To all of you excited to hear me talk about a new kind of cannabis, sorry to disappoint. I am quite literally going to write about a pot I decorated with shells. Now, this is a big deal to me because—I cannot emphasize this more strongly—I am NOT crafty.
Around age twelve or thirteen, maybe fourteen, but certainly no older, I read the book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance on my dad’s recommendation. Angela Duckworth’s book argues, as you could probably assume from the title, that a significant factor in success is grit: a combination of love and stick-to-it-iveness. I took that message to heart, in both healthy and unhealthy ways.
In this season of my life, though—the months between graduating and beginning a new degree, the months living as a working adult while still enveloped in a college community, the months without a rhythm of evaluations and subsequent validation for which to strive—I’ve been chafing against the reality that I can’t get where I am going any faster than I already am, no matter how hard I try.
Subsequently, I’m learning to exercise my freedom—freedom to hop between hobbies, shimmy between shindigs, pirouette between pastimes.
Listed below, then, are descriptions of cheap hobbies I’ve tried, and the subsequent results. (Pictures included; compliment me, I demand it.)
Magazine paper snowflakes: 3.5 out of 5 stars
These are exactly what they sound like. Definitely half a star is for the incredible podcast I listened to while cutting. Snowflakes are festive, but they can be cute window accessories well into April, especially if you live in Michigan. If you’re like me and your snowflake usually looks like paper with random holes cut in it, I’d recommend googling a template to make ones that actually look half-decent.
Half-homemade magazine collage cards: 4 out of 5 stars
I don’t really know what to call these. I had several Nat Geo magazines and a few old guidebooks lying around, so I cut out buildings and paintings and made Dante/Florence-themed greeting cards. It was fun. I made a little museum gallery on the inside of the card, and I had to match/contrast colors to make the frames. A star added for the mems and also the complexity/time spent creating to financial investment ratio. Craft glue sticks (not the purple kind used in kindergarten) cost about $3.50.
A straight-up collage: 3.5 out of 5 stars
This was the most ambitious project yet, because it required actual creative input. Main takeaways: I like ripping paper, and flexible artistic constraints or prompts can be useful.
A shell pot: 5 out of 5 stars!!!
This exceeded my wildest dreams. I went to Florida in February with one of my sisters, my aunt, and my grandparents. I prefer collecting shells for some purpose, rather than aimlessly, so I searched “shell craft” on Pinterest and was inspired. Bonus points because I got to use broken and barnacled shells no one ever collects. I see some metaphorical resonance, too—usually only whole and beautiful shells are seen as worthy of collection. I do not ascribe to that philosophy. I did have to buy paint and hot glue, but I swiped the pot from my boyfriend, so still, under $15.
A shell picture frame: ??? out of 5 stars
The shell pot (which I think turned out SUPER cool) ignited a desire in me, maybe even an addiction. The urge to stick shells to objects is nearly irresistible, so when I found an old picture frame in my donate bin, I decided to put it to good use. This project is still in the works.
I’ve told nearly everyone in my life about this shell pot. The picture I present to people is favorited for easy access. I’m proud of it as a product of my time and energy, and perhaps even more significantly, I’m proud of myself for enjoying its making.
After being told to read the book several months ago, I’ve finally begun reading The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer.
It is convicting and useful and wise. And also, I’m thinking, maybe I should quit the self-help books altogether in favor of creating, however simple that creation might be.
(What actually is creativity? Good question. I took a whole class about that question as my senior capstone class, and I have literally no clue. But I do know that I had fun(?) making a paper sculpture interpretation of a poem, and I have a few opinions I could dredge out of my brain about Camus to sound smart if I had to.)
Savannah Shustack graduated from Calvin in 2024 with a major in literature and plans to have the job of “books” one day. Rather like Ken, she is still figuring life out; the job “books” provides plenty of wiggle room, though she’s currently leaning toward being a librarian. Savannah is a New England native who enjoys watching hockey (Go Bruins!) and playing board games—especially ones she can win.
