Creatives Among Us — How We Spend Our Spare Time

When our Mods aren’t hard at work monitoring social media and forum activity, assisting customers, and keeping communities healthy and safe, they partake in an array of hobbies and activities. The flexibility of working from home on a self-managed schedule allows our 250+ employees and 10,000+ Mods around the world the freedom to explore their creativity and make time for personal passions.

Here’s a glance at some of the many things that keep folks at ModSquad busy in their spare time. Let us know in the comments what hobbies you’re passionate about!

I love to make jam and jelly. Our family supports farm-to-table and our local farmers as much as we can. Being able to go to our local farms and pick our own fruit, process it, and preserve it all the in same day is so satisfying. We love PB&J sandwiches, and homemade preserves make great gifts. This year I have made strawberry and raspberry freezer jam and mixed-berry jelly. I have plans for peach jam, grape jelly, hot pepper jelly, and possibly elderberry. I will probably make some apple butter as well.
—Suzie Owen, Project Manager

I go through hobby phases, but all of them carry a similar thread… literally. All of my favorite hobbies have either involved thread/yarn, 8-bit art, or some combination of the two.

My mom taught me to sew at a young age. Not only is it a useful and practical skill to have, but being only five feet tall, I can’t say how much I appreciate being able to hem my own clothes.

As a kid, then a camp counselor, and periodically since (usually during summer vacations), I mastered the art of the friendship bracelet. In 2013, I went crazy for perler bead sprites. A couple of years ago, I dove into crocheting — hats, scarves, a blanket my cats proceeded to destroy, and amigurumi dolls my dog insisted were for her.

My latest obsession is cross stitching, which I picked up this summer. I’m about to finish my second project and have so many others I want to make. I see an Etsy store in my future…
—Aliza Rosen, Digital Strategist

I’ve always dabbled in the crafting world, but didn’t really get into it until a few years ago. It started with me seeing a quilted ornament in an online shop and really, really liking it but really, really not liking the price! So I thought I would try my hand at making one. And it all went downhill from there. Crafting is my de-stresser. I can always walk away from my computer for a few minutes and work on a craft!

My absolute favorite crafts are Halloween crafts. I decorate for Halloween like most people decorate for Christmas. This year, one of the projects that I’m working on is a Halloween tree which needs (you guessed it!) ornaments.

I’m working on a couple of other projects at the moment besides the ornaments, a floral arrangement (I’ve just finished the vase), and some Halloween letter blocks. The vase is going to get some faux flowers with eyeballs in the center.

When I’m not making Halloween stuff, I also make little things for Christmas and Easter and I make hairbows and fairy jars. Whatever strikes my fancy at the moment, really!
—Crystal Litzau, Project Manager

My husband David (who also works for ModSquad) and I belong on a competition BBQ team. We compete a few times a year but BBQ at home least twice a week. Additionally to the BBQ hobby, Dave also loves to make furniture out of recycled material such as pallets.
—Kelly Ammann, Project Manager

I’ve been playing games forever, but I only got into modern board games in the last four years or so. They are currently undergoing a renaissance and becoming very popular. A lot of people are putting down controllers to unplug and connect with people over a bunch of cardboard. I’m part of a local gaming group that meets twice a week and we have probably 300 games among us. It’s a great way to meet people as an adult, and putting time aside in your week for a game meetup is a great way to force yourself to have fun!

It was a ModSquad alum, Jordan Naraja, that got me into modern games through playing 7 Wonders during lunch breaks or after work. After a couple games, my interest was sparked; I did a lot of research on BoardGameGeek.com and started my own collection. I’m also working on a couple designs of my own and hope to have prototypes done soon!

My current favorites are Eclipse, Dominant Species, and Imperial Settlers!
—Josh Hagood, Project Manager

Food and cooking were always a big deal in my family, and growing up in and around New York City exposed me to cuisines from around the world, so it was inevitable that I’d get sucked into the foodie phenomenon sooner or later.

Food is a fascinating way to learn about different cultural and family traditions — plus hey, it’s edible art! My favorite dishes are mostly from Asian cuisines — I make a pretty dang good tom yum goong (Thai hot-and-sour soup with shrimp) — but I also love making dishes from all over. My duck-egg cheesecake was an homage to the New York-style cheesecakes I grew up with.
—Ellen Brenner, Community Manager

Sewing meets pixel art — what’s not to love? I picked up cross stitching recently and have been having a ton of fun with it. I usually do images from video games or TV shows, and just recently started mapping out my own designs (instead of relying on patterns someone else put together). Recently I finished a Legend of Zelda piece for my friends’ wedding! But don’t tell them. I want it to be a surprise.

I fell for photography in high school and studied fine art photography and photojournalism in college (until I realized I wanted to be a philosophy major. Until I realized I wanted to be a communications major). Now taking pictures is a great way to unwind from a long day and a fantastic excuse to get out into the world and discover new places! I would strongly consider myself to be an amateur, but I am loving all of the places photography has taken me.
—Tasia Karoutsos, Digital Manager

Belegarth is a full-contact medieval combat sport where we simulate different historical types of battles, tournaments, and traditions. It’s a little different from LARP (live action roleplay) in that it is strictly battle-based and there is no storyline or uses of magic during combat. Coincidentally, I was introduced to the sport around six years ago by some friends while doing a zombie LARP. Not only was the combat exciting and challenging, but the people involved are fun, kind, and just plain amazing! I’m elated to find myself a part of an awesome fighting unit that I consider a second family. Join us at belegarth.com!
—Katie Carson, Project Manager

For the past couple years, my Mom and I have made cupcakes for small dinners and get-togethers at our church. When the piece of paper was passed around to add a covered dish or dessert, our go-to contribution was always cupcakes. So much so that the congregation started referring to us as The Cupcake Girls!

In February of this year, my grandmother (Mom’s mother) passed away after a three-year battle with cancer. She was like a second mother to me and the three of us couldn’t have been closer. She was also a big fan of our cupcakes! Our church family and baking cupcakes played a huge role in helping us get through such a hard time, and we quickly realized baking and decorating cupcakes for people was a great way to keep our minds busy.

I’m a firm believer in trying to create something positive out of anything negative that happens in life. Luckily, we were able to do that while discovering a hidden passion, and now, we are in the process of creating a small business called The Cupcake Girls! It’s been such a joy to work on cupcakes in our free time for people in our small community. We hope to continue it for a long time!
—Rebekah Good, Community Manager