1)What drew you to home brewing
-I selfishly bought my dad a deluxe kit when I couldn't find anything for him for Christmas. We brewed 2 extract batches together and he lost interest. I sure as hell didn't.
2)What preconceptions did you have before brewing your first batch
-None really. Had I known anybody who brewed, I would have started much sooner.
3)What inspires your brewing
-The process and learning. I'm an engineer by training and practically by birth. I wouldn't be happy if I wasn't working through some hobby and over analyzing the parts I am currently learning about. That's the best part about brewing is you can always go with the basics and study and improve one part at a time without worrying about things after they are habit. You can always make better beer and learn more about what you are drinking. As simple or complex as you want it to be and definitely a hobby that draws 'technical' and DIY types.
4)What do the people around you think of the hobby
-Most will try to slowly learn about good beer and realize that you can do it at home. If I am a little drunk and start getting too detailed their eyes tend to glaze over...
5)How do you relate your home brewing to craft beer
-The ultimate tool to learn about good beer. Homebrewing is a craft. You can make a bookshelf from scratch or you can buy it at the store, the shelf from the store is probably prettier and a little more polished, but that is YOUR shelf and the next time you build something it will be better than the last.
f)Anything else you'd like to say about home brewing.
-It's all about the people. I have never met a homebrewer who was an asshole. Unless they were trying to be... like some people around here... Probably the most laid back hobby period.