I am a designer, so for me anything anyhow connected with visual aspects.

Someone already posted about old coins and film photography so I will add:

· Watching Movies — at least once for the story and overall feeling, then for the story again and visuals, colors etc., later for techniques, ideas, framing, music, rhythm, cuts and so on.

· Stamps (Philately) — what more can I say, sometimes I forget about my unsegregated albums, but when I reopen them or find something to add, I am gone.

· Collecting well designed magazines and other printed materials — this one was a big one for me, for a long, looong time. Still, from time to time I will find a great business card or a catalogue, as they are becoming scarce now, or in the ocean of very poor design — it always feels like finding a real treasure.

Gardening. There are a million things to learn, and every year is an adventure.

Also making things from yarn. So many different techniques, yarns, styles, and colors. And if you have a project that is easy, you can binge watch at the same time.

Coin collecting/numismatics.

I can’t speak for other collectors but my focus is on ancient coins, mostly Roman imperials.

The amount of history and artistry in those coins is off the charts amazing, and every single one is like a tiny window into the past. To many outsiders it seems like one of the stuffiest things to do. It does require a good bit of research which can get a bit dry at times, but nothing beats that feeling of holding literal treasure of 2000+ years old.

Plastic scale modelling.

Trust me, it gets deep and expensive. The almost irresistible desire to increase the size of one’s “stash” by buying models you’ll never get around to building. The need to have the exact shade of paint used on a 1942 tropical BF109. The need for at least 3 airbrushes. The obsession with the tools.

HELP!

But it’s really quite enjoyable and once you accept that if what you’ve built gives you pleasure and that you’re happy with it, you’ve got it beat.