Why ADHD is the Ultimate Hobby Superpower (10 Quirky Lessons from Trying Everything)
7-10 minute read
written on: August 13, 2025
by: Sunny Voitsekhovsky
With ADHD, I can always count on two things:
Discovering a new hobby.
Immediately wondering if I’ll be obsessed for life… or drop it faster than a hot glue gun with no glue stick.
And why should you listen to me, the woman who has had literally over a thousand hobbies so far? Because, whether or not you have ADHD, I’ve learned some surprisingly deep (and sometimes hilarious) lessons from every single one. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll walk away with your next obsession, too.
Fair warning: some are artsy, some are therapeutic, and some ended in mild disaster. But every single one taught me something — even if that “something” was don’t fucking monetize everything you love.
“Jack of all trades, master of none, though oftentimes better than master of one.”
The Decoupage Shells that Saved My Mental Health. Click to see these shells in action.
#1 – Gilded Decoupage Shells
This one comes with a ⚠️ trigger warning.
Trigger warning: I mention suicidal thoughts in this section. I share it because art helped save my life, and maybe it can help someone else too. But if that’s not something you want to read right now, scroll on.
Pros: Meditative, beautiful, and makes you feel like a mermaid with Mod Podge.
Cons: Gold paint is addictive. You may start casually hoarding shells “for art” like a beach raccoon.
Here’s the truth: when I started this project, I was in a terrifyingly dark place. I was experiencing suicidal thoughts. And that was shocking even to me — because I fucking love life.
It felt like my brain had betrayed me, playing an endless loop of thoughts and images that I did not want to see. I was confused, scared, and deeply unsettled.
I knew I needed to get out of my head and back into my body. One day, while washing my hands, I looked down at our bathroom sink. We have a big white shell as a soap dish — beautiful, but plain. I pictured it with a patterned interior and gilded edges. Turns out… that’s an actual thing.
That’s when I saw gilded decoupage shells on Pinterest! In all honesty.. I was so excited; this was my new hyperfixation for healing.
Before you come after me in the comments section… Megan and I collected empty shells from Vancouver Island beaches that we had sitting around the house… so I grabbed napkins, Mod Podge, a dollar-store brush, and gold paint. I turned the whole process into a slow, mindful ritual — cutting, pasting, painting — until each shell became something beautiful, meaningful and a reminder of gratitude (and life).
I called them gratitude shells. I mailed them to friends and Velvet VA members with handwritten notes, a little reminder that they were loved and appreciated. And in doing that, I remembered I was loved and appreciated too.
Lesson learned: Gratitude heals more than glitter ever could… but glitter helps. When your brain betrays you, art instead.
Yup! I painted that, and I’m pretty proud of it. First-ever textured painting.
#2 – Textured Art and Painting
Pros: Feels like finger painting for adults, but fancier.
Cons: You will stare at a half-finished piece for two weeks trying to “feel” the next layer.
I first saw content creators painting with knives on canvas — thick swipes of color, layers of texture, acrylic mediums being slathered like fancy cake icing. It looked so soothing I had to try it.
But here’s the thing: I’m the type who will only try something when I’m good and ready — not when the algorithm demands it. So no, I didn’t sprint to the art store the moment TikTok told me to ‘heal my inner child with paint.’ I’m a responsible adult, which means I opened Pinterest, pinned 87 ‘inspiration ideas’… and then let them marinate for, oh, five months. Because apparently, step one of my creative healing process is procrastination with aesthetic vision boards.
Mixing baking soda into acrylic paint gave my work this gorgeous, sandy, stone-like texture. My setup was pure ADHD budget brilliance: an easel from Facebook Marketplace, paints and palette knives from Amazon, and brushes from the Dollar Store (because Rule #1 of ADHD hobbies: do not buy the expensive stuff before you know if you’ll stick with it).
SOLD – A true Sunny Original 🌞—and yes, it’s up for grabs. Want it? Place your bid through the form, and let’s see where the art takes you. UPDATE: This painting sold before the blog even went live! 🥳
There’s something incredibly freeing about layered textured painting. You can build, scrape, smear, and redo — and each layer becomes part of the story. Sometimes I’d leave a painting sitting on the easel for a week or two in my living room, staring at it while it stared back at me, both of us waiting for the other to make the first move.
I learned that art like this isn’t about rushing to “done” like I used to do with my orgasms.. It’s about listening to the process, to your mood, to the little voice that says more texture here or stop before you ruin it.
Lesson learned: Let the art tell you when it’s done. Sometimes that takes weeks. Meanwhile, your heart, ADHD, and “too-muchness” will absolutely try to keep adding until it looks like a unicorn barfed on it. Pro tip: stop before the glitter casualties pile up. And don’t be afraid to try new things, like adding salt, sand or other textures – like sprinkles!
#3 – Gardening
Pros: Satisfaction of eating something you grew yourself.
