NihshabdBlog

Tag: Creativity

  • I Think I’ve Been Collecting Hobbies 😄

    I Think I’ve Been Collecting Hobbies 😄

    Daily writing prompt
    Share a hobby you’ve picked up recently — what got you into it?
    View all responses

    The Hobby I Didn’t Know I Had

    I’ve never really been good at having just one hobby.

    I like learning things.

    New things. Random things. Sometimes useful things. Sometimes things I have absolutely no practical reason to learn. 😄

    Over the years, I’ve tried illustration, 3D illustration, drawing on Procreate, painting, glass painting, crocheting, embroidery, music, and trying new recipes. I’ve made quite a few things along the way too.

    Some stayed for a while, some were quietly replaced by something new, and a few are probably still sitting somewhere, waiting for me to remember them. 😄

    So sometimes I wonder—do I actually have too many hobbies, or is my real hobby simply learning something new?

    Maybe it’s just curiosity. I like being a beginner, figuring things out, making mistakes, and seeing what I can create.

    And then there is writing.

    The Hobby That Found Its Way Back

    I started writing again last December.

    But writing has actually been a part of me since childhood. I loved making up stories. My mind would create a new one almost every day.

    I could look at the stars and imagine stories hidden among them, watch clouds drifting across the sky and wonder where they were going, or follow butterflies in my imagination to some faraway place. Even rainy days had their own magic. I would sit listening to the raindrops and somehow, new words would find their way into my thoughts.

    I never really thought of writing as a hobby back then.

    It was simply something I loved doing.

    When Writing Went Quiet

    As life became busier, writing slowly became less and less a part of my everyday life. There was always something else that needed my attention, and without even realising it, I drifted away from it.

    I did try to find my way back once. I started a travel blog because I have always loved travelling, discovering new places, and learning about them. I loved collecting little stories from different places and putting them into words.

    But that too slowly got lost in the busyness of life.

    Until last December.

    There was no big plan. Just a quiet voice inside me saying,

    You should write again.

    And this time, I listened.

    I created an account on WordPress. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure if I could still write. It had been a while, and I wondered if the words would come.

    So I started.

    One thought became a few words, a few words became a paragraph, and slowly, writing found its way back into my everyday life.

    The funny thing is, I thought I had lost that part of myself.

    I hadn’t.

    I had simply stopped listening to it.

    Maybe Curiosity Is My Real Hobby

    Looking at all the things I’ve tried over the years, I think there is a pattern.

    I simply like learning.

    I don’t necessarily need to become an expert. Sometimes I just want to know, Can I do this?

    And then I try.

    Some things stay. Some don’t. Some get forgotten and come back years later.

    Writing did.

    And now, my next plan is to learn the guitar. 🎸

    I have no idea how that will go, but I’m curious enough to find out.

    I don’t want to reach the end of my life saying, “I always wanted to try that.”

    I’d rather say, “I tried.”

    Even if I wasn’t very good at it.

    There is only one life. I want to keep learning, keep creating, and keep following that little voice that says, Why not?

    And perhaps the most beautiful part of this journey has been seeing where those words have travelled.

    I started writing again without knowing where it would take me.

    Today, when I look at this map and see readers from so many different parts of the world, I have to smile.

    I guess my words decided to travel even when I wasn’t. 🌍

    Maybe that’s what happens when you make room for something you love again. You never quite know where it might take you.

    Now it’s your turn. What’s your hobby? Have you picked up something new recently, or is there an old hobby waiting for you to return to it? What got you into it? I’d love to hear your story.

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    Until The Next Whisper,

    —Rajeshwari 🧿💕

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    © NihshabdThe Silent Stories That Speak to the Soul. All Rights Reserved.

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    READ MORE : The Art of Never Stopping Wonder The Places Where I Accidentally Disappear

  • Done Is Better Than Perfect | Overcome Perfectionism

    Done Is Better Than Perfect | Overcome Perfectionism

    What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

    Done Is Better Than Perfect: The Advice That Helped Me Overcome Perfectionism

    Done is better than perfect is the best piece of advice I have ever received. It completely changed my creative journey and taught me that overcoming perfectionism isn’t about becoming flawless—it’s about having the courage to begin.

    I didn’t learn this lesson from a book or a motivational quote.

    I learned it from my mentor… and one imperfect illustration that I almost never shared.

    Why I Was Afraid to Share My First Digital Illustration✨

    If there is one piece of advice that quietly changed my life, it was this:

    “Done is better than perfect.”

    When I joined my digital fashion illustration course, I had one tiny problem.

    Actually… several tiny problems.

    I knew hand illustration.

    I knew nothing about Photoshop.

    And laptops?

