INTS is affiliated with Real Rufus.Com and all the galleries for art and sculpture are accessed from both pages. This is a short introduction to these pastimes and any associated links are found on the page you just came from.

Nobody should go through life without several hobbies or at least one. If you feel that your existence does not seem to count for much, if you’re bored with the usual routine, if you feel ripped off, in life because your marriage or family plans did not quite work out the way you expected or for any reason at all... you need a hobby. Everybody should have certain things that they do for themselves on a regular basis all of their lives and those are a garden, an exercise routine, a creative outlet and a pastime. You need these things to be healthy both physically and mentally and unfortunately many people in modern society take meds instead and I include alcohol in that category. A few recreational medications is quite alright as long as they don’t control you but if you see these problems getting out of control then you should get on a project right away and loose your self in it. The common ones that were acceptable for women in the past were creative cooking, decorating, knitting, social work and a flower or vegetable garden. Today you could take up sky diving and no one would even bat an eyelash because women have achieved at least that much freedom and equality. As far as hobbies are concerned you might not set up a model railroad or a start playing with radio control cars but in the 50’s my Mom got involved in those two hobbies by opening a Hobby Store in Westfort with all the natural woman’s hobbies like artificial floral’s and figurine painting and since she had two son’s included those very things.

There are links to her personal pages with friends and family showing many of the old photos of her displays and hobby interests. In the Ruby’s Store page you will find thumbnails below that link to many of the hobbies that are still practiced here in her name and honor and even thought she is long gone she is still on the web and ’Ruby’s Creative Arts’ is now digital.

Don’t try to think of your hobby as beginning a business unless you are into that. It can be a waste of money and thats alright. Your peace of mind is so important that you need something like a craft that you can think about and take with you where ever you go, even if only in your mind. Write a novel. Take lessons on oil painting or acrylic or watercolors but don’t elevate it to the point where you expect to become world famous or feel you are a failure if it comes to nothing. That’s a bad attitude. Just do something that you might like and don’t spend too much to get into it or even try something that costs nearly nothing. You can join a club, just get some friends involved or do it on your own but make sure you need as little as possible to be able to do it. If you decide to take up bicycle riding or skiing for example, don’t give into the usual routine of having to have all the latest equipment and duds just to start out. Chances are the whole shebang will just get stuck in the garage and make you feel bad because you aren’t using it like all that unused exercise equipment I see in everybody’s basement. Get an old mountain bike and start out that way, wearing whatever you have and then if it works out add a bit at a time and eventually you can get the spandex and the $3100 racer. Bicycle riding is more of an exercise routine but could start out as a hobby too.

Much of what I do as an old guy is listen to peoples personal problems and try to give them advice on how to continue on and change the things that need to be changed to make themselves happier and more fulfilled. People quite often feel that they just aren’t doing anything important or interesting and I always relate to them that I would be lost without my projects. Personally I have my computer and I’m in love with it (sorta). I have the web sites that must be kept up. I do ceramics but not all the time and I am finally at the point with my artwork that people actually pay good money for my stuff. I have the garage and the motorcycles and the sports car. When I get tired of one thing I switch to another and I never put great pressure on myself to succeed because in the long run it’s all just for fun.

If you are artistic or creative then you probably already do something and may have even begun a career with it but that’s just not the main point here. You need a project that takes your mind off everything and gives you a continuum to each day. Today you can say that you finally dug the flower garden down by the fence. It makes you feel satisfied and gets you off your duff. You will talk about it at the dinner table and be proud of your accomplishment. You will dose off at night planning the locations of the wild flowers that you always wanted to dig up in the field next door. You will loose yourself in the beauty of creativity and someone may even come along and give you a compliment on it. That’s what life is all about. Get a Hobby. You can write to me about any interest you have and I always have time to email at least a couple of times. If we have a common interest then you might want to contribute to this page. We are all exactly what we think we are and the trick is to get a better impression of yourself to really feel good.

Nsoar