And that’s where community education classes come in. Before you scoff at such a seemingly old-folksy kind of thing to do, just hear me out. If you know where and when to look, you can find community ed classes on just about any hobby you can think of, from drawing to pastry-making to fiction writing and beyond.

I discovered this wonderful resource for nerdery a couple of years ago, and took an eight-week Japanese class through community ed — it was ostensibly to strengthen my language-learning skills in general, but let’s face it; it was really so I could pride myself on knowing about one word in twenty whilst watching anime. It served both purposes quite nicely in the end, and was a darn good time to boot. And this year, I renewed my love for community ed by taking a calligraphy course — I’ve been a self-taught amateur calligrapher for a while, but the class was a great way to solidify my basic skills, and I can now make cooler stuff than I could just based on my own knowledge.

Beyond strengthening an interest you already have, community ed classes can be great places to find that next new geeky interest you’ve never had a chance to try out (or that you may never have even heard of before). Want to start a blog? Lots of community ed programs have intro to WordPress classes. Always been curious to try sculpture or pottery making? Community ed is a great place to get started.

As with the best nerdy things, you might have to get a little creative sometimes — for example, let’s say you want to become a better cartoonist; you could take a watercolor or oil painting class to learn new techniques to apply to your current style. Or maybe you’d like to get started with cosplay — you can take a sewing class to learn the basics in a setting where there will be someone to guide you in person, and then build on those skills to make your first costume.

Now, you may think that there aren’t good options for community ed where you are. But chances are, you’re wrong — larger cities will generally always have a plethora of options available, of course but even small towns often have community ed courses available, through libraries, schools, churches, or even local businesses. Sometimes, all it takes is a little digging or asking around to find great classes held in nearby places.

Community ed classes are one of those things that just go to show that nerdy fun can be found in lots of unexpected places. Have you taken any community ed classes? If not, is there one you’d like to take to strengthen your geeky skills?

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Taking this approach frequently means using crafting methods that are, by all accounts, a bit dated — and in some cases, almost ancient. I’m talking about things like crocheting, cross-stitch, and calligraphy (and even some things that don’t start with “C”).

As much as I like to think I’m being innovative with this concept, I know full well I’m not — knitting, quilting, and other such old-timey crafts have been making a huge comeback in popular culture. And part of my interest in such things stems from that very rebirth. But even so, I like to think that I’m part of a subset of creative types who fulfill the desire to bring about something new by using old means.

And I can’t deny the fact that there’s something oddly subversive-feeling about using a skill that was once used to make stately, prim, ultra-feminine things to create nerdy things — especially snarky, nerdy things.

And though using old arts to bring new stories to life can often be done to humorous effect, I like to think it often goes deeper than that. Not only does it breathe new life into an art that might have fallen by the wayside, it shows the true potential that was inherent in that art form all along, but which couldn’t have been tapped into when the art form first came about. For example, cross stitch used to be primarily for creating wedding and nursery samplers and the like, and unless it was done really well, it could look pretty tacky. However, it just so happens that cross stitch lends itself perfectly to creating pixelated pictures like those you find within 32-bit video games. Charizard never looked better!

Another great example is calligraphy — this ancient art was created out of pure necessity, back when handwriting was literally the only way to record information. Out of that necessity eventually came beauty, though it eventually became a skill used primarily to create official documents; from there, it faded into relative obscurity, and is little more than a hobby these days. However, it’s recently become a way to beautifully represent favorite quotes and sayings from the stories we love. It’s an art form that forces those who practice it to slow down and really, truly think about the words they’re writing — to get the chance to contemplate words they find beautiful for their sound, appearance, and meaning.

Whatever crafting method you choose, there’s no denying that with a little ingenuity, you can use seemingly obsolete art forms to create something amazing — and sometimes, the new approach you take might be even better than the original.

Though these are some of my favorite ways to create nerdy crafts, there are plenty of other possibilities out there. What’s your favorite? What new way have you found to create something using an old, forgotten method? Tell us about it in the comments!

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Never fear! There are other ways to show the nerdy love without having to wade through waves of humanity, risk your neck on the open road, or spend all your hard-earned moolah. Yes, I’m talking about crafting!

“But handmade gifts are so lame!” you say. “Nobody ever wants that crap!” To which I say, you’re probably thinking that way because of bad memories associated with the macaroni portraits and construction-paper-based oddities of our youth. But I encourage you to dream a little bigger. With resources like Pinterest and Ravelry and the scads of great crafting blogs out there, crafting is easier and more accessible (and less corny) than ever. Even novice crafters can find something that appeals to them and learn new skills to create a finished product they’re proud to give to someone.

One of my favorites for this purpose is crochet and knitting. There are patterns for anything you can think of, from Doctor Who scarves to plushies to cat-ear hats. And even if you’ve never knit a stitch in your life, there are plenty of step-by-step videos on YouTube for any technique you could wish to learn. Best of all, many patterns online are free, or a few bucks at most.

If crochet and knitting aren’t your thing, you could try your hand at some old-fashioned artwork. Make some fan art of your friend’s favorite character, or do a hand-lettered or calligraphy version of your brother’s favorite book quote. If you’ve got a steady hand and a good eye, there are tons of possibilities here!

If neither of those are hitting the right notes for you, there’s lots of options for constructable gifts. Build a dice tray for your favorite D&D player, make comic book magnets, or put together a hobbit hole terrarium!

And of course, there’s the ever-popular food gift! Bake some Star Wars sugar cookies, make a batch of lembas bread (my personal favorite), or put together a kit for making a nerdy cocktail (Sonic Screwdriver, anyone?).

These are just a few ideas to get your creative DIY juices flowing. But don’t stop here! Go forth and find what inspires you, or make something up from scratch. We’d love to hear about your ideas — share about your handiwork in the comments! Or if you’re not making handmade gifts this year, tell us about the best handmade and/or nerdy gift you’ve ever received.

Happy giving!

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Share questions, ideas for articles, or comments with us!

Email us at nerdologists@gmail.com
Follow us on Twitter at @NerdologistCast
Message me directly on Twitter at @Kefka73
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