“Sometimes, the things we discover during the hardest seasons of our lives become the things we carry with us long after the season ends.”

There are hobbies we deliberately choose.

And then there are hobbies we discover because life suddenly gives us time to pause.

For me, that happened during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The world had suddenly slowed down.

The streets were unusually quiet.

Plans were postponed.

Days seemed longer.

And like many people, I was trying to figure out how to spend that strange, uncertain time.

It was during those days that I discovered something that would slowly become a very special part of my life:

🎨 Mandala Making.

I didn’t start as an artist.

I didn’t know how to create intricate designs.

I was simply curious.

I started learning how mandalas were made—how to create the circles, how to divide them, how to build patterns from the centre, how to repeat tiny elements and slowly turn them into something beautiful.

At first, I was learning.

Then I was practising.

Then I was experimenting.

And slowly—

I realized I was enjoying it.

What had started as something I tried during lockdown quietly became a hobby that stayed with me even after lockdown ended.

🕊️ FROM LOCKDOWN TO A LITTLE CREATIVE RITUAL

Looking back, it’s interesting how hobbies sometimes enter our lives.

We don’t always know that something we are trying casually will stay with us for years.

During lockdown, I had more time to explore things I might otherwise have ignored.

One day it was simply:

“Let me learn how to make a mandala.”

Then came another design.

Then another.

I started understanding patterns.

I began experimenting with different shapes.

I learned that even tiny dots and simple lines could create surprisingly intricate artwork when repeated patiently.

And eventually, something changed.

I stopped making mandalas just to learn.

I started making them because I genuinely wanted to.

That was the moment a skill became a hobby.

🌸 MY FIRST MANDALA

[📸 INSERT YOUR EARLY/FIRST MANDALA PHOTO HERE]

“This is where the journey began.”

It may not be my most perfect mandala.

It may not be my most complicated design.

But it will always be special.

Because every hobby has a beginning.

And sometimes, the beginning is beautiful precisely because it is imperfect.

🌿 WHAT STARTED DURING A PANDEMIC STAYED AFTER IT

The lockdown eventually ended.

Life became busy again.

People returned to offices, colleges, schools and routines.

But my mandalas stayed.

And that surprised me.

Something I had discovered because I had extra time had slowly become something I made time for.

That’s when I understood the difference between doing something because you have time—

and doing something because you love it.

A hobby survives the return of routine.

It doesn’t disappear when life gets busy.

You find yourself wanting to return to it.

🪷 MY MANDALA GALLERY

🎨 Mandala #1 — The Beginning

[📸

“Started with curiosity. Continued with patience.”

🌺 Mandala #2 — Learning the Patterns

[📸

“Every repeated line taught me something new.”

🌿 Mandala #3 — When Practice Became Enjoyment

“Somewhere along the way, I stopped practising and started creating.”

🌙 Mandala #4 — My Quiet Creative Space

“A few lines, a few colours and a little peace.”

🌸 MY FAVOURITE MANDALA

🧘 WHY MANDALA MAKING FEELS SO DIFFERENT

When I sit down to create a mandala, something interesting happens.

My attention narrows.

Instead of thinking about everything at once, I’m thinking about one tiny detail.

One petal.

One circle.

One dot.

One line.

One repeated pattern.

And slowly, the mind becomes quieter.

I don’t think of mandala making as a replacement for meditation.

But for me, it often creates a similar feeling of slowing down and being present.

The hands keep creating while the mind gets a chance to breathe.

🕯️ THE LESSON OF THE CIRCLE

Perhaps that’s what I love most about mandalas.

They begin from the centre.

Everything grows outward.

Layer after layer.

Pattern after pattern.

And that simple structure carries a beautiful metaphor for life.

We spend so much time looking outward—

at achievements,

expectations,

comparisons,

success,

other people’s opinions.

But sometimes we need to return to our centre.

To ourselves.

To what makes us happy.

To what makes us peaceful.

A mandala begins at the centre.

Maybe we should remember to begin there too.

🌱 WHAT MANDALA MAKING TAUGHT ME

1. Start before you’re ready.

My first mandala wasn’t perfect.

But if I had waited until I knew everything, I would never have started.

2. Practice can become passion.

What began as learning slowly became something I genuinely enjoyed.

3. Repetition isn’t boring.

Repeating one tiny pattern dozens of times can create something extraordinary.

4. Imperfection doesn’t destroy beauty.

Sometimes the slightly uneven line becomes part of the character of the artwork.

5. Creativity needs patience.

A detailed mandala cannot be rushed.

Neither can many beautiful things in life.

🌸 A BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLE FROM MY OWN JOURNEY

Think about the first mandala I made.

At that time, I was focused on learning:

“How do I make this pattern?”

Later, my question changed:

“What pattern do I want to create?”

That’s a small change, but an important one.

