Growing up, colouring-in meant raiding the same battered tin of pencils that had lived in the house since the phone was attached to the wall. Now it’s a $100 + “professional grade” set, a curated Pinterest board, and the quiet dread that your shading isn’t smooth enough to post online. Somewhere between self-care and aesthetics, social media has turned hobbies into performances with price tags – and somehow convinced us that it’s relaxing. Nothing says inner peace like unaffordable standards and toxic perfectionism.
It’s not hard to see why adults are so drawn in. Colouring, junk journaling, collecting – these were childhood activities done for no reason other than that they felt good, back when being “productive” wasn’t a personality trait. Ferris Wheel Press attributes this movement to screen overload: shrinking attention spans, information fatigue, and a constant hum of distraction. Wanting to create instead of doomscroll is a good instinct – ironic, considering what happens when an influencer gets their hands on a good thing.
Scroll through TikTok or Instagram and you’ll find creators unboxing hauls of Ohuhu markers and twenty colouring books before they’ve even done more than 5 minutes of art – A haul-to-hobby ratio that would embarrass a hoarder. It’s not about the hobby anymore; it’s about looking like you have the hobby, ideally with good lighting. Jahnvi Borgohain has the perfect name for it: “overconsumption disguised as passion.” As the story goes, the novelty dissipates one algorithm cycle later, leaving you more broke and no more relaxed than when the parcel arrived.
I say this as a repeat offender on a first-name basis with the delivery driver. I have drawers of supplies bought on whims sparked by fifteen-second reels; hobbies only half started, silently judging me. The dopamine lasted exactly as long as the reel; the time before pay day seemed considerably longer. This is not to say that I, or anyone else for that matter, is a total hobby fraud. I still love my hobbies, I’ve just had to rewire my approach to them on occasion and remember what I really wanted: to be mindful, to nurture my inner child, to reactivate my creative brain, to have fun.
Let’s buy less. Let’s colour outside the lines. Let’s stop trying to perform life and start ✨living ✨.
Bethany Miguel 
Tarkyn Sharples 
Sonya Murphy