8 Hobbies that Will Boost Your Creativity

Whether you consider yourself a creative or not, having a hobby that stirs your creativity can enrich your life in many ways. 

A creative hobby can help you reduce stress, express your emotions, and see the world in an entirely new way. And even if it’s a hobby you aren’t skilled at, the simple act of practicing some form of creativity regularly is going to increase your creativity. 

Here are eight hobbies that you might consider picking up if you want to invite more creativity into your life.

Photography

Photography has a way of helping you hone your “artistic eye.” As you practice composing photos and identifying good shots, you’ll begin to see the world in a more artistic way. 

You don’t have to be a photo expert to take up photography, either. With the conveniences of digital photography and high capacity memory cards, photography has truly become a no-pressure hobby that you can practice for hours on end, without draining your wallet on expenses like film and film processing. 

In addition, with dSLRs, compact system cameras, action cameras, drones, and point-and-shoot cameras, consumers have more camera options to choose from than ever before. Find a camera that you feel you can learn with and grow into, and start shooting!

Reading

Reading is a timeless hobby that just about anyone can enjoy—when they choose the right books to read, that is. And as this article points out, with nearly 130,000,000 published books to choose from, you’ll never run out of reading material. 

Reading can boost your creativity because it introduces you to other styles of writing, broadens your perspective, increases your knowledge base, and improves your vocabulary. Reading is an especially powerful tool for those looking to improve their writing.

Writing

If any two hobbies were perfect complements of one another, they would be reading and writing. Writing can boost your creativity by encouraging creative thinking and forcing you to think more deeply on the things you are writing about. 

And with social media and blogging so prevalent these days, just about anyone can find a writing platform and format that works for them.

Playing a musical instrument

Since learning to play a musical instrument engages your mental, emotional and cognitive abilities all at once, it stimulates your brain to think out of the ordinary. 

Practicing and learning to play an instrument will require patience for sure, but it will also allow you to engage in creative pursuits like covering popular songs and writing new songs.

Drawing and painting

Drawing and painting have the power to nurture your creativity by showing you color theory in action, encouraging you to come up with creative solutions, and allowing you to think out-of-the-box. 

Many people never pick up a pencil or paintbrush because they don’t consider themselves artists—and drawing and painting are so stereotypically artistic. The thing about drawing or painting, though, is that no one has to be an expert artist in order to pick up charcoal or a paintbrush and take it to canvas. 

If you’re nervous about starting, you might sign up for a local drawing or painting class that is geared toward artists of all levels—or just watch some Bob Ross.

Cooking and baking

You can also express yourself in the form of food. You might delve into a hobby of cooking or baking by first finding a cookbook or food blogger you love and trying out their recipes. 

Then, you might indulge your creative juices even further by creating some recipes of your own. A good place to start when creating your own recipes from scratch is to try to re-create your favorite dishes at your favorite restaurants.

Flower arranging

You don’t frequently see flower arranging as a hobby, but florists will definitely tell you that there is an art to creating bouquets and centerpieces. 

Flower arranging is an art that engages attention to detail, color theory, and skills in balance and composition. As an added bonus, this one hobby that is sure to beautify your home.

Blogging

Just as this article about nurturing creativity discusses, blogging is a highly versatile hobby that offers a multitude of creative outlets. 

You might use blogging to practice your writing skills, or you might use it as an excuse to go out and practice your photography skills. You can also use it to showcase artwork, to review books you’ve recently read, or to try your hand at videography. 

Whatever creative hobby you might have, blogging can help you delve deeper into that hobby and continually find inspiration.

Four Things To Consider For Successful Retirement Planning

Retirement planning is important. Of course, you know that; but that doesn't make it any easier. For one, it is difficult to plan for something you have no experience with. 

For another, thinking about that stage of your life can already be stressful enough. But no matter how difficult it may be, it is, indeed, quite necessary.