    Let’s just say, if technology were a language, I’d still be stuck at A for Apple. 😄

    Then came our first digital illustration assignment.

    After wrestling with layers, tracing, brushes, and enough confusion to question all my life choices, I somehow managed to create my very first digital portrait.

    It wasn’t great.

    It wasn’t even “almost great.”

    Let’s just say… my portrait and the original model looked like they belonged to two completely different families. 😂

    I proudly sent it to my mentor.

    She looked at it and said,

    “Wonderful. Now post it on social media.”

    Excuse me… WHAT?

    I immediately replied,

    “Ma’am, I can’t! People will laugh. They’ll wonder what exactly I’ve illustrated.”

    The Advice That Changed My Perspective✨

    That’s when she said something I’ll never forget.

    “If you keep waiting for perfection, you’ll miss the entire journey that leads to it.”

    She continued,

    “Nothing starts perfect. Even ten years from now, you’ll look at your work and find something you’d improve. Perfection isn’t a destination you suddenly reach one day. It’s simply the result of showing up, making mistakes, learning from them, and doing it again.”

    And then came the line that stayed with me.

    “You can only improve what you’re willing to show.”


    This wasn’t perfect. But posting it was the most perfect decision I made.

    How I Started Overcoming Perfectionism✨

    That day, I understood something.

    Perfection doesn’t build confidence.

    Action does.

    The funny part?

    If I had waited until I felt “good enough,” I’d probably still be staring at that same unfinished illustration… while Photoshop continued staring back at me. 😄

    Today, when I look at that first design, I smile.

    Not because it’s perfect.

    But because it exists.

    It reminds me that every piece of work I create today began with one imperfect attempt that I almost never shared.

    Why Done Is Better Than Perfect✨

    Perfection is a moving target.

    No matter how experienced we become, there will always be something we’d like to improve.

    The real magic isn’t in creating something perfect.

    It’s in creating something at all.

    Every finished piece teaches us something.

    Every imperfect attempt makes us better.

    Every mistake becomes a lesson we couldn’t have learned by waiting.

    Perfection never arrived. Progress did.

    My Biggest Lesson as a Creative✨

    So here’s my little reminder for anyone waiting for the “perfect time.”

    Post it.

    Write it.

    Paint it.

    Start it.

    Because unfinished dreams hidden in drafts never become success stories.

    Sometimes, done really is better than perfect.

    And for that lesson, I’ll always be grateful to my mentor, who saw possibility in me long before I could see it in myself.

    This illustration didn’t build my confidence.

    Sharing it did.

    Looking at it today, I don’t remember the fear.

    I remember the moment I chose progress over perfection.

    Now I’m curious… what’s one thing you’ve been waiting to share because you’re afraid it isn’t perfect yet? I’d love to hear your story. 🤍🦋

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    Until the next whisper…
    —Rajeshwari 🧿💕

    © Nihshabd by Rajeshwari

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    If this whisper stayed with you, you may also enjoy reading A Blank Canvas and a Blank Page

    Creative Chaos & Quiet Feelings ✨😄

    If I Could Be Someone Else… I’d Still Pick Me 2.0

    About Nihshabd

    My Screen Time Finally Grew Up 

  • Fictional Character You Relate to the Most | Nihshabd

    Fictional Character You Relate to the Most | Nihshabd

    Who is the fictional character you relate to the most?

    One Character? Really?

    Who is the fictional character you relate to the most?

    I hate this question.

    Not because I don’t have an answer…

    But because it expects me to have just one.

    Seriously?

    That’s like asking an artist to choose one colour…
    or asking a writer to pick one favourite word.

    Life doesn’t make us that simple.

    Just when I think I’ve found the fictional character I relate to the most, another one quietly taps me on the shoulder and says,

    “Excuse me… you’ve borrowed a little piece of me too.”

    And annoyingly…

    She’s right.

    Why choose one… when life lets you become many?” 🦋

    A little bit of Jo March lives in me every time my thoughts refuse to stay inside my head until I write them down. Sometimes writing feels less like a hobby and more like breathing.

    Then there’s Belle. We definitely have one thing in common—we can both disappear into books and completely forget that the real world exists. The only difference is that she had a magical library. I have a growing collection of books… and a family occasionally reminding me that food exists outside the pages. 😄

    And then comes Rapunzel, happily throwing a hundred creative ideas my way, usually all at once, as if my brain were hosting a never-ending art festival. Finishing one project before starting another? That’s a lovely theory.

    Sleeping Beauty and I also have something in common—we’re both deeply committed to the noble art of sleeping. 😄 The only difference is that she needed a curse… I just need a pillow! But she has also reminded me that slowing down isn’t the same as falling behind. Sometimes the biggest transformations happen while we’re quietly resting, healing, or simply giving ourselves permission to pause.

