+ Keeping motivation +
+ Have you ever reached a project plateau? A burst of work has finished a model (or a group, or a stage) and you realise that you've got to do the whole lot again to get them finished; or move on to the next lot and do it all again... It's odd how demotivating this can be – after all, you've just achieved something! +
+ I've had this happen to me a few times with various projects, and I find three approaches help to get me back on track:
1_ Push on with your routine. This is the simplest, and requires the most willpower. In my experience, forcing yourself to sit down for fifteen minutes will quickly reveal whether you're genuinely uninterested – in which case, stop for the day and come back refreshed – or it'll turn into a proper painting/building session. Having a routine, and keeping your work area ready for instant work (by keeping it relatively clean and tidy) will help you to make the most of small periods of time, too.
2_ A change is as good as a rest. Swap out to another project or discipline. If you're bored with painting, swap to building. If you've got another project, change to that for the evening. If you're a bit burnt-out with hyper-detailing, splash some basecoat on a group... Anything that gives you a bit of novelty will help.
3_ Get out; get away. If you feel really demotivated, try a little light exercise. I find a relaxing walk or jog will blow out the cobwebs and get me feeling happier; and there's nothing better for your hobby than coming to your workspace enthused and excited.
+ Remember, your hobby's not your job; and if it becomes stressful rather than involving, it's not serving its purpose. That's not to say your painting and modelling shouldn't challenge you (that's what makes it interesting, after all), but remember that you're the boss, and there are no deadlines. +
+++
+ Anyway, here's one of those plateaux I mentioned at the start – a mob at a 'nearly complete' stage. I felt a bit burnt out, having completed my favourite bit – the skintones – and unwilling to push on to the warpaint/tattoos that could easily spoil them. +
+ I decided to put them on the bench for a bit and built another ork (right of the picture), which got me fired up for more. I'm awaiting a delivery of bits to carry on with the orks, but since I had both time and motivation, I decided to switch tracks and build some marines. +
+ Mark VI Devastator marines, in fact; built from the plasma-wielding Hellblaster set. I haven't seen too many of the multipart Hellblaster kit used, but they provide some valuable alternative poses to the Intercessors that'll help to keep things varied. As with the rest of the army, these are based on the squad from WD139:
+ I've started with the second combat squad; another little trick I have to motivate myself – having a completed 'second half' helps to nudge me towards building the first half for neatness' sake! +
+ Probably of most interest is the heavy bolter-armed marine. The weapon itself came from Stuntwedge's bits box (ta!), which is another benefit of hobbying mates! +
+ Motivation for The Alien Wars +
+ Of course, there's a fourth option – joining in a group project. That way, you'll be inspired and pushed on by your friends. That's the way we used to do things with the PCRC's annual campaigns, and while they've taken a back seat in recent years as life makes it harder to meet up, they remain a very useful tool in keeping me motivated. +
+ The Alien Wars is proving a great motivation to me; I'm able to share my modelling, painting and writing, and the world gets fleshed out through the fantastic efforts of hobbyists like DeathCat147 [+noosphericexloadlink embedded+], Lex Bigal of Servitor Crusade [+noosphericexloadlink embedded+], and Robin of Paint Water Diaries [+noosphericexloadlink embedded+]. You can see some more through the Alien Wars tab at the top of the blog here; and I'm hoping to share some guest inloads on the Alien Wars with you soon. +
+ Of course, there are lots of other groups you can get involved with – Azazel's Bitz Box [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+] is running a monthly motivational that luminaries like Krautscientist of Eternal Hunt [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+] are involved with, as just one example. Part of the joy of getting involved with a group project on the noosphere is that you get exposed to lots of new people and ideas, and make contacts across the globe. Long-time blogs like Ann's Immaterium [+noosphericexloadlink embedded+] and the gang at Starship Vorenus [+noosphericexloadlink embedded+] are new to me, but full of inspiration. +
5 comments:
I like the saying 'shoot first and call whatever you hit the target'. That pretty much sums up my hobby mantra.
Good post Apologist, I think the reminder that this hobby *isn't* a job is something that we all need from time-to-time! :)
Yes, this is very true! :D
Agreed. Now, let's both get back to work – we've got a deadline to meet :P
Good post, we all need reminders that hobbies are not work, and that conversely we should push through and persevere with hobby time. (my desk is currently littered with the results of not finishing projects)
As for the Blood angels, great as always, and it is particularly good to see a classic heavy bolter! I wonder about his left arm though... seems like it should either be supporting the gun, or more at ease. Currently it seems a bit awkward.
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