After years of replacing physical tasks with apps, automation, and convenience, Americans are rediscovering activities where the point is simply to make something themselves. Pinterest says 51% of Gen Z now associate having a hobby with joy, while Michaels reports searches for knitting, crochet, embroidery, journaling and painting rose 136% in six months.
1. Keeping Paper Journals
Junk journals, scrapbooks, and handwritten memory books are replacing some digital note-taking.
Michaels reported junk-journaling searches up 63% year over year, suggesting people increasingly want a physical record of their lives.
2. Making Their Own Pottery
Pottery has become part creative project, part social activity.
Pinterest saw searches for clay bag charms rise more than 1,400% and air-dry clay projects more than 600%, showing how far hands-on clay projects have spread.
3. Picking Up Embroidery
Embroidery is no longer just something associated with grandparents.
Pinterest reported searches for hand-embroidery art up more than 1,300% in 2026, while knitting and other traditional crafts are increasingly being reframed as modern hobbies.
4. Cooking More From Scratch
Home cooking is also becoming part of the hands-on movement.
Pinterest highlighted fermenting, homemade drinks, herbal projects and home coffee-making as major 2026 hobby trends.
5. Making Things From Old Materials
Upcycling is turning old clothing, cardboard and household materials into something new.
The appeal is partly creative—and partly the satisfaction of making something useful without simply buying another finished product.
6. Choosing Hobbies That Can’t Be Scrolled
The biggest change may be psychological.
The 2026 analog trend is increasingly about activities that demand physical attention: knitting, painting, journaling, pottery and other hobbies where progress happens in the real world rather than on a screen.
