Over the last five years, the world has become more connected, more accessible, and faster paced than ever before. Artificial intelligence has taken the world by storm. With all the technological advances we’re facing, especially in the workforce, we’re also seeing an uprising of people reaching for slow-paced, tactile hobbies and careers to bring them back to earth.

Those in their twenties and thirties, especially, have found themselves walking the line between these two realities. By day, they’re sprinting along with the ever-pressing “hustle culture” and then collapsing on their couches with a bundle of yarn to crochet the night away.

People aren’t just baking, they’re milling their own flour, feeding their sourdough starters, and getting their hands dirty. They’re reveling in a loaf of bread that takes, often, days to come together. People are once again valuing homemade and homegrown products. Is it an intentional push back on the stigma that we’ve lost our patience to wrestle with something challenging? Or perhaps it’s an escape from a dizzyingly digital world. Maybe it’s a curiosity to know more about where our food, our clothes, our soaps, and shampoos come from and what they’re made of.

Certainly, many’ve returned to these tactile habits out of fear or principle: dyes, ingredients, overly processed or unethically sourced items. We know more now, and that knowledge has sent many of us scampering back to the dirt, the flour, the yarn, to do things ourselves.

Most likely, we’re seeing a resurgence of “slow living” due to a combination of any number of these reasons. The “back to the 90s” way of parenting has also been a growing ideology favoring kids in the dirt with skinned knees from bike rides and imaginations running rampant rather than screens, video games, and TikTok dances.

Unfortunately, we now live in a day and age where almost everyone is both itching to get off social media and yet also finds their presence online necessary to support their hobby or business. It’s a constant give and take. I had the opportunity to gather the thoughts of three individuals who’ve found solace in their slower-paced analog hobby or career.

Here are their thoughts:

Tylee Shay: Film Photography

Tylee Shay is a former Zeeland resident who now calls Grand Rapids home. Tylee has a background in wedding photography. But in the last few years, she’s prioritized her writing and landscape photography, culminating her talents into her newly released coffee table book Life on the Lake. In her essays, Tylee speaks frequently about the need to sip, savor, and slow down to delight in summers on the lake here in Michigan. Her words are inspiring and her photos breathtaking.

As Tylee pivoted toward writing and her coffee table book, she also found herself drawn to film photography. “In recent years,” she said, “I’ve become really passionate about film photography and how it preserves a moment in an organic, nostalgic way. Film photos look and feel different than the digital photos we are bombarded with every day on screens, and that’s how I want my moments and memories to feel: special, real, and honest.”

Tylee answered the following:
‍zWhat is your favorite part of your process?

“I love the mindset that photography puts me in; it helps me to notice so much more and therefore be more present. I’ll notice a little red ladybug on a blueberry branch, or deer tracks on the sandy lakeshore, or the way a sunset reflects on the water, and I’ll stop to take a photo. Plus, shooting on film grants me a more creative process and a slower pace. It requires me to take my time, pay attention to the light, be really intentional with how I expose each frame, and patiently wait for the perfect moment.”

Do you experience “digital fatigue”?

“Absolutely! I bought a separate phone recently and put my social media apps on it, and I leave it in my office desk drawer in an effort to spend less time on a screen. Totally deleting the apps is not an option for me because social media is a big part of my job and how I share my craft with the world; it enables me to do what I love! But I now keep it separate from my personal phone. I see it as just another part of my job, rather than something I steadily consume from dawn till dusk. This new boundary has been so wonderful for me!”

Why do you think people are returning to slower, more tactile hobbies and careers?

“I like to compare film photography to vintage clothing that feels worn in and one of a kind, or antique home decor with patina and character, or the crackly sounds of a vinyl record player… all of these things make us feel deep nostalgia. And in a world that’s crazy and overstimulating and overly digitized, nostalgia feels like coming home to a simpler time and place.”

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Katelyn Elyse: Handmade Jewelry

Katelyn Elyse, a Holland local, spends her evenings and weekends crafting her own one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces. She shared, “When I was younger, my sister and I used to make jewelry with plastic beads or with embroidery thread.” However, after attending a jewelry and metalsmithing class while studying at GVSU, she fell in love with the jewelry-making process on a more professional level.

“I learned how to make jewelry in a more intricate and professional way using traditional goldsmithing techniques. Rather than using plastic beads and thread, I now use precious metals and a torch to create my work,” she said. Katelyn sells her work at many local markets as well as online.

Katelyn answered the following:
What is your favorite part of your process?

“I love coming up with design ideas in my head and then finding ways to make that design come to life in my studio. It's very rewarding to dream up a piece of jewelry and then, at the end of the process, get to wear that piece or share it with someone else. I especially love getting to design engagement rings or custom pieces for a client because of how meaningful the final piece of jewelry is to them, and how excited they are to see their dream piece of jewelry come to life.”

Do you experience “digital fatigue”?

“Absolutely. With social media and constant advertisements and daily work in an office setting, it's so easy to get sucked into digital content rather than focusing on tactile or outdoor activities. Making jewelry is a great way for me to relax and step away from the "real world" for a little while. I also love gardening and spending time outside. I am so excited for warmer weather to be here and have intentionally scheduled myself for a slower summer so I can fully enjoy this season.”

Why do you think people are returning to slower, more tactile hobbies and careers?

