I Got a Hobby—Turns Out, It Was Exactly What I Needed (Issue #81)

How Voice Lessons Became My Low-Stakes Escape from Adulting.

Hi friends!

My body has woken me up bright and early for most of my adult life. It doesn’t matter how tired I am; I just cannot sleep in. While at times frustrating, these early mornings have become a special part of my routine. It’s when I catch up on my podcasts, fall down internet rabbit holes, and develop sweeping life plans. My husband and I joke that I live multiple lifetimes before he even wakes up. I say all of this as context because it was during one of these mornings that I took the leap into a brand new hobby – voice lessons! Shooting off a message to my eventual teacher, Anai.

Music has always been a huge part of my life. I come from a family of singers, and growing up, I was in all the musicals and choirs that I could possibly fit into my schedule. Since then, my singing has been pretty much limited to my car and late-night karaoke. But last year, my mom started voice lessons, and the seed was planted for me.

As of this writing, I’ve been taking virtual voice lessons for a few months, and I’m obsessed. At the start, my teacher got a feel for my voice and asked me what my goals were, which for now are just to get really good at some of my go-to karaoke songs. Honestly, it’s nice to have a hobby with such low stakes. I’ve turned so many of my hobbies into businesses (see: photography, podcasting, writing, etc.), so it’s a nice change of pace to work to get good at something solely for my own enjoyment. Still, it’s funny that my voice teacher is an incredible performer who coaches professional musicians, and I’m just here like, “Do you think Defying Gravity is too on the nose to do at Karaoke next weekend?.”

Those weekly lessons, with absolutely no pressure to perform, have turned out to be a surprisingly grounding part of my routine. I schedule them for right after my workday, and they’ve become a much-needed de-stressor on more than one occasion. They’ve also reinforced something I never really understood before – singing ability is shaped by technique way more than I ever realized! I’m still early in my journey, but in just a few short months, I’ve learned more than I did in all those years spent in school choirs.

I’m very much team “adults with hobbies,” so I want to throw it to you! Do you have a hobby that you *love*? Is it something you first tried as an adult, or did you pick it back up later in life? Is there a hobby you’re still hoping to try? Let me know in the comments below!

A round-up of things to watch, read, and listen to as you head into the weekend.

• Substack: What Big Life Moments Should We Be Celebrating More? By

  Alisha Ramos
  for
  Downtime

  • In this fun read, Alisha interviews Kelsey Lim, who threw herself a 10-year NYC anniversary party with 300 guests in attendance! Their conversation is a great reflection on the ways we could (and probably should) be celebrating more of life’s milestones.

• Wirecutter: 5 Things Our TV Expert Does to Instantly Improve a TV’s Performance by Lee Neikirk

  • I bought a new TV for our basement a few months ago and came across this article while preparing for my purchase. I’ve never thought about the impact settings could have on TV performance (I’ve always assumed they came pre-set!), but this piece has lots of practical tips on how to maximize your television viewing experience.

• Netflix: tick, tick…boom

  • I mentioned to a friend that I became a fan of Andrew Garfield after watching We Live in Time, and she suggested this movie as the one that first made her a fan of the talented English actor. Also, have you seen his Chicken Shop Date appearance? Swoon.

Playlists to add to your music library.

This week’s musical round-up is a mix of my go-to performance songs (see: When He Sees Me and Say My Name) and songs I have yet to try but know will be a hit. Enjoy! <3

Things to try + share in the group chat.

• I’ve been a fan of Gracie Abrams for a while, but her song Risk has become a recent obsession. I’ve been practicing it a lot in voice lessons and plan to whip it out for karaoke the next chance I get!

• Since starting voice lessons, I’ve discovered just how useful it is to record myself singing and listen back to it as a way to improve. On the hunt for a karaoke app that would assist me in this practice, I found Smule, and I’m obsessed. For some songs, it has a smart feature that can tell you whether you are hitting the notes in real time, and there is a kind of social media element where you can share your performances and listen to what others have created.

I rely heavily on gift guides for my own holiday shopping, and I always love to return the favor to help you find the perfect presents this season. Check out my 2024 Holiday Gift Guide here.

Have a great weekend!

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