Crafting Hobbies, Shaping the Soul
When life feels unjointed and distracted, our hobbies can offer focus, meaning, and fulfillment. But only if we choose them with the soul in mind.
As previously mentioned, our Thoughts to Dwell theme for this month is hobbies.
When we are growing up, sometimes this topic isn’t really referred to by our teachers and mentors. Kids are expected to find what they like and stick to those things, and they often don’t receive much guidance moving forward.
Personally, I’ve always had passions for observing (and being active within) wildlife, nature, and drawing in particular, but I rarely stop to think about these hobbies or why I enjoy them. This was certainly true when I was younger. I never slowed down and paused why I enjoyed those certain hobbies.
I also never stopped to think about how I could make them more enjoyable. We all have activities we like, and it’s good to slow down once in a while to reflect on why we do the things we do.
It’s fun to enjoy exploring on a hike, or reading thrilling fiction novels, but do we honestly pause and ask why we choose to do a certain activity? Do we ever ask ourselves how something helps our daily life or why it brings us joy?
To think and ponder is never an easy thing, especially when one takes it seriously. But if we look to our hobbies from time to time, we may find a simple path for us to greatly enrich our daily lives.
Perhaps we can even find deeper meaning and fulfillment not only in the activities we already enjoy, but in those we’ve yet to discover.
Find out what your Soul enjoys
To uncover why we enjoy a given hobby, we must first consider the human soul and what helps it flourish.
When it comes to the soul, its aspects, and its needs, there are few authors who rival Aristotle. In his Nicomachean Ethics for example, he writes:
“Since happiness is an activity of soul in accordance with perfect virtue, we must consider the nature of virtue; for perhaps we shall thus see better the nature of happiness.”
Throughout the Ethics, Aristotle returns to this idea often. He speaks of happiness as being attained through the development of the soul. More deeply, Aristotle teaches that the soul’s best development is through practicing virtue.
Now, this piece doesn’t seek to summarize the entirety of the Nicomachean Ethics, and I’m certainly no scholar of Aristotle. But the point is this: happiness is attained through a virtue-focused life—and those virtues can be practiced, crafted, and striven for through our hobbies. And with our focus on cultivating virtue through our hobbies, our soul will be enriched like never before.
Our hobbies and daily pleasantries are a huge part of building a fulfilling and virtuous life.
Take art for example. Does anyone pick up the paintbrush to simply enjoy the stroke of oily paint across a canvas? Or do they usually have an end goal in mind to bring forth something entirely new and beautiful to the known?
Few pursue a hobby for the action alone, but rather the process and journey through that very action to see it through to its fulfillment. The fulfillment of any action is what leads to us seeing the virtue of that action.

Art is not valuable to someone for the singular strokes of a pen or brush, but rather what it does to their soul. Even if the act of drawing or painting calms the mind or spirit, it’s the journey toward the finished work that makes the hobby truly virtuous.
That virtue-driven hobby leads someone to discover things about themself, while also providing them a sense of purpose and accomplishment.
How to make Virtue a Focus in your Hobby
So, how should we seek virtue through our hobbies? Again, returning to Aristotle in Book II of the Ethics:
“Virtue, then, is a state of character concerned with choice, lying in a mean, i.e., the mean relative to us, this being determined by reason, and by that reason by which the man of practical wisdom would determine it.”
To have the most fulfilling hobbies we must consider how the hobby is helping us down the path of virtue. And virtue, in turn, comes from choosing through our reason, what is most beneficial and relevant to our goals.
In easier terms, using our reason and power of choice, we can determine which virtues are most practicable for us to pursue.
Using our reason, we all may have different goals for ourselves or come from different worldviews. But perhaps we can ask ourselves some questions to guide us:
What is our overall goal with the hobby in question?
Is it meant for enjoyment or development? / And is our goal for our spiritual selves or physical?
If enjoyment, what types do we get from it? (Relaxation? Excitement? Creativity? Peace? Thrill?)
If development, in what virtues are we seeking to implement and strive to improve upon? (specific skill? Character? Self-discipline? Knowledge? Wisdom? etc.) — Again, remember pursuing these types of things will enrich your hobby spiritually and physically.
Does this hobby align with our values and beliefs?
Is it something that enriches our soul or just fills time? (a helpful question for discerning whether a hobby is truly beneficial)
What choices can we make around our hobby to maximize our practicing of virtue with what our soul enjoys most?
How can we, using our reason, choose a hobby that is in most alignment with what our soul needs and pleasures in? (Perhaps I’m someone who knows I like to build something. It would be wise for me to direct myself to tangible hobbies where I’m working with my hands to fix, maintain, or build something physically—rather than reading a book on those things for instance.)
These questions are just a starting point. They certainly will help someone ponder over why they enjoy doing what they do. Better hobbies are those that help us craft our soul positively, and the best ones are those that craft our souls through the path of virtue in thought and action.
Draw Closer to God, and He will draw closer to You—Full Enrichment in your Hobbies
Along this line of thinking, it is also wise to connect your hobbies to God in some way. In the Judeo-Christian worldview for example, God is the ultimate source of the Good. I would argue that if your hobbies are closer aligned to your ultimate Source of values, then the more beneficial and enriching your hobbies will become.
When you pair this with your God-given ability to reason, and ability to assess what’s most in line with your soul, your hobbies can become far more intentional and meaningful.
So be sure to slow down and think once in awhile. We don’t have to ponder all the little things in life, but hobbies are something that take up a huge part of our lives. Especially if we want to live a meaningful one.
Choose some hobbies that align with and benefit your Soul. Allow yourself to challenge yourself, your thinking, and be sure to enact your hobbies along the path of virtue.