And so, with that in mind, here are a few things to remember as you begin working with Rothenberg Capital Management.

Longevity

Obviously, your plan needs to attempt to take into account how long you will live after you retire. 

Modern health advancements and better awareness means that people are living longer these days—even three or more decades past the age of 65—and you will need to account for your lifestyle over those final years. It could be very easy, then, to outlive a savings account without thoughtful and careful planning. 

Read More: Saving vs.Investing

Furthermore, the average government pension benefits—at least, right now—falls just shy of $1,666 a month. 

Even for a full-time working adult, this is not enough to live comfortably in most cities. Thus, effective retirement planning will probably require some kind of dividend interest or annuity account that yields more money over time.

Inflation

While sticking money into an account and letting it mature is a pretty simple concept—and easy to accomplish, for the most part—it becomes increasingly important to consider how inflation will affect your money down the road. 

Since most retirement plans take several decades to mature it can be exceedingly difficult to anticipate the value of your money when you plan to use it.

For example, an inflation rate of 2% would lower the value of an initial $50,000 investment to only $30,477 after 25 years. At the same time, though, something that costs $50,000 today might cost more than $82,000 in the same 25 year period. 

 Yes, it is complicated; unfortunately, it is necessary to learn how to account for all these things—or hire a professional to help you—in order to make sure you cover all your bases.

Volatility

Similarly important as understanding and accounting for inflation, you also need to have ultimate awareness of market volatility. Volatility is the term used to describe the consistent—and sometimes unpredictable—fluctuations of market activity over time. 

Volatility may be easily managed by a high-activity trader with a diverse portfolio who can move, buy, and sell shares several times a day.

Stock investing, though, can be a profitable aspects of retirement planning, despite how uncertain they can be sometimes. And, despite how it might feel at the time, history consistently shows that markets typically recover—but it can take some time. 

For example, right now, data shows that the market has demonstrated positive annual returns 80 percent of the time over the past 35 years; showing an average intra-year decline of about 14 percent.

Balance

Okay, so you have determined how much you think you need and which accounts and investments you think will yield the best results. Your money has been maturing over a decade or so and you are approaching retirement. 

How much can you comfortably withdraw from your retirement account while also maintaining your steady growth?

This probably sounds complicated—and it can be—but it doesn't have to be stressful. In fact, this is just another part of planning. And then you have to be disciplined in how much you withdraw and how you use your money.

6 Things You Should Never Do On Your Own

There is a reason why we are here on this earth with other people — so we can “get by with a little help from [our] friends.” 

While it is important to be independant and self-sufficient, there are just some things that you shouldn’t do alone. Read on to learn more. 

Wedding Dress Shopping

When you go wedding dress shopping, take a trusted friend with you to help you pick the perfect dress. 

They can look at you from all angles, take pictures for you to see, let you know if you’re making a poor choice, but also affirm your decision if you find the perfect dress. Just don’t take too many people with you, or you’ll end up with too many opinions, and potentially choose a dress that you wouldn’t otherwise. 

Always go with your gut. If you fall in love with a dress, don’t let others persuade you to change your mind.

Apartment Hunting

When you’re looking for the perfect apartment, you want an extra set of eyes. Like this blog says, it’s too easy to be distracted by unimportant details (hot tub out back, cute kitchen tile, etc.), but having a friend with you will help you stay focused on the things that really matter. 

It’s also a good idea to take a friend because it will keep you safe, especially if you’re headed into a more dangerous part of town. When you’re apartment hunting, don’t be afraid to snoop around in the apartment (and even use the bathroom!), and drive around the neighborhood to check out the area.

Automobile Shopping

Car dealers are very sneaky people, and as such, you should never go car shopping alone.

They know how to read you like an open book, and they know how to push a sale. When you’re first met by a salesperson, you will be overwhelmed at how charming they are. 

Pretty soon though, they will use that charm to try and convince you to buy just about anything. If you look at a car for too long, the keys are suddenly in your hand, and you’re ready for a test drive. 

