Recently, an acquaintance who is an artist explained how he cuts off from the world when he paints. I was impressed but also a bit sad that I could not recall the last time I tried to make something with my hands 😒

Not delegated. Not outsourced. Not explained in a slide presentation. Actually built!

I also realized I am envious of people who create things independently. They disappear into kitchens, gardens, wheels of clay, art rooms and so on becoming fully immersed in whatever they are trying to make.

It becomes even more powerful when they are doing it purely for themselves. Not to sell. Not to post. Not to impress. Just because the act itself is satisfying. Because the work feels right. That kind of self-directed effort builds something invisible but substantial.

There is something deeply attractive about that absorption. Over time, this kind of making things silently builds a rich inner life. And people with a rich inner life are simply more interesting.

They are not always trying to extract meaning from conversations or borrow identity from their work. They carry depth, patience, and perspective into how they show up.

Sometimes, these hobbies even turn into lifelong pursuits. I knew someone who loved tinkering with car engines when he was young. He did not become a mechanic or an engineer. Life took him elsewhere. But the interest never left.

Post-retirement, that lifelong hobby turned into something meaningful: he became a vintage car collector. Not by accident, but because he had been building that inner world for decades.

In a world obsessed with visibility and scale, people who build things with their hands feel rebellious. They are not chasing attention. They are chasing competence, calm, and a sense of completion.

The digital age and the pursuit of one-dimensional success has led us to overlook the value of slow accumulation and the importance of craftsmanship and skills honed over years.

And maybe that is what I am really envious of, not just the things these people make, but the lives they live along the way.