Undina: I know that you all are extremely attentive and would not have missed it, but just in case you’re reading it really early in the morning, late at night or just while being preoccupied with something else, I’m bringing to your attention that today your host is Narth.
Saturday Question #36:
Do You Share Your Hobbies?
Treat this question as wide or as narrow as you wish – you can answer concentrating on our shared perfume hobby only or tell us about any other hobbies, loves and likes – be that books, knitting, streamed shows or philately.
My Answer
I’ve always had rather solitary hobbies, pursuits that I happily potter around with at home, no other people required. Thanks to the internet even the most obscure hobby has its own community, but I do sometimes wish for friends in the real world that like what I like. I’ve always felt uncomfortable pushing my hobbies on people, a product of a childhood dominated by the megalomaniac interests of others. I don’t want to be that person pressing a book into your hands saying you simply MUST read this, it’s SO good! The pressure, ugh. I remember well when a friend went through a Bollywood phase and talked incessantly of Bollywood movies, Bollywood actors, Bollywood gossip… I had never seen any Bollywood but that didn’t stop this from being the most interesting topic of conversation in her opinion. This comes to mind every time I mention watching K-Dramas, I can’t bring myself to say: “and this one is really great, I think you’d like it”. I am very uncomfortable putting myself forward in that manner, having silently nodded along to other people’s oblivious flights of fandom. Yes, I do realize there is a middle ground that should be aimed for, and maybe someday I’ll get around to that!
Perfume though… I am good at sharing perfume. If someone loves a scent I’m wearing or fondly talks of a specific note, I will be rushing home to fill a decant. I’ve got a Liquides Imaginaires decant in my bag ready for when I see someone who loved Buveur de Vent last time I was wearing it. I’m careful not to go overboard in talking about perfume, no need to educate people unless they want to know specifics. What I love is the sharing of perfume, of being a generous benefactor of smells, of surprising people with incense or rose or, once, cardamom after hearing they love it. I used to give people entire bottles, not at great expense but because at that time I had an abundance of fragrances picked up second hand for a few dollars. But that can be seen as an excessive gift, as in many people’s minds perfume is a luxury item. So even though that hulking great bottle of Tresor only cost me 5 bucks, and I was never going to wear it, sometimes it’s too much to give an acquaintance (true story). So now I limit myself to passing on a decant. I like the hard case metallic ones that look like a lipstick. “For your purse” I can say, pressing it into their hands, and it feels just right.
Undina's Looking Glass 
Yes, Narth, that’s what I do – I love to share perfume with others. Just recently I had my flu jab and the doctor asked what is that amazing smell and even pulled down her mask to sniff me! It was OJ’s Tsarina and I said I would bring her a sample. She rang me to thank me, I asked her what notes she liked and I dropped more samples off for her yesterday – she was thrilled. It’s nice to make people happy, and even more so when it’s someone at the front line in the National Health Service.
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That’s lovely Jillie, I’m sometimes surprised people can smell mine through masks as I feel like I can’t smell anything when wearing one!
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In general, I love sharing: whenever I find something worthy, I try to share with friends, relatives, co-workers and sometimes even strangers at a store ;) I try to do it in form of highlighting some positive aspects of the subject – comfort, proof of quality, price, etc. or sharing how it affected me. If to think about it, usually it’s how I describe perfumes on my blog :)
As to perfumes… In my pre-parfumista and pre-blog time, I was much more active in spreading “perfume joy”: many years ago, when online discounters were just appearing, I had a list of the most of them, I tracked their promotions and knew many details and rules to maximize savings. So, whenever anyone in my surroundings would just mention perfume shopping, it was a sign for me to start sharing information, links, if o had, samples (mainstream perfumes, of course). Now, since all my friends know about my perfume hobby, unless they ask, I don’t offer anything unsolicited: it’s bad enough that I keep bringing up Rusty, while not all of our friends are cat people ;), so I don’t want to keep pushing on the topic of perfumes. But whenever anyone asks… Well… they should have known better ;)
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heh heh.. yes they should have known better! I also used to share discount information, it still bothers me to hear of people wishing they could afford to buy a mainstream perfume that is out of their reach in a department store and a fraction of the cost elsewhere. But I’ve found you can run into people doubting if the discount perfume is “real”, even if is being sold at a national chemist chain.