“I think a lot of people feel worn out or tired from the busyness of life and finding creative outlets has become a way to slow down and enjoy the little things. I think our minds are also constantly running a million miles an hour with tasks to do or calendars to plan and having a way to turn off the noise and create something with our hands is such a gift.”

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Jessica Wheaton: Cut Flower Farm

Jessica and her family run Happy Hens Farm in Holland, where they offer fresh, homegrown flowers for events and weddings. They have intentionally created a space for people to gather and connect through bouquet bars and other seasonal events at their farm. Even as a small child, Jessica shared that she always loved growing things and working in her parents’ garden.

Now, having her own garden, Jessica has “found joy in the process of planting, watching [the flowers] grow, and then seeing people’s reactions when [they’re] given flowers.” She shared that she feels incredibly blessed to work in the garden alongside her mother and now, also, with her one-year-old son: three generations with their hands in the soil.

Jessica answered the following:z
What is your favorite part of your process?

“Designing bouquets and seeing my clients' faces when delivering their wedding flowers. I get to be a part of one of the best days of their lives and bring beauty to it.”

Do you experience “digital fatigue”?

“I have times where I’m tired of seeing the highlight reels of people's lives, and I realize how much time I’ve wasted just scrolling and consuming. Working in the garden is a good way for me to create beauty and make something rather than just consume.”  

Why do you think people are returning to slower, more tactile hobbies and careers?

“I think people are drawn to those things because it’s a change in pace from our society’s fast-paced, consumerist ways. It can serve as a good escape and distraction from drama and politics, too.”

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Seeking the Here and Now

Whether it’s perusing a vintage shop for the perfect, thrifted find, sipping a latte made with homemade lavender syrup, quilting, or attending a local craft fair, people are savoring the moments that root them in the present. We’re tired of fast-paced entertainment, weary from the highlight reels on social media, and worn out from the consumerist mindset. People long for real connection, unhurried moments, and products they can see, feel, and smell with their own senses. We’re no longer okay with being lied to about ingredients and sick of accepting cheap versions of high-quality goods. Tylee, Katelyn, and Jessica are just three of many who are pushing back against hustle culture.

Here in Michigan, we’re lucky to have so many opportunities to get out and support local makers at art and craft fairs. We also have a plethora of opportunities to get outside and savor summer through live music, berry picking, and other community-building events.

Aside from film photography, Tylee’s favorite ways to unplug and slow down at local events include live music and fresh berries. “My neighborhood has free outdoor concerts in the lakeside park on Monday nights all summer long,” she shared. “It’s so fun to see the whole community bring a chair or anchor their boat in the water and listen to local artists perform! You’ll also find me at u-pick farms in and around Holland each week during the summertime! Some of my favorites are Visser Farms for strawberries, Carini or Kamphuis for blueberries. There’s nothing better than spending an afternoon in the sun and leaving with a bucket full of fresh berries. I love supporting local farms and getting some dirt under my nails!”

Katelyn said the markets are extra special for her because she loves “being part of artisan markets where I can share my jewelry with people and get to know my customers on a personal level. I'm really excited to be attending the Coast Guard Festival and Cherry Festival markets this summer, as well as the Art Prize markets this fall.”

Jessica and Happy Hens Farm also enjoy participating in summer markets. She said, “We love our markets! Seeing both our regular customers each week and meeting new faces is the best part of our job. We love to bring joy through flowers.” If you’d like to visit and support Jessica at a local market, you can find them at the Saugatuck Market, as well as the Douglas Farmers Market and South Haven Market this summer.

Scheduling Slow

If, like Katelyn, you’d like to schedule in time this summer to slow down and do something tangible and grounding, here are a few other festivals and markets happening in and around Ottawa County this summer:

• Grand Haven Art Festival, June 26–28

• Lakeshore Art Festival in Muskegon, June 27-28

• Grand Haven Waterfront Stadium Concerts, June–August

• Saugatuck Venetian Festival, July 24–25

• Ottawa County Fair, July 27–August 1

• Coast Guard Festival, July 31–August 1

• Holland Summer Sidewalk Sales, August 7–8

• Jam by the Sand, August 9

• Hudsonville Community Fair, August 2–29

• The Found Cottage Mercantile Market, September 4–5

• Kollen Park Live Music Events, All Summer

• Street Performers downtown Holland, Thursday evenings in the Summe)

• Holland Farmers Market, Wednesday/Saturday Mornings

• Outdoor yoga on the waterfront in Holland & Grand Haven, Saturday Mornings

• Thursday night live music in Grand Haven, All Summer

Whether you’re crafting, growing, snapping photos, baking, or shopping local, the return to homemade and homegrown is all around us. The digital world has offered us so much, but it has gradually taken some things from us, too. The beautiful thing is that we’re living in an age where we can truly see and appreciate the benefits of both the digital and the tactile world. The key is balancing both, and that requires a purposeful commitment to boundaries.

Katelyn put it this way: “I think slowing down requires intentionality. You need to set the time aside to slow down and step away from the craziness of life in a way that lets you fully enjoy the gifts of creativity, or nature, or whatever it is that fills your spirit.”

So, this summer, get your hands dirty, schedule “slow,” shop at local markets (and say hi to Katelyn and Jessica), purchase and peruse Tylee’s Life on the Lake, and celebrate the mundane moments: rising bread, blooming flowers, developing film.

Because there’s nothing sweeter than a summer savored.