Learn a fiber art
Fiber arts are growing in popularity as of recently because they can be used to make leg warmers, beanies, gloves, tops, shorts, tote bags and so much more. A reason to start this process is the fact that quickly after SoCal summer comes the chilly days of fall, when the creations made can be worn and shown off.
The thought of learning a fiber art such as crochet and knitting can be intimidating to many, but it’s a simple process to start. One big motivator can be to look up crochet/knitting items on Pinterest and have a goal to make a specific piece in the future. This can include clothing items, plush toys, accessories and much more. Before starting the process of purchasing materials, look up an online tutorial to learn basic stitches. They usually instruct the watcher to buy a specific needle and yarn size. The materials needed to start would be either crochet hooks or knitting needles as well as yarn. For crochet projects, depending on the yarn purchased, there is a guide to what size hook needed. Similarly for knitting, the size of the needle will also determine the size of the yarn needed. To start either fiber art, learning basic stitches and easy projects is the beginning. After learning the stitches, beginning the process of a project is simple because all that is needed is a pattern.
Burn a CD
Many are familiar with creating playlists and sharing them with friends. There’s one way to take sharing a playlist to a more intimate level. Burning a compact disc (CD) is the process of recording music from a digital file to a physical disk, which can sound difficult, but is actually a simple process. The materials needed are a computer/laptop, blank CD disks and a CD reader if needed. Creating the playlist is the first step. Curate a list of songs that match a vibe, remind you of someone or are the current most played songs you listen to. Based on the amount of space on the blank CD will determine how many songs you can load onto the disk. You would then convert the song to a file that can be burned onto a blank CD disk. Once the process is complete, a physical playlist has been created and is ready to be played in the car, on a CD player or can be given to someone else.
Taking this one step further could be to decorate a case based on the newly curated playlist. The only material that is needed is a clear CD case that can easily be thrifted by buying unwanted CDs and cleaning the case. Drawings, stickers, photos, digital art and so much more can be used to uniquely create a case fit for the vibe curated by the CD playlist made. This can be a unique way of owning physical music media while still incorporating personal music taste.
Mod a handheld console
As children, many were given Nintendo handheld consoles such as 2DS/3DS consoles that are now collecting dust because they are not being used. One way to put them back to use would be to mod them, or in other words, install custom firmware to download new games, create custom themes and make them usable again. The materials that are needed are the console itself, a laptop/tablet/phone, an SD card and an SD card reader. Depending on which model of console one has, and what kind of laptop is used, the process will be very different. In simple terms, the SD card is used to download the code needed to install the firmware that is needed, then the SD card is inserted back into the console where more steps are taken to install the firmware and finally your console is modded. This process allows the user to download games, create custom themes using different websites and bring back the nostalgia of spending hours trying to beat a level or find a princess in danger.
This activity also encourages reusing old technology because although not everyone has an old handheld console collecting dust, buying them secondhand is not tedious at all.
READ READ READ!
2026 is a big year for movies and surprisingly a lot of them are based on books. One final recommendation to prevent doomscrolling is to read the books before watching the movies or TV shows they are based off of. For example, in June, the movie “Supergirl” was released in theaters and it is based off of the comic book series “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” by Tom King and Bilquis Evely. Another example is the highly anticipated movie “The Odyssey” which is based on theGreek epic by Homer. Not only is this a way to pick up a good read, but also introduces the reader to the story, characters and plot line before buying a ticket to the movie theater. It can convince the reader to either be excited for what they will watch in theaters or allow them to make the choice of staying home because the book did not supply them with much excitement.
Doomscrolling is not inherently bad, but there are many ways to spend time this summer curating vibes, expanding new interests and interacting with current art media.
