Young People Embrace 'Grandma Hobbies' from Blacksmithing to Needlepoint
Droves of young people are turning to tactile, analog hobbies and activities as a means of escaping technology and reconnecting with childlike creativity and exploration. From blacksmithing to needlepoint, this movement, often dubbed 'grandma hobbies,' is gaining significant traction among Gen-Z and millennials, driven ironically by social media trends.
Escaping Screens Through Craft
Emma MacTaggart, now 26, exemplifies this shift. At age 23, working long hours in investment banking, she found her free time dominated by screens. Along with roommates, she sought a hobby to replace phone habits and became "hooked" on needlepoint, a skill she had learned from relatives as a child. "It was a really therapeutic way to kind of distract yourself from either work or stress, but also just do something with your hands instead of doomscrolling," MacTaggart said. "We became completely obsessed."
She has since founded the needlepoint business What’s the Stitch, selling canvases, accessories, and digital designs, and runs popular social media profiles. Her creations often feature cheeky humor and occasional profanity, putting a young spin on a historically traditional craft.
Psychological Benefits and Community Building
Jaime Kurtz, a psychology professor at James Madison University specializing in happiness research, notes that these activities can reduce anxiety and stress while providing a sense of accomplishment. "Hobbies are really important, and a lot of us have lost them, or we just don’t prioritize them enough, or we think we’re too busy," Kurtz said. "But just finding little bits of time to carve out to do these kinds of things is a really wise use of time."
Clara Sherman, co-founder of So Bam Fun, which aims to reinvigorate mahjong for younger generations, describes reaching a "zen state" while playing with friends. "You kind of feel like you’re existing in this little bubble of just myself, my friends and this game we’re all enjoying together," she said. "It just really does allow you to shut off the rest of the world."
Technology Enhancing Analog Experiences
Not all young hobbyists seek to completely escape technology; some integrate it to enhance their experiences. Isaiah Scott, a 22-year-old birdwatcher, artist, and content creator based in Savannah, Georgia, uses the app eBird to log observations and contribute to scientific research. He compares birdwatching to Pokémon games: "It feels like a video game, but in real life." Traveling to different regions is like unlocking new maps, and spotting species is akin to achieving high scores—Scott has seen about 800 species.
Beyond hobbyism, birdwatching inspired Scott to found the nonprofit Rookery and Roots Conservancy, recently purchasing 16 acres in Rincon, Georgia, to protect wildlife habitats, partly funded through his online platform.
Business Opportunities and Longevity
Exposure online has enabled hobbyists to build thriving businesses. Anna Weare, a full-time blacksmith and farrier known as AnvilAnna on social media, has an international following. Her one-piece spurs, noted for durability and rarity, have a waitlist about a year long. Weare, 27, attributes interest in blacksmithing to fatigue with hyper-digitalization and mass-produced items. "People, now more than ever, are realizing that things made in factories or mass produced, they wear out so quickly," she said. "People want longevity, and this craft has been around for so long for a reason."
Fostering Connection and Slower Moments
Community is a key aspect for many crafters. Kristie Landing, 34, created Verse & Sip, a platform for poets and poetry lovers, sharing videos of letter writing, wax seals, and origami. She receives numerous questions from an "active community" about materials and tools, leading her to start a pen pal matching service. Landing also runs the Verse & Sip Mail Club, sending original poems and tea monthly to hundreds globally, aiming to create "slower moments" on fast-paced platforms.
Many hobbyists view this not as a fleeting trend but as an intentional embrace of the analog world. As for the "grandma hobbies" label, MacTaggart embraces it: "I joke with my friends that I have been a grandma my whole life, so it’s only fitting that this is now my career."