    Whenever life decides to test me, Mulan gently reminds me that courage doesn’t always arrive with trumpets and fireworks. Sometimes it simply whispers, “Take the next step.”

    And then there’s Anne Shirley. We have an agreement—I borrow her imagination, and she borrows my ability to overthink absolutely everything. 😄 Together, we can turn the simplest moment into a beautiful story… or a full-length novel that nobody asked for.

    See? This is exactly my problem.

    How am I supposed to choose just one?

    The Best Fictional Character Is the One You Create

    The more I think about it, the more I realize that life was never meant to make us copies of someone else’s story.

    Some days need courage.

    Some days need kindness.

    Some days demand creativity.

    Some days simply ask us to be patient.

    If I forced myself to live like only one fictional character, I’d probably be wonderfully prepared for one situation… and completely lost in the next.

    Why Being Many Characters Makes You Unique

    Maybe the real magic isn’t finding the fictional character you relate to the most.

    Maybe it’s collecting the best qualities from every story that touches your heart, blending them with your own experiences, learning from your mistakes, laughing at yourself once in a while, and slowly becoming someone no book has ever written before.

    Because that’s what makes us different.

    That’s what makes us adaptable.

    That’s what makes us beautifully unique.

    So don’t try to fit yourself into one character.

    Be the dreamer when dreams are needed.

    Be the reader when wisdom is needed.

    Be the creator when the world needs something new.

    Be the warrior when life becomes difficult.

    And when life surprises you—as it always does—don’t be afraid to reinvent yourself.

    After all, life isn’t about becoming someone’s favourite fictional character.

    It’s about becoming a person who can adapt to every chapter with courage, kindness, curiosity, creativity, and hope.

    Why settle for one character…

    when you have the privilege of carrying a little piece of many?

    Maybe that’s exactly what makes you you.

    A beautifully imperfect, ever-evolving story that no author could have written better.

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    ✨ Now it’s your turn.🤍

    Who is the fictional character you relate to the most? Or, like me, do you carry little pieces of many stories within you? I’d genuinely love to hear your answer. 🦋✨

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    Until the next whisper…

    —Rajeshwari 🧿💕

    © Nihshabd by Rajeshwari

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    Read More :

    Fictional Characters | Two Extra Chairs for My Childhood

    The Places Where I Accidentally Disappear

     The Best Dreams Whisper

  • The Places Where I Accidentally Disappear

    The Places Where I Accidentally Disappear

    What activities do you lose yourself in?

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    People often ask about the places where I accidentally disappear. They expect a neat little hobby list. Reading. Painting. Yoga at sunrise…

    As if it’s some neat little hobby list.

    Like:

    Reading.

    Painting.

    Yoga at sunrise.

    Very aesthetic. Very organised.

    Unfortunately, my mind does not operate like a well-labelled storage box.

    I don’t schedule losing myself.

    I simply… vanish.

    Sometimes it happens while writing.

    A sentence arrives quietly, like a shy guest, and before I know it, I am chasing words through paragraphs as if they are fireflies in the dark. One thought becomes another, then another, and suddenly an hour has passed.

    No warning.

    No permission taken.

    Illustrating does this too.

    When a blank digital canvas stares back at me, I tell myself I will “just add a small detail.”

    A line here.

    A shadow there.

    Next thing I know, I am zoomed in at 400%, arguing with a pixel.

    This pixel, apparently, holds the fate of the entire universe.

    Sometimes I disappear into thoughts instead.

    Not dramatic thoughts. Just the quiet wandering kind.

    The kind where a simple idea grows branches —

    What if…

    Why do we…

    Isn’t it strange that…

    And suddenly my mind is exploring philosophical forests when I was only supposed to be making tea.

    The tea, by the way, is usually cold by the time I return to reality.

    And then there are moments when nothing “productive” is happening at all.

    Just watching the sky change colours.

    Listening to a song too many times.

    Or staring at something ordinary until it quietly becomes beautiful.

    Those moments are dangerous.

    Because that’s when time slips away most politely.

    No drama.

    No announcements.

    Just a gentle disappearance.

    So if you ask me what activities make me lose myself…

    The honest answer is this:

    Anything that feels a little magical, a little curious, and slightly unnecessary to the practical world.

    Writing.

    Illustrating.

    Thinking too much about small things.

    Apparently, my favourite hobby is accidentally leaving reality for a while.

    And honestly?

    I’m not in a hurry to come back.

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    —Rajeshwari 🧿💕

    © Nihshabd by Rajeshwari. All Rights Reserved