Cons: Deer will ruin your dreams. Twice.
I went into gardening thinking it would be a soul-healing, earth-connection, “my-hands-in-the-soil” kind of experience. And in some ways, it was — there’s something magical about seeing vegetables grow and knowing you made that happen. But here’s the thing: gardening is way better when you start out with friends, family, or a partner. Mostly because there’s a lot of waiting around…and it’s a lot of work while having other creative projects and passions (not to mention a business) on the go.
Gardening isn’t about instant gratification. The biggest lesson it taught me? Nothing grows overnight… it all takes patience, care, and the right environment for your little plant babies to thrive.
When we lived in a house with a backyard, I went big. Tomatoes, squash, carrots, radishes, strawberries, herbs. The results?
When we lived in a house with a backyard, I went big: tomatoes, squash, carrots, radishes, strawberries, herbs. The results? A small but respectable harvest… until deer wiped out the entire garden. Not once. Twice. The audacity. I spent hours setting up barriers and extra fences, screaming FUCK! at the top of my lungs… in my head, because neighbours. I tried to calm myself with, “They’re so cute, remember when babies came by?” And my partner goes, “The babies need to eat too.” Ugh… fine.
Now that we’re in an apartment, I’ve downsized and it’s much more my speed. Herbs and strawberries are my jam: basil, peppermint, chamomile, medicinal flowers — all the things I can tend daily without needing a tractor (not that we needed one before). We’ve even been growing a pineapple and a few avocado plants from seed. Do they take forever? Absolutely. But I’m weirdly okay with that now.
Our grapefruit tree died, though… my proudest moment: Growing it from a grapefruit seed inside a real grapefruit from the supermarket! So cool!
Lesson learned: Not everything in life is instant gratification. Except maybe basil. And deer eating all your food. I guess that means it was delicious…
#4 – Upcycling Furniture
Pros: Your space gets that Pinterest-worthy glow without the $3,000 “designer” price tag.
Cons: Your apartment will smell faintly of paint for about a week (even if you did it outside on the balcony or patio.
Suggestion: Use eco-friendly, non-toxic paint, which has virtually no bad smells or vibes.
Megan and I have turned plant stands, trunks, shelves, and even whole walls into works of art with a little colour magic (and a lot of chaos in the middle). Sometimes we start with a clear vision, and other times it’s more like… “Let’s just see what happens if we paint it pink and gold at midnight.”
Lesson learned: How rewarding it is to have something upcycled by your own hands. Every time I glance at our pink and rose-gold shelf, my heart does a little happy dance.
I went deep diving for a photo of my actual soaps but clearly didn’t dive deep enough (the hard drives are a whole other ocean). So this will do—thanks, ChatGPT! Mine were pretty similar, except the Himalayan pink salt layer was never thatthicc. Funny enough, I always photographed my soaps on the floor (yep, classy) or a windowsill… so this background actually checks out.
#5 – Soap Making
Pros: Your whole house smells like a luxury spa.
Cons: One “fun little hobby” order away from never wanting to look at soap again.
Back in 2015, I ran a soap-making company called Healing Properties. My thing? Infusing vegan soaps with Reiki energy, healing herbs, salts, and natural colours like turmeric, beetroot powder, and spirulina.
My vision was to bring natural, skin-loving ingredients into a world drowning in toxins — partly because I had super sensitive skin and nearly everything made me break out, and partly because, well… making soap is fun.
For a while, it was magical.
I’d pour, swirl, and decorate soaps like they were tiny works of art.
And then came The Wedding Order.
Ninety-five… maybe one hundred and ten bars. Somewhere in there, I blacked out.
Suddenly, my kitchen looked like a small apothecary had exploded. I made mistakes. The rose petals on top faded (because nature loves to keep us humble… or because I didn’t spray them with alcohol, whatever). What once felt like a soothing ritual… became a factory production line.
Lesson learned: Not every hobby needs to be monetized. Some things are better kept for yourself — otherwise, you might end up side-eyeing a bar of handmade lavender soap like it owes you money.
Visit My YouTube Channel, TikTok and Instagram for more video-form content (both short and long – I’m a yapper!).
#6 – Content Creation
Pros: Sharing your life, inspiring people, connecting with your community.
Cons: Social media burnout is very, very real.
I’ve been around the content block — YouTube, TikTok, Instagram… and now this blog. My YouTube channel has definitely seen better days, but lately I’ve been having a lot of fun on TikTok, Instagram, and, most of all, right here in blog-land.
I even have a few YouTube videos recorded and sitting patiently on my hard drive, waiting for me to edit them. But here’s the thing — content creation isn’t just about filming and posting. It’s about building habits, creating a flow, and making sure you’re not forcing yourself into burnout territory for the sake of “staying relevant.”