First, we learn from others.

Then we experiment.

Then we develop our own style.

And eventually, we create something that feels like ours.

That’s how hobbies grow.

🎨 YOU DON’T NEED TO BE AN ARTIST

If you’ve never tried mandala making, don’t think you need extraordinary artistic talent.

You can begin with very basic supplies:

✏️ Pencil
⭕ Compass
📏 Ruler
🖊️ Fine-tip pens
🎨 Colour pencils
📓 Sketchbook

That’s enough.

Your first mandala may be uneven.

Your second may be better.

Your tenth may surprise you.

And somewhere between the tenth and the hundredth—

you may realize you’ve learned more than drawing.

You’ve learned patience.

🌼 THE 20-MINUTE MANDALA CHALLENGE

If this hobby interests you, try this.

Give yourself just 20 minutes.

Put your phone away.

Take a blank sheet.

Draw a circle.

Find the centre.

Create one simple pattern.

Repeat it.

Don’t worry about making a masterpiece.

Don’t compare your work with Pinterest or Instagram.

Don’t erase every little mistake.

Just create.

Twenty minutes of creating can sometimes feel better than two hours of scrolling.

💭 WHY HOBBIES MATTER

Lockdown taught many of us something unexpected.

We can live without many things we thought were essential.

But we also discovered how much we need things that make us feel human.

Creativity.

Connection.

Curiosity.

Nature.

Music.

Books.

Art.

Hobbies.

A hobby gives us a small space in which we aren’t required to be anything other than ourselves.

You don’t need to monetize it.

You don’t need to become famous.

You don’t need to turn it into a career.

Some passions are valuable simply because they make life feel a little more beautiful.

🌙 FROM A LOCKDOWN ACTIVITY TO A PART OF ME

When I look back now, I find it fascinating.

I didn’t know that the little activity I started during those unusual COVID lockdown days would become something I would continue loving.

It started with:

“Let’s learn this.”

Then became:

“Let’s practise this.”

Then:

“Let’s create another one.”

And finally:

“This is my hobby.”

That’s how many beautiful things begin.

Not with a grand plan.

Just with curiosity.

🌺 WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY?

Maybe yours started during lockdown too.

Maybe you learned baking.

Started gardening.

Picked up photography.

Learned an instrument.

Started reading.

Began painting.

Discovered yoga.

Started writing.

Or perhaps you simply learned to enjoy your own company.

Whatever it is, don’t underestimate it.

Because hobbies are not merely activities we do when we’re bored.

They are little pieces of identity we create for ourselves.

✨ FINAL THOUGHT

My mandala journey began during a strange chapter of history.

The world was forced to slow down.

And in that unexpected pause, I discovered something.

A pencil.

A circle.

A pattern.

A little patience.

And eventually—

a hobby.

Today, whenever I create a mandala, I think about that journey.

How something so small began during such an uncertain time.

How learning slowly became practice.

How practice became enjoyment.

And how enjoyment became a part of who I am.

Perhaps that’s the beautiful irony of difficult times.

Sometimes, even when life feels like it has stopped, something new inside us is quietly beginning.

So take a blank page.

Draw the first circle.

Don’t worry about the final picture.

Just make the next pattern.

Then another.

And another.

Because perhaps life works the same way.

We don’t create the whole picture at once.

We create it slowly—one little circle at a time.

🪷 MY MANDALA JOURNEY — IN PICTURES

From learning during lockdown to creating simply because I love it.

[📸

[📸 — ANOTHER EARLY DESIGN]

[📸 — FAVOURITE DETAILED MANDALA]

[📸 — COLOURED MANDALA]

[📸 — MOST RECENT CREATION]

“Every mandala carries a little piece of the time, patience and creativity that went into making it.”

🎨 SHREEBIRD CREATIVE CORNER

Want to begin your own mandala journey?

You can start simple with:

🖊️ Fine-tip drawing penshttps://link.amazon/B0fBGuSmP
🎨 Colour pencilshttps://link.amazon/B0ctJH0Ft
📓 Mandala sketchbookhttps://link.amazon/B05E0zOVK
⭕ Compass & geometry sethttps://link.amazon/B0iwU30mT
🌈 Brush pens
📚 Mandala colouring bookshttps://link.amazon/B0fR1vleh

Affiliate Disclosure: Some recommendations on SHREEBIRD may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through one of these links, SHREEBIRD may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

🌿 SHREEBIRD

Stories • Ideas • Wisdom • Life

Written by

SHIVASHRI GUPTAA

Read. Reflect. Create. Rise.

🌐 shreebird.wordpress.com

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🕊️ SHREEBIRD NOTE

“Sometimes the most beautiful chapters of our lives begin in the moments we never planned for.”

My mandala journey began in lockdown.

It continued through changing routines.

And today, every circle reminds me of something simple: