To me it is the one thing i can do anytime i want and i can do it alone.I love this hobby and i could not imagine my life without it.There is not anything that could replace this for me. !!!

Nice to do

I am also glad this hobby is helping you aamir. My wife is bipolar and suffers from frequent bouts of depression, so I know how hard things can be for you.

I work full time to support my wife and our daughter who is autistic with learning difficulties and has hyperacusis. As we rarely get out much I started collecting ttm back in 2000 as an outlet to deal with the stress. I find writing letters to be relaxing and therapeutic. I am not a prolific writer. Most weeks I send 2 to 3 requests, occasionally a few more if I have time off. It is fun to see what arrives in the post and still is after all this time.

If my life was a bit different I would be tempted to collect in person at theatres and other venues. I enjoy reading about the experiences people have and it sounds fun. My in persons are limited to the occasional scheduled book/music signing, and even then they are few and far between, although I have met some great people through these.

One area of my collecting that changed a few years ago, was getting into collecting autographed books. I probably have 400 or so autographed books, mainly biographies or factual. Most have come from charity shops. This has helped me learn about people, lives, events and all manner of things I would not normally spend money on if buying at full price. It has been a great way to learn, and I try to read as many of the books I find as possible.

I voted for the third option but I guess I am between the second and third if being honest about myself.

Thank you.

aamir wrote:I am currently suffering from depression, my family is on the verge of breaking up), so it is something to take my mind off things and I would not be as happy as I am now without it.

Sorry to hear that aamir I'm glad to see that autograph collecting is keeping your mind off things Hope everything gets better soon {thumb2}

Nich
x

I'm going to vote IMPORTANT.
This is because I am currently quite obsessed with collecting and its helping me through my life difficulties (e.g I am currently suffering from depression, my family is on the verge of breaking up), so it is something to take my mind off things and I would not be as happy as I am now without it.

It's interesting how several people mentioned how their feelings about collecting has changed over time. Initially, this was a way for me to "escape" and distract myself when I was going through a tough time in life, so it literally was probably 70% of my life.
I picked #2, Important. Because I collect heavily in the historical field, I feel a responsibility and sometimes urgency to contact these people before they pass away. For me, it's a very private hobby, but a very big part of my life. I'm always amazed how many random facts about people and events come up in my daily life. Maybe I feel like I'm living vicariously through these people just a little bit, and it makes my life that much more interesting. When I'm learning about these people, it surprises me how many times these people we call heroes were simply ordinary men and women put in extraordinary situations...I guess I love talking to them because it makes me wonder what choices I would make...

zanne wrote:Hi! ;)

I voted "Nice to do/Average". {thumb2}

As I've mentioned many times before, I am not an autograph collector - I send out 1-2 fan mail only once a month, but I often skip months where I don't send anything. I keep my autographs because they're signed photos of people I admire. I have many other things I do as hobbies too, but I don't consider writing fan mail as a "hobby" because it's not something I do all the time. For me, it's just nice to tell someone I admire them and receiving a reply is a bonus!

Thanks!
zanne

Same here.
I haven't sent anything since Jan

I think I'm between 2-3 but I chose 2 because I love looking in the mail and seeing if I got anything, but I also send out to people I really want autographs from, celebrities I admire and love, I don't send to anyone I don't want an autograph from. And I do have other hobbies and interests besides autograph collecting. It's important and a big part but not the most important part in my life.

I voted "Nice to do". The truth is, this is a hobby for me, and it's a great way to spend time. I learn a lot when I write to celebs and historical figures.

If you were to have asked this question earlier, say in the mid to late 90's, or even around 2001, I would have said Important - but now that I'm married and have a child, my family is my first priority, and spending time with my daughter is my favorite hobby of them all.

I do tend to write a lot, but it's because I love to do it, and I love the "thrill of the hunt" when I finally find a working address for someone. It's a thrill also for me to get something in the mailbox besides bills.