Paul’s 2024 Year in Review
CDSS Awareness Leader Paul Sawka shares some highlights from his activities during 2024, including ukulele lessons and a trip to Jamaica, and his hopes for 2025!
Building, Singing, and Dreaming Big: My Creative Hobbies
One of my favourite hobbies is woodworking with my Dad. I started a long time ago when I was still in my teenage years and I did a woodworking class when I was in high school. I had to learn about the safety requirements and rules about using sharp tools and wood. I had to be fully aware of what I was doing and of what I was building and have the right tools to do the job.
Projects I’ve Built
After high school, I continued woodworking with my Dad in his workshop by giving a helping hand to him when he needed me. That is when woodworking became a hobby of mine and his too. The first thing I made was a shelf that I painted red and that was for my parents. During the COVID years I made a very unique nightstand with my Dad and we painted it white. I also made a shoe rack and a footstool. I helped my Dad make patio furniture like a bench and a table in his workshop. Some of my favourite projects that I have worked on were a mailbox for my parents and a red TV stand.
Why I Love Woodworking
I am so very relaxed and am not feeling anxious when I do my hobby because I enjoy and know all about woodworking with my Dad. My Dad and I have a talk about life and sports when we work together. This activity is such a great thing to do together in the workshop. I feel happy and very proud to be with someone like my Dad. I am also very proud of myself as I did learn a lot about woodworking.
Tips for Beginners
If anyone wants to try my hobby they are more than welcome to do it with their parents. That way they won’t have to be scared to do it. They can have the help they need from their parents and they can ask their questions to them because they can give them the answers they need and provide help.
Woodworking is important to me because I learn about safety in the workshop. I also get to spend time with my Dad and I enjoy that. Now all of my old and new woodworking skills are all part of my life and having this hobby is so very good.
My Music Journey
Music is another one of my hobbies that I have had in my life for a very long time. I remember putting on my headphones and listening to music in my bedroom when I was a teenager. I have a very good strong talent for singing because of my voice lessons and my in-person ukulele lessons.
Challenges Along the Way
The most challenging thing about my hobby is when I don’t have any people to perform my music to and I don’t even have a band yet! It was not very easy to find a teacher for the in-person ukulele lessons and to be on Zoom all the time for voice lessons.
Right now I am taking a music class at Mount Royal University. When I am learning I need to read the words and do the percussion with tapping or drumsticks with my other classmates at the same time, this is really hard to do. I think going to Mount Royal University has taught me to make new friends when I am in music class. I really do want to have new friends and it is not easy to make or have new friends because you have to meet them first and get to know them quickly.
Emotional Expression
Singing makes me happy and I feel so proud and also good about my life. My favorite thing about music is to have a good band and to be loud and very clear with my singing voice. I want to sing so everyone in the whole wide world and especially the Down syndrome community can hear me. The reason music is very important to me is because I can express my own feelings for all people to hear when I sing.
My music hobby really has taught me how to sing with a very strong powerful singing voice. Anyone can try singing so that they can really learn to love it and you don’t have to be scared just because it’s new.
Big Dreams
I will always continue to be doing my hobbies in my future days.
My biggest goal is to be a worldwide famous Broadway and Hollywood star and to have everyone hear me! My smaller goal is to get up on a stage here in Calgary and to perform for everyone at the Jack Singer Concert Hall.
Some time ago I performed a song at the Music Through the Ages performance with my friend Shannon. We performed on a stage that my Dad built.
I would like to combine my woodworking and singing hobbies and help build a large stage for a good size band and to have sound equipment for a full concert.
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