Why You Should Take Up a New Hobby This Leap Year

February 29, 2020 is only weeks away. Wondering what to do on a leap day? Why not take the opportunity of the extra day we’ve been all been gifted with and put it to good use by attending a workshop to learn a new art or craft? You could feed your creativity and enthusiasm for life by learning a new hobby, adding to your overall wellbeing and health for the rest of 2020! Hobbies allow us to explore ourselves and our talents as well as relieve stress and boredom. Managing to get a handle on something challenging and new also feeds our self-esteem and we can even lose our self-consciousness when we’re lost in the creative mindset that a hobby requires. What’s more, hobbies can often also lead to social connections. There’s a good chance that you might make a new friend at your class - after all, you’ve already got a shared interest in common!

Considering that leap years exist to help synchronize our calendar with the Earth’s orbit around the sun and the passing of the seasons, you might be inspired to take a class that focuses on nature. A workshop in Sydney that offers the chance to get your hands dirty with soil, moss and plants is the Kokedama class at Merchant and Green in Bondi Junction. Not only will you feel closer to nature as you experience the mindful calming effects of making Kokedama on the day, you get to take home a set of three Kokedama moss balls filled with plants of your choice, so your home will be a greener healthier place for the rest of the 2020 leap year!

One of the most enjoyable classes you can take on February 29 leap year days is Yuga Floral Design’s Basket / Bouquet Flower Arranging Workshop in Glebe, Sydney. Immersing yourself in a shopful of beautiful blooms with an enthusiastic teacher will make for a leap day well spent. After two hours of considered meditative flower arranging, you will have a dazzling floral bouquet to spark extra happiness in your home or workplace. 

One of the most enticing of the Sydney activities taking place on February 29 is a Watercolour Workshop, designed to be suitable for all ages upwards of seven and appropriate for either watercolour or gouache paints. It’s held in beautiful Paddington, a charismatic part of Sydney that’s home to rows of historic terrace houses. 

So many of us harbour a desire to get our hands dirty in a pottery class. Put it off no longer! There are several pottery classes in Sydney where you can practice hand building or even delve into the art of wheel throwing. A small ceramics studio in Marrickville is the perfect spot to learn hand building techniques including coiling and slab building in the Hand Building Pottery Workshop. You’ll go home with a handmade vessel that will reflect your personal aesthetic and taste.  

Home and craft trends combine in this Beginners Weaving Workshop, where you will learn how to weave a wall hanging for your home. This class will set you up for a year of weaving similar items for your family and friends, as you get to take home your very own loom as well as loads of colourful yarn to complete your creation. 

Perhaps the leap year of 2020 signals it’s time to dig out that old DSLR camera that’s been languishing in the cupboard or quietly gathering dust on your bookshelf. So many DSLR cameras have been neglected in favour of our mobile phones, but it really is worth learning how to work within the Manual Mode of your camera. The leap month of February 2020 might just be your time to unlock the tricks of shutter speed, aperture and ISO, so you can finally take your photography to the next level! This DSLR and Mirrorless Camera class doubles as a unique Sydney tour that takes in some off-the-beaten-path sights and areas of Sydney, making it one of the best things to in Sydney on the weekend, whether you’re a tourist or a local. 

So many people start the new year with a promise to themselves to achieve better health. An excellent inspirational foundation to send you on your way to kicking that goal is the Japanese Superfoods As Medicine class. You’ll launch into the leap year with the knowledge of some key recipes to improve your gut health, detoxify your body, improve heart health, boost your immune system and increase energy levels. What could be better to help make you feel and look amazing for the rest of 2020! Cooking healthy meals at home could be the greatest hobby you’ve ever taken up. 

Find unique ways to celebrate the leap year here. 

If you want to up your culinary game or simply rejuvenate your weeknight recipe repertoire, consider one of the many classes at the Sydney Cooking School in Neutral Bay. If there’s a dish you’d love to master, you have a good chance of learning it here. From Thai curries to Mexican tacos to Italian pasta and gnocchi, there is something for everyone. If your 2020 New Year’s Resolution is to eat less meat, the Vegetarian Cooking Class is just the thing to get you cooking more dishes like Carrot and Quinoa Falafels or Roasted Beetroot and Feta Tart rather than reaching for the chicken, pork or beef. 

There’s a variety of theories about the significance of the leap year. Some spiritualists believe that the leap day is a lucky sign, culminating in a year filled with more love and compassion and even a better chance at finding your soulmate. As much as we would all probably like that to be true, whatever the facts are, there’s no doubt that rekindling an old interest or delving deep into a new hobby is good for us. Focused thought and mindfulness, as well as the act of learning, stimulates connections in our brains which impacts favourably on our overall wellbeing. So if you’ve always wanted to learn to weave or paint or make dumplings, now’s the time to pick a class and enjoy the adventure of learning a new skill!