I quit.

[tacticalgenius 3815xp 3]

additional, this may be a great topic for the XLBS show, i know one on mental health was done awhile back but i think Sundancer really hit a point on his post.   The spark has gone out……. i truly appreciate the work done by the gang on their hobby and i wish i also could keep up but given 2020 and what it is, just not so easy to sit and paint or build anything.

[limburger 21775xp 3]

@sundancer damn it … you scared me.

I can sort of see what you mean though.
Maybe I’m at that sort of point as well, but I’m not sure yet as I haven’t found a way to let go of stuff that might be better off in storage (or somewhere else).

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry when I think of the amount of hobby related things I’ve got that are in my backlog.
Sometimes I think it’s my job that keeps me distracted enough for me not to realise that I should find a way to *eh* streamline/de-clutter that part of my life.

At the same time I just can’t get the energy to do it as the world isn’t looking too happy right now and this hobby thing is sort of helping me stay sane(-ish).  It’s hard to put in words.

Maybe all I really need is a holiday of sorts , but as I said … the Event makes holidays feel less like a time to relax.

I know I’ve said it on Discord and probably here as well, but OTT feels a bit like an extended family and a place to escape from the dark reality that surrounds us all at the moment.

Stay safe
Stay sane
And remind yourself that you aren’t failing at your hobby simply because you’re not spending all of your time on all aspects of the hobby.
At best you’re discovering which bits bring the most joy for the least amount of hassle.

[panzerkaput 33943xp 1]

@sundancer I get the feeling and really understand what you mean. I have a mini meant down during the year and kick out at everything, not my proudest moment but you and your shows keep me engaged. You are a star in this community mate and you really are a great hobbyist, and that doesnt mean you have to paint minis, terrain and a like, you help build the community and made it a lot more personally.

I am honoured to call you friend my friend

[redvers 21055xp 3]

It’s OK not to be OK. And particularly this year, which has thrown so much at everyone.

We all get frustrated, fed up, ‘not feeling it’ with regards many things in life and the same goes for hobby. Sometimes you just need a break to do other things, whatever they may be. you often come back refreshed. Sometimes it’s something else that helps out.

A while ago, I spent some time thinking about why I was getting frustrated with my hobby and not enjoying it as much. It came down to not being organised, both physically and with what I was trying to achieve. I like to see progress and I like to see things finished. So I went back and organised everything. Models into their right place, games systems into their individual boxes, paints into a drawer system etc. That way, when I do hobby, I don’t spend time searching, moving things around and generally getting annoyed with ‘extra activity that isn’t hobby’.

As for organising the ‘achievements’, like many, I had a lot of projects ongoing. Nothing got finished. So this year I decided to not start anything new until I had reduced the pile of projects to just a couple. I’ve now just about done this and I have just three projects on the go, some Blood Bowl minis, some tanks for FoW and some scenery/terrain. A selection of scales and genres so that when I get a little bored with one, I can switch to another. And I’m making swift progress this year, which hits my need to achieve.

So perhaps you need a break. Perhaps you just need to step back and simplify your hobby and understand what you enjoy. Perhaps it’s something else – we’re all different. But it’s always ok, to not be ok.

[horus500 11505xp 3]

Game/Hobby Funk is real. All of us tire of life’s challenges now and again and whilst our games/hobby are great retreats from those challenges, they don’t fix anything. They are an escape. A refuge that sooner or later we have to leave behind for ‘real life’. Real life takes it’s toll and sooner or later you look at your toy soldiers and think “I don’t have the time energy (or money) for this right now”. You leave it be and suddenly you realise it’s been months since you have touched a paint brush or rolled dice. Then the day comes when you do have the energy, the time (and hopefully the money) and you get back into it. You’ll love it so much you’ll wonder why you ever took a break, and the cycle starts again.

[theamazingmrgParticipant 2703xp 3]

As I mentioned on another post, I think we need to stop punishing ourselves for the things we haven’t yet painted and just enjoy the things we can when we can.

 

It’s a hobby, not a job.

 

Sometimes the break is all we need!  Hopefully you’ll rediscover your mojo at some point!

[zebraoutrider 12100xp 3]

We do this hobby to escape from the stresses of life, but when our hobby projects start to feel like forced (unpaid) chores, the fun and spark of enthusiasm dwindles. During lockdown it’s been natural to gravitate towards our enjoyable hobbies, but the more time it consumes, so it almost feels like we are full-time model makers and painters and it simply gets too much and overwhelming (I’m currently feeling that about Armies on Parade) and the enjoyment ends. I get you, I’ve been there hobbying over the last 40 years… ups and downs. I find a break is as good as a rest. I know that spark of enthusiasm will get ignited again by something I see or read about and I hope that will be the same for you in due course. The most important thing is stay safe and rest. Life should be a ‘gentle’ marathon rather than an ‘exhausting’ sprint. ? Take care. See you in the CoGs forums…

[ceppieParticipant 1973xp 4]

IMHO 2020 can fuck off anytime now. I contracted the virus on the airbase I worked at back in April, and still suffer lingering effects, including scarring on my heart and lungs. Then my job got cancelled, as the base went to minimum manning. My editor and one of my best friends just died of cancer, an illness he hid from me for several months before suddenly passing away. My older brother just had a stroke and is in intensive care, and my spouse just got diagnosed with cancer — hobby is my only sanctuary.

We live in the country and have always social distanced, so not really a huge lifestyle change for us, and I welcome the chance to spend more time hobbying, but I understand where you’re coming from @sundancer . It’s happened to me as well.

Solution: rather than dive into huge projects I find that I can prime the hobby pump by painting a single miniature. There’s fast progress and instant gratification. I usually pick one that isn’t part of a unit or essential to any upcoming wargame. That also gives me an opportunity to try new techniques… something I imagine applying to other models almost immediately.

I’ve also gone back to old rulesets, and I do mean old! Classic Traveller, Twighlight 2000, Gamma World. All those took me back to a place where I was excited about gaming and hobbying, and got me going again — or, as many people suggested, just take a break. Hope that helps.

[sundancer 43074xp 2]

Sounds like you really got the bad end of the 2020 stick mate.

Going back to the beginning and only painting one at a time really sound nice. I will take a look into that (even though my oldest hobby is from around 1999 )

[horati0nosebl0wer 19661xp 3]

*Plops on a helmet and picks up his trusted brushes, loads up the airbrush/compressor and kit for work, flips on the ventilation and sets about in the war effort against depression afflicting his fellows*

 

I’ll be amassing mini packages for various fronts. Those out there in the thick of the doldrums inform me of where they need to be deployed. Winter is here. Giftmas is coming. Damn the depression.

[sundancer 43074xp 2]

Winter? Send snow! We want snow! 😉

[limburger 21775xp 1]

@sundancer and don’t forget the ice … I want Icey roads so I can drift around corners on my trike 😀

[doomriderParticipant 1411xp 0]

I feel for you mate, it’s just one thing after another, there’s no shame in feeling burnt out. Maybe try stepping back from it all and trying something new for a bit, with no obligations or expectations, might help lift your spirits a wee bit.

[Author]

Posts