National Hobby Month hasn’t been an official fixture of the calendar for long, but it is one of our favourite times of year at Serious Readers.

New years are all about new resolutions, which, incidentally, is how the “Hobby Month” moniker came to be. As a consequence of so many new hobbies starting as the next year began, the relationship gained a firmer and firmer footing with serial hobbyists, until the name stuck.

This is because January always brings the great promise of untapped potential; a clean slate to cover with whatsoever we choose. That, or we have all been lying to ourselves far more convincingly after the New Year starts, and the headaches of too much frivolity remind us of our frailty. This sort of cynicism doesn’t get us very far though, does it?

January is the perfect time to start something anew, pick something up you used to love, or push yourself to create something you are truly proud of.

So - go up into the attic, and inspire yourself with the crafts you focused all your will and energy on once upon a time. And take that inspiration straight to your local arts and crafts shop, hardware shop, book shop, or winery…

As the great Oscar Wilde once wrote:

“One must be serious about something, if one wants to have any amusement in life.” (John Cooper, The Importance of Being Earnest)

So go out, get as serious about something as Mr Wilde has told you to, and claim your amusement.