How did you get yer mojo back?

[Harry Faversham]

Due to the fookin' real world rearing it's ugly head, mines gone, bigstyle.
When you were in a world of shit, how did toy sowjers get you through it?
 

[area23]

Small projects really helped me. Squads, units, gangs of about 5 figures. Miniatures that look good together just for the fun of it.

Try paint them as best I can, make good phone pictures with a scenery background and share the pictures online.
Here on LAF, on facebook groups (oldhammer groups for example in my case), on my blog, even if blogspot isn't very active anymore.

[Storm Wolf]

Harry, unfortunately for me "time" is the only way to get my painting mojo back, oh and being able to use the dinner table for said painting 

[armchairgeneral]

Just seems to come back eventually.

What about watching some of your favourite old films again? Bridge too Far. She Wore A Yellow Ribbon?

[carlos marighela]

Take a break. Unless it’s your only recreational/social outlet, it’s easy to focus on other things. I am somewhere towards the latter end of a six week break and for the most part have thought little of the hobby. There are more important things in life, catching up with friends, hanging out, boozing in my favourite bars, listening to live music and watching my team play.

It’s a hobby, not an obligation. When you feel like participating again, just come back to it.

That said, the break has provided some inspiration. Caught up with an old friend and he reminded me of a plan to commission a range of cangaceiros. While wandering around Lapa, my thoughts turned briefly to doing some criminal gang based games set in pre-war Rio. On the weekend I’m off to see Malês the new film about the 1835 slave revolt in Salvador. Having lived within a few blocks of the site of the uprising I’m bound to get the urge to game it.

Now whether any of this comes to pass who knows? The thing is not to force it but to return when you are ready.

[FifteensAway]

Well, depending on the nature of your life challenges, this may or may not work for you.  But in the last few years prior to retirement - and especially when Covid was an integral part of my daily grind (not the illness, the reporting required) - I found perusing the internet for figures, terrain, buildings, etc., towards building a future project or two (or three, or four, or...) a great outlet.  In my case, this lead to a number of purchases of 'collections' one of which I regret but that lands wholly on me.  Most were fun.  In your case, if the wallet is too thin, then just look about and make careful note of what you will want one day and file that away.  And if the wallet is thick enough, go ahead and make it thinner.

Whatever is creating havoc in your life, I hope 'the ship' of life rights itself sooner than later and you are back on top, if not the world, at least your personal pile of 'lead'.

[Dean]

Sorry to hear that Steve.

For me the thing is that the hobby encompasses so many things, so if I’m not feeling one aspect, I lean into another. Thinking up scenarios, planning purchases, painting figures, making terrain, and playing the games.  It’s a five in one hobby!

That said, if you aren’t feeling it all, don’t get yourself further down worrying about, the worst thing you can do is turn a hobby into a chore!  It will come back eventually on its own, as so many of us on here have found. 

Hope you are doing better soon though, Dean

[zemjw]

Films, TV shows etc are great for generating ideas, as others have noted. Buy a new set of rules and see where that takes you. Can you do something different with your collection - small ww2 missions rather than huge battles, that sort of thing?

If you can't face sitting down to paint, do it, but give yourself permission to stop after a few minutes if you're not feeling it. Hopefully you'll get drawn back in and the 2 minutes will turn into 10 or 15.

As @area23 said, pick a small group. Heck, even just cleaning and priming some figures can be enough to restart the mojo.

It will come back, but "real life" seems to suck more and more just now, so escapes from it are even more important than usual.

[SJWi]

I lost my painting mojo big time the first 5 months of the year . I started just cleaning up and priming figures ready for "the return", and then started to paint a few buildings for specific upcoming games ( much quicker than 28mm figures), followed by small scale additions to existing armies. I've just painted and based 250 1/200 vehicles and c 300 figures. Nice and quick and a satisfying outcome. Not sure I'm yet ready for an entire 28mm army.

[Tom Dulski]

 Whiskey and some early Sabbath usually works!

[carlos marighela]

Thou shalt not labour on the Sabbath!

[HerbertTarkel]

For me, it’s usually just time. I go through lulls which can be bad; doing commissions at least makes me paint something frequently.