They know that if they can get you in the car, you’re a lost cause. They slowly wear you down until it feels ridiculous and almost like you are a bad person if you don’t buy that car.

However, if you bring a friend, you suddenly have someone on your team. When the rest of the dealership teams up on you, you will have someone who can be the voice of reason.  

They can help you say “No” when necessary, or help you negotiate a better deal. Just make sure that you bring the right friend, or you both might end up leaving with new cars that you can’t afford. 

Clothes Shopping

Window shopping alone can be quite dangerous, especially if you’re prone to shop therapy. Having a friend will help you avoid buying too much, or if necessary, from passing up a steal. 

Before you go, communicate your shopping goals — whether you are just browsing or you’re looking for something specific. A friend can help you stay focused and avoid buying things that you don’t need, or convince you to buy something that you’re on the fence about. 

Besides, it’s more fun anyway! Again, make sure that you bring the right friend, or you might be talked into making a lot of purchases you wouldn’t otherwise.

Haunted House

Going to a haunted house alone is a terrible idea. If you are terrified, there is no one to act as a buffer between you and the actors trying to scare you. 

On the other hand, if you’re not afraid of haunted houses, it will be quite a bore if you don’t bring someone who is afraid. 

Other tips for haunted houses include: try to stay away from other groups, go with the right attitude, go earlier in the night, and don’t try to predict the haunt, or it’ll be less fun.

Attending a Concert

Concerts are infinitely more fun with friends. You have someone to fangirl with, scream at the top of your lungs with, and to talk you out of going crowd surfing. Just don’t choose someone who is uninterested in the concert, or you will wish that you never went in the first place.

Reevaluate Your Finance Plan With These 4 Lifestyle Changes

Building wealth is a very important part of life. Statistics show that most marriages dissolve due to issues regarding finances. 

Money can literally make or break a person's quality of life if it isn't managed properly. If you're in a position where you're not feeling confident or financially stable, it's important to change that. 

It's time to reevaluate your financial plan. Consider these four lifestyle changes.

1. Avoid Eating Out

While it may be incredibly convenient to show up somewhere and enjoy a delicious meal without having to cook anything, you definitely pay for it. 

The amount for one person at a restaurant can easily cover their grocery bill for a few days. Cut out the middle man. Go to the grocery store and cook the meals yourself. You'll save a ton of money that way. 

Besides, coupons and discounts will help make the grocery bill even cheaper. Make the same foods your family enjoys at restaurants at a fraction of the cost. Plus, food always tastes better the next day. 

2. Downsize Your Home

No matter what stage of life you find yourself in, downsizing is always a financially sound option. Consider moving into a smaller home, apartment or even resorting to an RV. 

It’s much more luxuries than it sounds when you take into account that most dealers, like Orangewood RV Center, offer vehicles that come with fully furnished kitchens, living areas, bathrooms and bedrooms. 

Avoid the high costs of a mortgage by getting creative with your home space.

3. Focus On Savings

It's one thing to say you'll save money down the road, it's another thing to actually do it. Don't wait until tomorrow to put money into your savings account. 

Once you get paid, sit down and create a budget. Within that budget, one of the line items needs to be a savings account. If you get direct deposit, you can set up your account so that a certain percentage of that paycheck automatically goes into your savings account. 

Don't let yourself near retirement age without a hefty amount in your savings account. It's dangerous. 

4. Find Side Jobs

If you've done a lot of downsizing and are still not where you'd like to be, it's time to go out and create some extra income. 

There are lots of ways to work on the side. You can run errands, babysit children, walk dogs and house sit. You can find a part time job working in an office setting a few nights a week. You can start a side business as a network marketer. The sky is the limit.

With all of these suggestions, you'll need to become dedicated and focused on the goal. The end goal is financial freedom and stability. When you get discouraged and don't want to keep going, remember the goal and you'll be able to reach it in no time.