As a grown man and a father, I often find my focus shifting almost entirely to raising my family and guiding them to become the best people they can be. This mindset, while important, sometimes makes me forget about my own passions and curiosity about the world. I’m talking about starting new hobbies, exploring new activities—just doing things for myself, outside of my usual routine.
But over the past two months, I’ve been trying to push myself a little further -— to explore more, to step outside my routine and even outside my comfort zone in the digital world (like starting yet another software project). Suddenly, I found myself on a “new hobby spree.” Honestly, I enjoy all of them, but sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever be able to stop, or if maybe I’m just feeding my inner child. I’m not really sure, but it’s been an interesting ride.
Photography
One brand new activity I started is photography. Looking back, I never really got the chance to explore it. When I was a kid, my father bought a starter digital camera kit. I wasn’t that excited, so the camera ended up being used mostly by my sister and brother. It actually turned out to be a great investment for them as they both pursued art education.
Last month, I bought a secondhand Sony NEX 5R mirrorless camera from Kleinanzeige. It came with everything I needed: a charger, a battery that actually lasts, and the basic Sony lens. I started learning the basics —- exposure, ISO, aperture, shutter speed —- and began paying more attention to composition. I even started exploring lenses and bought a prime lens from TTArtisan to get that small aperture and bokeh effect I love.
Now, I try to do photography every week, just to train my eyes and enjoy the images I capture. It makes me genuinely happy. I’ve also started pushing myself to share my photos on social, because I believe that if more people see my work, I’ll get feedback and (hopefully) improve my skills.
3D Printer
Another thing I got into is 3D printing. I bought a BambuLab A1 Mini and started exploring the world of 3D printing. My whole family loves having this new gadget at home. Suddenly, we can “solve” little problems around the house in just a few hours by finding a model online, printing it, and seeing it actually help us.
My original plan with the 3D printer was to push myself to learn 3D modeling, so I could solve my own niche problems -— like designing a vacuum holder that snaps to the wall without nails. But honestly, I haven’t done that yet. I’ve had a hard time finding an app I really like for 3D modeling. I tried Fusion 360, OpenSCAD, and Shapr3D on the iPad (which I actually like quite a bit), but none of them have really pulled me in enough to start digging deep. The closest is Shapr3D, but it’s a paid app, and I’m not sure I want to add yet another subscription to my already-too-long list.
PC Building
I also dove into PC building. There’s this game called Split Fiction (highly recommend it, especially if you love couch co-op), and I really wanted to play it with my wife. I tried running it on my Mac using Crossover (even paid for it), but it just wasn’t as smooth as I hoped. Still, it showed me how great the game is, and we both enjoyed playing it together.
With all the YouTube recommendations about “building a gaming PC on a budget with secondhand parts,” I finally pulled the trigger and bought an old Dell Optiplex 3060 SFF. I had zero experience building a PC, except for setting up an Orange Pi 4 LTS for gaming with Batocera. I “knew” about building PCs from watching endless YouTube channels like Linus Tech Tips, but now, with this old PC in my hands, I had to actually put that knowledge to the test.
After about a month, I managed to modify the PC so it could play Split Fiction decently on my TV. I loved the feeling of nailing the modifications -— like swapping the CPU cooler for a Noctua (so much quieter and more performant), or adding a decent GPU and getting the settings just right so it could run Split Fiction at 1080p 60fps (okay, there’s still a little stutter when loading new stages, but it’s just during cutscenes). In the end, we finished the game and were super satisfied.
Right now, the PC is in a good place, but I want to explore more with PC building. Maybe next year I’ll do a full build, now that I know what I want and how much I’m willing to spend.
Honorary Mention
Building a bike, almost trying roller skating, fixing my old Pebble watch—these are other things I’ve dabbled in recently, though not with the same level of seriousness. Still, it’s all new for me, and I feel really lucky to have the time and financial freedom to explore these things.
Personal Reflection
I still think there might be a deeper reason why I’ve thrown myself into all these new activities, but I’m not sure what it is yet. Maybe I’ll talk to a professional about it someday. In the meantime, I’ve learned a few things from all these experiences:
Sometimes it’s just need a little push to start
For anyone out there who’s afraid of trying something new, I honestly believe you’re already 90% ready. You just need the right push, and then let yourself go for it. In the end, you’ll get something out of it—maybe a finished project, maybe new knowledge to help you go further, or maybe just the realization that it’s not the right thing for you (and that’s okay, too).
Know your “enough” state
From all these activities, I’ve started to understand the idea of an “enough” state—the point where you can say, “This is good enough for now,” and decide what to do next. For example, the TTArtisan lens I bought for my camera is my “enough” state: now the camera is capable of producing the images I want, so it’s time to focus on learning photography itself. Or with my PC building journey: once the system was stable with the right components (like the RTX 3050 6G Low Profile), I considered the PC “good enough for now” and just enjoyed it. I think reaching this point is crucial—it helps you not be afraid to start new projects because you know when you can call them “finished.” It also helps you avoid overspending (in both time and money) on side projects that might not go anywhere after your curiosity is satisfied.
Closing
After these three new activities, I’m really trying to control my urge to start even more projects. My plan is to see what comes from sticking with these for the long term—like consistently capturing images with my camera, pushing myself to learn 3D modeling, or just enjoying the PC I built. If you’ve read this far, I hope you find your own push to start your dream project, or discover your “enough” state from your own explorations. And maybe, start thinking about a long-term plan for yourself, too.
Don’t forget to enjoy the process and the results of your projects. That’s the best way to appreciate your own work.
Cheers!