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I do share some of my hobbies with limited groups of people, mostly my family and some very close friends. Gardening is a hobby I share more widely; I actually have another blog called “Old Herbaceous” that is an occasional mention of what I’m reading about gardening or doing in my gardening (that’s where my screen name came from, a favorite book about a gardener). I used to belong to my neighborhood’s garden club before I returned to the fulltime, paid workforce (I was raising little kids before that, so working very hard!). Perfume is something I really enjoy sharing with blog friends! I also share it with my immediate family, who tolerate it with kindness and humor. Reading has been a constant since I was a young child myself; one thing I miss about my children’s childhoods is that I could “share” books with them to my heart’s content by reading to them every night. I’m not one of those readers who presses a favorite book on everyone I know, though I will tell close friends or my family if I’m particularly enjoying a book.
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I have a book, a graphic novel no less so an easy read, that is one of my favourites. I have now lent it to three family members who let it sit on their shelves for over a year each and never read it, I have let my disgust be known! It’s now at my friend’s house, it’s become quite funny to me that I’m waiting to see if she reads it or I ask for it back, unread, in a year! (It’s “Can’t We Talk about Something More Pleasant” by Roz Chast. I reread it each time I rescue it from it’s unloved sojourn one someone else’s shelves.
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OMG, I have that book! Roz Chast is a genius.
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I’m thinking of ordering some of her others, do you have any? I find that book oddly comforting!
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I don’t have any of her other books, but I’ve been enjoying her cartoons in The New Yorker for years! And her cartoons are in some of their published collections.
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Perfume, TV and book tips, and lately also serious science stuff on the pandemic – though the latter is not a hobby! I would characterise my MO as ‘light touch foisting’.
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I need to remember that, “light touch foisting”, that’s brilliant :D
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Sometimes I share perfume samples, if someone seems interested, but most people don’t wear perfume at all. I knit and sew, so I have one knitting friend who is interested in this hobby. Sadly I have no good friends where I live, so we mostly communicate via WhatsApp or telephone
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It’s definitely nice to be able to share in person but we don’t always have that option. During our total lockdown I mailed books to some family members which felt like real sharing.
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I share books with my sister and 2 friends. I have shared perfume with my friend and she with me. If I’ve managed to get a sample from a SA I’ve asked for 2 if possible to give 1 to my friend.
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That’s a good idea, asking for two. Here in Aus we usually are too in shock that a sample is actually being offered to think about such things haha
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Asking for 2 doesn’t mean that you will be given 2, sometimes not even1 !!!!
It’s like getting blood out of a stone these days.I think SA flog them on E Bay.
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I should be more bold and ask but it’s just kind of exhausting :(
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My primary hobby these days is sports photography. My son plays football and I am the team photographer- I share all of my photos. However, it has morphed into a little side hustle – today I shot a soccer game for another team, the parents have paid me twice now to come out. Possible future part time job! As for perfume, when given the opportunity I will talk about it and share with friends, but I find most people might have one signature scent if they wear it at all.
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I think it’s a funny thing that most people have no idea how much perfume is available, or that the hobby even exists. As to your photography, you are living the dream of every one who loves taking pics, being offered money and asked to keep doing just that! That’s very excellent.
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I don’t talk about my hobbies unless asked. Anybody who knows me well knows they can ask about perfume or dogs/cats. I also love to read but mostly read in French, so not too many interested parties on that front aside from my friends in Québec. My main perfume outlet is online, that’s pretty much the only place I discuss it.
