, which led to the full flowering of human nature (trading, language, procrastination, art, holidays, rituals, fine wine, fashion, Veblen’s Instinct of Workmanship, etc.).
The Hobbyist Within Us is especially clear in the pages of Make, a young magazine devoted to higher-tech DIY. Turn your old scanner into a camera. Make a Joule thief. It started as a website, which was so successful that a print version was launched. More recently, Maker Faires have started.
Thanks to Niall Kennedy, who has written for Make.
If you were to write a book titled “Discover Your Inner Hobbyist”, what sort of practical advice and insight would it contain?
I don’t know. I guess I would do journalistic research on hobbyists and try to figure out what the range of hobbies is and what the benefits of different hobbies are.