Origins of Special Interests

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yeah, stay at home moms do quite alot. i hope she is able to reach her dream of being a teacher. i have alot of teachers in my family and they all seem to find it very fulfilling.

Spectat,

I understand how you feel. I once told someone that the was nothing left of interest to look at on the Internet. They thought I was being sarcastic but at the time I meant it. Some of my longest standing special interests are hard to find new things for. I get excited when I do though.

My special interests have always been the same since childhood. And it's like my special interests choose me, I don't choose them. I don't know why I like meerkats or want to be a veterinarian. It's just like one day I woke up and ever since those were my special interests. It's like someone else picked them out for me.

Maybe this is what people mean when they say God "called" them to do things like missionary work in a third world country, be a doctor in a very rural community with virtually no aces to anything, adopt a special needs child that will probably spend their entire childhood in foster care and then go to a bad group home when they grow up, etc Maybe this just God's way of telling me to be a vet? I once had this dream that seemed so real. Jesus appeared to me, telling me not to worry about who was going to win and become president for the next four years and also that I could ask Him ANYTHING I wanted and He'd tell me the truth. I asked Him if I'd ever be a vet in the future and he said I would and then I woke up.

But special interests have always been my main autistic trait.

I remember feeling that way about my special interests before internet became mainstream. My special interests were always kinda niche and sometimes information about them just DID NOT EXHIST. Everyone said "go to the library to learn more" There are no meerkat books at the library. Closest thing is an old animal encyclopedia from the 1970's what just has a picture and half a paragraph of stuff I already know. And there still is stuff on them I can't find such as diagrams of their internal anatomy or basic things about their health. Like what medicines work for them and which ones don't and of the ones that do work, how much? I've asked several zoos that have meerkats but they're very stingy with that information or the person in charge of answering emails or even snail mail letters knows diddly squat. Or they say they will talk to the vet and get that information but never do. They will only answer meerkat questions I already know the answers too.

For me it started as soon as I could see and touch things! Started with toy trains and visits to the railway to go to the next town. Wherever there was a train, a car or a bus... But trains lasted and are still my number one interest to this day!
My Dad got me to drop the toy cars along with other things when I was in my mid teens, but with railways, specifically model railways, he knew I should keep them! And I knew as well!
I think in trains... Dream trains.... If I meet a subject I am unfamiliar with, I often compare it to something railway or train related to capture an understanding of it if that makes sense? My Mum often said I always have my head buried in train books!
These days in regards to models, I tend to make my own trains, as it is more fulfilling and personal as it is doing my own thing, rather than buying direct copies of what every other person has in the hobby!

I have a secondary hobby and that is bicycles. I paid more attention to bicycles and cycling as a teenager, though prior to that I always had a bicycle or before that a trike! (Couldn't balance until the age of seven and that took a lot of real determination as I would not let it drop until I could ride on two wheels! I never have been able to balance with no hands... But I was good with bicycle mechanics and was involved in the bicycle trade on and off over the years though the last few burnouts/breakdowns left me unable to work in the trade. (Caused while working in the trade so mentally have hardly done much with bikes since, and when I do, what was a 30 minute job now takes me months or days. (I can do it but I have to do it in small bits every now and then rather than just go ahead and do it at once). Why it can take months depending on if I am relaxed or not. Scary because I always used this line of work to fall back on and after the burnouts/breakdowns... I can't risk it. Also takes ages to think what to do from one process to the next as hit mindblank where in the past I just went ahead and did it without thinking.

And though as a child I could list every car by make and model that passed, I dropped my enthusiasm as a teenager when I realized there was no way at the age of 17 that I could learn to drive due to cost. Though I still like cars, the boyhood dream of being a rally driver left me aftef that. Never wet down that route. Wouldn't want to try today and not into more modern cars unless they are unusual, as most cars today kinda bore me? The designs are kinda ugly and uninspiring and to be totally honest, many manufacturers have simply lost their way as their customers are buying secondhand becsuse they are cars that look good, are simple to drive and address their needs and desires. They don't want modern gadgets. They want to drive without such hinderances! They want their cars to look nice and inspiring! They want engines built to last. Some of todays engines are not going to last. Too stressed and small.

I have two main special interests: creatures, and making art.

"Creatures" is a broad one, but it includes animals (especially bugs and ocean animals), dragons, anthro characters, and monsters. Basically non-human lifeforms.

As a little kid I loved going for walks and looking at bugs and birds, picking up worms, etc. I loved The Land Before Time movies, and the cartoon Little Bear. When Pokémon came out, I loved their designs (especially scyther, charizard, and dragonite). Creatures are all around you when you're a kid, and most kids like them, but my interest in them is just as strong now as it was then. I like thinking about other ways of existing, and I find non-human characters comforting and interesting.

As for making art, I picked it up at around the same time, early childhood. I remember being around 4 years old and taking apart felt tip markers, soaking the felt in a bit of water to release the ink, and dripping it on paper towels to see the different colours spread. My mom liked making crafts, and she encouraged me to make things with her. I spent a lot of time doodling, and picked up more mediums as I got older. And again, I enjoy it just as much now as I did then, making art is a huge part of my life.

So basically, encountered some concepts that I loved, and obsessed about them for the rest of my life and continued to find joy in them. Pretty simple

I was obsessed with dogs from an early age. I just felt they were so cute.

The closest thing I've ever had to a special interest is food.
Back in my childhood, we were extremely poor, but my mother made sure I was well fed, to the point that the school nurse had to lecture me on healthy portions to eat.
But the thing is, food has always been there, every celebration, every time I was feeling sad and lonely. A good report card was always rewarded with a good meal.
It wasn't untill I got into my teen years did I start researching foods as a hobby. And it benefits me in so many ways, it provides a topic I can talk about comfortably. It helps me make informed decisions on what I eat nutrition wise. It's allowed me to see the world through youtube food vlogs.
So I think it goes like this.
The child developed a love
The teen developed a passion