University of Utah offers community classes on 'granny hobbies'

SALT LAKE CITY — Embroidery, crochet and a variety of other "grandma hobbies" have been the focus of recent social media trends, with videos detailing the crafts and items people are DIYing and then sharing on the internet.

Anyone can sign up to learn a "granny hobby" in a class at the University of Utah as part of its Lifelong Learning program this summer. Local experts are called upon to teach classes on everything from floral design to photography to singing to camping to stargazing.

Following the trend of "grandma-core" activities, the university will offer knitting, gardening, sewing, soap-making, weaving, jewelry-making, embroidery and more than 20 other creative classes.

"These activities seek to tap into a slower, cozier way of life while remaining endearing, positive and nostalgic," the university said in a statement.

For more than 60 years, the university has been operating the Lifelong Learning program for the community. The noncredit classes range from one-day workshops to eight-week courses in recreation, wellness and the arts.

"Sometimes I get the urge to just leave my phone at home or in the car because I get so tired of being tethered to it all day. These classes allow us to focus on connecting with others, ourselves, and acquire new skills," said Isabelle Solvang, director of Lifelong Learning.

Pam Olson, who teaches floral design, said the school does a great job of getting "inspiring experts" to teach a wide variety of classes. Her class has been growing each year, she said.

"What I love — there really is a range of age, background, status in life. Everyone is different and bringing in different attitudes, but they all think from the beginning, 'There's no way I can design this.' And at the end of the first class, they walk away feeling really confident that they can do it," Olson said.

The program is welcoming and casual, she said, with an easy sign-up process, so anyone can try new things. It's also a great way to connect with new people, Olson said.

The founder and former owner of Native Flower Company in Salt Lake City, Olson teaches floral design fundamentals, helping her students learn how to arrange beautiful bouquets and arrangements for every season with a variety of flowers, including using local flowers grown on Utah farms.

While some hobbies can be fun and based on adrenaline, crafting hobbies are rewarding in their own way, Olson said.

"It's so rewarding because there's a lot of things in life we don't get to finish, or they lay out there, open-ended. But these kind of hobbies you finish it and can go, 'Oh, one thing in my life is done,'" she said.

As a lifelong bird watcher and florist, Olson believes activities that slow you down and make you focus such as the "granny hobbies" can improve your mood and be relaxing.

"It's definitely a therapeutic outlet," she said. "So for me, I think it definitely applies to my own life. I feel better if I have spent time in nature, and I feel better just playing around with flowers a bit."

She has had many students who have stressful, demanding jobs take her class to have dedicated time to "zen out" and relax their mind. Part of the appeal is having an hour to just devote to a peaceful, quiet practice where you don't have to worry about what's going on in the world, she added.

"It's not instant gratification like a lot of our life is. It's a process. It's learning and just being in the moment," she said.

Olson is happy these hands-on activities are having a resurgence, as she thinks there needs to be a healthy balance between the digital technology of screens and the natural world where you are working with your hands. Being in nature creates empathy for people as they are able to see a connectedness in the world, she said.

"It's just a fun, happy vibe of learning. And learning all the time is so important," Olson said.

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