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My reading is generally too obscure (translated fiction) to talk about. I find the main hobby conversation I get into is tv which seems something everyone is happy to chat about though I assume if you’re a sports person that’s something that comes up as well.
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I share my perfume hobby with everyone who will listen to me or try some samples! I also share my fashion doll collecting hobby with some online friends, who used to go with me to doll conventions before the pandemic. My husband is also interested in fragrances, but he won’t allow me to buy him more than one scent at a time. He’s a very frugal Virgo.
I’ve signed up recently for some online Zoom perfume events that have been fun. Sniffapalooza has had 3 online scent events that I’ve participated in. Those have been fun and I’ve gotten a few freebie samples out of it, too. This coming week’s event is sponsored by Penhaligon’s. Unfortunately, it’s sold out.
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I’ve seen some of those events but I’ve yet to do any, probably because I’m not used to participating IRL in perfume events so haven’t felt the absence of them. We were going to have a sniffy meeting last year but it has now been cancelled twice due to covid. I did go to lots of conventions in the past (geek ones) and those are sadly not coming back for a long time here I suspect. They are wonderful events, I’m sure you miss them for you fashion dolls. I used to love going to the “artist’s alley” part of cons and seeing everyone’s creations and chatting to them, browsing etsy is not the same thing!
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Hey Narth! Love this question.
My experience has been quite different to yours. Our parents, and thus family, growing up always had a range of hobbies. Dad was a mad keen grass bowler and medalled in the Paraplegic and Commonwealth Games. He had other sports (from his wheelchair) but this was the enduring love. Mum made us all Golf Widows for over a decade and she played regular weekly competition and often brought home trophies and prizes. My sister played loads of different instruments including piano/cello/clarinet/guitar and violin. I was drama/dance/acting with a side order of fashion and a bunch of sports. We all read a LOT of books and every time we showed an interest or aptitude we were sent to a night college or weekend course. ALL of us took on different things from cooking and horse riding to photography, silk screening and gardening. Dad even went and did Psychology at university after he retired.
Most of these hobbies came with a new set of people and some of those went on to become friends, many became peripheral acquaintances that still pop up from time to time.
So, back to your question. We were taught to make all our hobbies group endeavours. It has carried on into my adulthood and whenever I get a new mania for something the first thing I do is find the people who already know about or are part of that thing. Then, inevitably, one or more of my mates will find it interesting too and we will go do the thing with the fun of sharing another passion.
Portia xx
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My hobbies have mostly been solitary, including perfume, although by now people who know me well have heard about it! I tend not to recommend things to people unless I’m quite sure they will enjoy or benefit from it. When I started learning the ukulele several months ago, I shared short videos of my playing with friends and family, but that is pretty one-sided as far as sharing goes… It would be great to spend time on hobbies with people who have the same interests IRL.
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I love to share my perfume hobby with online friends, literally sharing as freebies (which I’be limited because there were freeloaders who only show up when there’s a FreebieMeet on Now Smell This), swaps and splits. In real life, I’ve shared with some co-workers but I am very careful to not let them know my perfumeland penname.
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It’s interesting: I do not mind my RL friends to know about my blog and hobby, but I don’t want people that I don’t know on the Internet to easily connect my screen identity to my RL self.
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Never thought of it like that, but I basically share my love of perfume the same way you do. And that’s the easiest hobby to share – it makes me happy if I can find a perfume when I can share a perfume thatsomeone else is going to love as much as I do, or even more. And it’s always fun when people realize that there is so much more to perfumery than what they are used to seeing in regular shops.
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Since perfume is probably my most consuming hobby it’s the one I share most. If anyone likes what I’m wearing I’ll gladly make them a sample, and I regularly give my close friends decants. I swap books, and share music – I don’t feel guilty about it either as I have bought all my music, rather than just downloading freebies. I never give anyone an original cd though, I’ll burn a copy or put it on a usb stick.
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