In my very first job with some archaeologists, I wasn’t digging objects out of the ground, instead I was employed as an artist, drawing what they found. However, I was soon more interested in the stories behind the objects than in drawing them and that’s how my career in archaeology started. I still draw what I find in my work as a specialist on the Silk Road, the old trade route running from Egypt to Mongolia, and I also work on some underwater projects too.

In archaeology, my all-time hero is an American called Raphael Pumpelly. I first heard about him when I was a student on a trip to Turkmenistan, a country right in the heart of Asia. To get around the country, I had to learn Russian so that I could speak to the local people. When I got there I thought, “Wow! I’m one of the first Americans here!” Then an old man told me about an American archaeologist, Raphael Pumpelly, who was there doing the same thing over 100 years ago.

Archaeology’s in my family. My wife’s in the same profession, and, although our two boys aren’t interested in the future in archaeology themselves, we’ve been on some great digs together and they love what we do because they get to travel with us. Last summer, we took them to Lake Titicaca in South America, in the high areas of the Andes mountain range. My best experience was when I was digging on the Egyptian Red Sea coast. There’s very little rain and it’s so dry that everything is kept as it was. In an old house, where the owner used to store goods from the ships that came in, I picked up a 700-year-old mat in front of the house and there, under it, after all that time, was the house key with the owner’s name carved on it. It felt like he could be on his way home any minute! And I thought, “Hey, I do just that. This man’s not much different to me!”

Arthur Dubois isn't your typical grandfather. That's because at 72 years old, the Chicago resident is a newly discovered hip-hop artist.

This week, Dubois walked into Haven Studios, a music program on the South Side of Chicago that supports young ambitious artists. The owner of Haven Studios, Andre "Add-2" Daniels, said Dubois claimed he was "young at heart." So, Daniels decided to listen to Dubois' music. He was completely floored. Daniels quickly took videos showcasing Dubois' talents and posted them to Twitter. His tweet went viral, receiving thousands of reactions within a matter of days. Now, Dubois' talents have even caught the attention of some famous hip-hop producers.

"It's not what you would expect, right?" Daniels says in one of the videos. Dubois music is playing in the background, giving a steady beat that easily invites listeners to dance.

Dubois said his style was entirely self-taught. He first started teaching himself to produce hip-hop beats about six years ago, after he retired. "I found something to do," he told NPR's Scott Simon. "I had to learn how to do the computer and music at the same time." Dubois taught himself by using the audio editing software. Now he's learning another new skill-social media. Dubois' newfound social media fame has been a little overwhelming for him. "I was shocked," he said. "I broke down and cried because I didn't know that many people liked me." Daniels has helped Dubois set up accounts on Twitter and Instagram for his fans to follow, "I'd never used Instargram, Twitter and all that other stuff," Dubois said. "Because I didn't believe in that stuff myself. But now I've got lo have it." The attention doesn't seem to have gone to Dubois' head though-he doesn't really care about getting famous or making money. "I just want to put it out there and let other people hear my music."

I still remember my friends giving me the advice: Try something new. I was stressed and, of course, also on my phone too much. I was writing about food for work, so cooking didn’t really count as a hobby anymore, nor did reading, nor socializing, especially since all of my friends worked in my industry. I needed something in my life that existed apart from all that.

“Maybe something you can do with your hands.” The suggestion felt like an escape exit: Maybe a hobby could free me from my work. Cooking had once been the thing I did to relax when I got home from work, the thing I was curious about, and the thing that made my brain away from its standard complaints. The kitchen had once been a release, but now it was part of my professional life. It needed a replacement. A few months later, I dutifully signed up for a ceramics (制陶艺术) class at a studio near my apartment.

At the studio, I started as a lazy learner, but after a few months I became addicted, signing up for more classes when my term ended. I had a place to go in my free time and something to be curious about, and my goals were unrelated to outer forces: a boss, a job, a market, a reader. Unlike with writing, my progress was quantifiable (可量化的): Now I can make a vase this tall. Now I have made a pot. Now my handles are beautiful. Now I have made two things that more or less look like a pair.

Finally finding a hobby that was just for my own enjoyment was a release. I enjoy having something to do that didn’t involve a screen and therefore felt far from the style of work to which I was most accustomed — hands covered in clay cannot swipe (滑屏) very well. Making time for this also means carving out time, for creation and inspiration, and also for the rest that is required for me to reflect on my life. It is something more than a new hobby. This is the peace that everyone needs in our life.