Right now, blogging has my heart, so that’s where my energy is going. YouTube will still be there when I’m ready to share more inspiring content — and when I do, I’ll probably post some of it here too.
Lesson learned: Authenticity > trends. Nobody wants a copycat, unless you're getting plastic surgery to look like everyone else. Sorry not sorry.
Stacks on stacks of journals—each one crammed with late-night thoughts, therapy scribbles, emotional plot twists, doodles, maps, wild ideas, and the occasional stroke of genius. Basically, my brain on paper. 🎥 Check out the video here for the full scoop.
#7 – Writing
Pros: Cathartic, creative, healing.
Cons: You’ll always want to write more than you actually have time for.
I’ve been a writer on and off for nearly my entire life. Back in school, I was obsessed with it — churning out short stories, poetry, and even children’s books, all inspired by dreams, random ideas, and pure love for storytelling.
Many of my pieces came straight from my imagination, but some were pulled from dreams so vivid I had to get them onto paper before they vanished.
These days, I’m still writing constantly — just in different forms.
It’s blogs, social captions, content for my business, personal emails, and most importantly, journaling. My journal is where I work through catharsis, process my emotions, and integrate more peace into my life with every pen stroke and carefully chosen word.
Lesson learned: Self-expression won’t just heal you — it will save your soul.
You can purchase my art here or on Etsy. Visiting Vancouver Island? My stickers and prints are available at The Nightmare Oasis Art Gallery in Nanaimo.
#8 – Digital Art (Not AI)
Pros: No cleanup. Endless creativity.
Cons (or Pro, depending on how you look at it): Easily getting lost in your creativity for 6+ hours… HELLO hyperfixation!
Art has been in my life since I was a kid — more like it raised me. It’s been my place for emotions (from grief to pure joy), my transformation, my peace, my therapy, and my lifelong companion. Digital art in particular has always fascinated me. I’ve created pieces that range from dopamine-drenched childlike doodles to intricate, transformational works that look like light language or ancient codes beamed in from another dimension.
I work intuitively, often “channelling” pieces in apps like Procreate, Photoshop, and Illustrator. Sometimes the art comes out exactly how I imagined. Other times it surprises me entirely — which is honestly half the fun. Right now, I’m working on a top-secret project connected to some of my earliest digital work, and I’m obsessed with the flow state it pulls me into every single time. Stay tuned to hear more.
Lesson learned: Love the progress, trust the process. Be open to what comes through — it might be even better than what you saw in your mind’s eye.
#9 – Reading
Pros: Expands your mind, heart, and vocabulary.
Cons: Finding the right book with ADHD takes effort (and a stubborn streak).
I didn’t become a reader until adulthood. In high school? Forget it. I wouldn’t even finish a book for an assignment — I once “read” Of Mice and Men by watching the movie, piecing together whatever the teacher read aloud in class, and calling it a day.
Turns out, I just needed the right tools, the right genres, and permission to read my way. Now I devour books on self-development, spirituality, art, consciousness, ancient Egypt, biographies, design — basically anything that catches my curiosity and refuses to let go. My attention span may be picky, but when I find the right book, I’m unstoppable.
And yes, the books have to have pictures… I mean, they don’t HAVE to… but I like when they do.
Lesson learned: Never give up on a skill just because you struggled with it before. (Also, Eat Pray Love is not the only book in the world.)
“Winter In Nanaimo” Photography by Sunny Voitsekhovsky, 2023/24. This was taken with my Google Pixel phone on Portrait Mode, unedited. At the time, we lived in a 1920s Heritage house, which served as true entrepreneurial history within Nanaimo; “Built in 1923, the Galbraith Residence is a very good example of a Late Craftsman bungalow, a popular style among Nanaimo's entrepreneurial and professional class during the 1920s.”
#10 – Photography
Pros: Forces you to see the world differently.
Cons: You’ll fill your camera roll in a single afternoon.
Before smartphones had great cameras, I carried a little digital camera everywhere. I took photos of everything — city streets, tangled forests, strangers’ faces, blurred headlights, pigeons mid-strut. Photography has been my quiet way of capturing not just what I see, but how I feel.
Every phase of my life came with its own photographic style, usually paired with words — captions, short stories, even poetry. It’s one of the ways I’ve shared my world in a way that feels inspiring to me, whether or not anyone else gets it.
Lesson learned: Always explore new perspectives — in photos and in life.
ADHD Life Saver 🛟
Too many hobbies, not enough time? Velvet VA handles your admin, organizes your inbox, and wrangles all the behind-the-scenes chaos—so you can focus on what actually makes you sparkle.
Closing Thoughts
I’ve tried hundreds of hobbies, but these are just the first ten. ADHD might make me leap from one passion to another, but every single one has added something to my life — whether it’s patience, joy, new skills, or just a great story about deer destroying my tomatoes.
If you made it this far, drop a 🦒 in the comments so I know you’re my kind of human.
