TikTok is the habitat of the young—three-quarters of subscribers are 34 or under. No surprise there. What is surprising is a TikTok trend that seems decidedly, well, mature… It’s called Grandma Hobbies, and it’s no fluke. More than half of GenZ young people are into them. That means, brace yourself, that your church’s quilting circle may be the trendiest thing you’re doing… Grandma Hobbies include:
- knitting,
- crocheting,
- sewing,
- gardening,
- baking,
- canning,
- embroidery,
- puzzles,
- birdwatching, and
- physical books.
You know a trend has bubbled over the banks of its streambed when the New York Times publishes a lengthy piece on it. A generation raised on screens is longing for something more embodied. They are gravitating to hands-on pursuits. In “The Comforting Resurgence of ‘Grandma Hobbies,’” multi-media journalist Kate Brennan starts with her own mea culpa—she flew from her home in New York City to spend two days learning how to quilt at a Northern Michigan “folk school.” When the Uber driver who drops her off at the school asks if she’s here for a bachelorette weekend, she draws a punctuated “Huh” from him when she explains what she’s doing.
In the piece, Brennan quotes Cal Newport, a professor of computer science at Georgetown University and an expert on technology and productivity: “Grandma hobbies reconnect us to ourselves. These activities are hard, in that they require time and concentration to master. But they also offer clear and fulfilling rewards.” Those rewards are all analog, not digital. Immersed in their digtal quagmire, young people are finding soul-full activities that make them feel more grounded. Adelaide University professor Susan Luckman, author of Craft and the Creative Economy, says that Grandma Hobbies give give people “a little bit of self-empowerment back in a world that can often feel overwhelming.” In addition, they help people…
- find belonging in an embodied community,
- feel the satisfaction of creating something tangible,
- experience their humanness in the company of other humans,
- re-assert their autonomy in a world that threatens to take it away,
- anchor their soul in reality, rather than the virtual AI-generated landscape,
- gravitate to quiet spaces that block out the noise of contemporary life,
- focus on one thing, when everything else in their life demands multi-tasking, and
- silence their inner dialogue as they are invited into person-to-person dialogue.
What might this all mean for the savvy ministry leader? Think of the possibilities…
- Intergenerational Influence – Older people who have mastered a skill teaching a hungry, younger generation to discover a new passion—and sharing what will never get old, their own faith story.
- Bridging from Grandma Hobbies to Spiritual Practices – If older/ancient practices are whetting the appetite of young people, what about the ancient spiritual practices of the church?
- Launching Small Groups Around a Hobby, Not a Topic – Why not upend the traditional template for small groups and experiment with groups focused on a Grandma Hobby that intentionally leaves space for conversation?
- Parent/Child Learning Groups – How about pairing a parent and child who are learning together a new hobby, with gentle prompts for faith conversation embedded in the experience?
In her New York Times piece, Brennan ends with a piercing observation from Danish psychologist Anne Kirketerp—she calls the engine driving the Grandma Hobby trend “meaningful self-forgetfulness.” It’s hard to forget yourself when your entire ecosystem is forcing you to look at yourself all the time. Maybe the soul-exhaustion of an entire generation is an open invitation to “Come to the Quiet,” the throwback album title of musician and lay-monk John Michael Talbot’s beautiful call to worship.
Rick Lawrence is Executive Director of Vibrant Faith—he created the new curriculum Following Jesus. He’s editor of the Jesus-Centered Bible and author of 40 books, including his newest Editing Jesus: Confronting the Distorted Faith of the American Church, The Suicide Solution, The Jesus-Centered Life and Jesus-Centered Daily. He hosts the podcast Paying Ridiculous Attention to Jesus.