I agree on this just being a hobby and that one should enjoy the time spent on it, regardless of what it specifically is spent on (the main reason why I'd never consider commission work, due to then absolutely
having to paint as opposed to when the Mojo surfaces).
But I also experience a kind of frustration when all that time spent contently sorting through my stash for whatever bit I'm after on that moment, planning ambitious and incomparably cool projects, thinking up conversions and laying out the bits for them, browsing the interwebs for inspiration (and I could go on and on), has nothing to show for it. And then, the 'make happy time' eventually becomes frustrating, because it leads nowhere, you have no finished projects to be proud of, and all that time spent actually feels wasted.
So, what helps
me in such situations are these points, in no particular order:
-
Clearing the work surface - Every now and then, to bring the visible WIP projects down to 1 or 2 (one main project and another one as a guilty pleasure. Of course that's inevitably the one getting finished first
).
-
A clear deadline - For the one project I'm working on (usually the project in question being required for the roleplaying campaign I'm DM-ing). But be prepared to move that dealine up when you see that you realistically won't be making it. Set another date and work towards that. Sticking rigorously with an unrealistic deadline invariably leads to more frustration. So be realistic form the start (and then add approximately 20% extra for good measure
)
-
Finished projects clearly visible - From my painting station that is, as inspiration and motivation to keep going. Especially when those are related to the current project.
-
Removal of all other distractions - Background noise drowned out through music I almost know by heart. Not too loud though. Preferred music ranged all over the spectrum: Fear Factory, Slipknot or Dethklok for SciFi and/or production-line style project for instance, or Simeon ten Holt's Canto Ostinato or Enya for individual miniatures and minute details. But also Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Nightwish or Within Temptation and many others for less focussed jobs like undercoating, basing or such. Whatever the choice; I have always heard that album a zillion times before, so there are no surprises or distractions. The right music to go with a particular project is a really important aspect for me, as it also helps getting in the right mood (no Industrial Metal when painting Wood Elves for instance).
-
Being alone in the house (really belongs in the previous category). - This helps tremendously, as at the moment, I have to share the room with my workbench with my wife's 'unwind location'. She doesn't hobby per-se, but has her PC there, a mirror and a collection of ointments, cremes, lotions and even more mysterious bottles, flasks and tubes that easily dwarfs my store of paint pots. This means, that she randomly barges in on me when painting, disrupting my mojo. And call me what you want, but in those situations, I find it really hard to get back into the flow. Luckily, with her being a nurse, she has to work shifts, which leaves many an evening on which I have the house to myself. This helps in concentrating, but it also means that I need to be prepared to paint on
those evenings. The evenings she is not working, can then either be spent together, or be filled with lazily browsing the web, sorting through the lead, clearing the desk etc, etc where distractions are not (as) disruptive. This will be remedied soon by the way, when I finish a spare room to be an exclusive gaming room, which will also house a gaming table. This is a real luxury though, and I fully understand not everyone is in the position to have this.
-
A prescription of Ritalin - No really; I got diagnosed with ADD at age 36, and addressing this condition correctly has helped tremendously ever since, not only with the hobby, but also in the workplace. Not saying
you need any of that of course, but I do find it striking that a disproportionally large amount of those in the miniature painting/gaming hobby suffer form the same problems. Maybe it draws us in? Fact is that most of the people in gaming clubs I have seen and met, actually were diagnosed with AD(H)D or even something within the autism spectrum (or could be
). Nothing wrong with that, but for me, with the right help being able to stay with one project long enough to finish it, has proven to be a real boost to my productivity. And the hyperfocus on painting, when all the above criteria have been met, is still as strong as ever.
So, to conclude my ramblings, I'd say that yes; it is a hobby, and we do this for fun, but when the fun is gone through frustration of not getting any finished results, I found the abovementioned precautions to be really helpful in getting the fun back into the hobby. The results will follow once you've found what works for you. Stick with those things, and finishing stuff will then actually add to your momentum and fun, trust me...
15 December 2008, 09:27:37 PM
