2021-02-21

29. Hobby burnout

The title is a bit of a clickbait, but honestly, I don’t know a better term for what Im feeling now. Hobby depression? Hobby demotivation? Hobby I-don’t-want-to? It doesn’t really matter, because nominations doesn’t change anything.
Im having a low point. I had so much to do, and I do so little. I get excited about new projects, but don’t finish the old ones. I love some steps in the hobby, but avoid some others. So maybe, hopefully, if I write about it, it helps me to find the best way out of it…
Let’s take a look at the past, in order to find the possible reasons. 
I started this hobby approximately 1 year ago (I mean practically, because in theory more than 2 decades ago), and what is the summary?
What I started (try to write it in chronological order):
  • Painting a lot of miniatures for Descent
  • Frostgrave wizards and a twin warband of barbarians
  • Some terrain pieces for it (ruined walls, ruined buildings, trees, a hill and some others)
  • Lot of monsters for it
  • Some Avatars of War miniatures
  • A 3x3 gaming board
  • Terrain pieces for Gaslands
  • A complete human army for Oathmark
  • And a dwarf army for Oathmark
  • And a goblin army for Oathmark
  • And an elf army for Oathmark
  • Homemade warmachines for Oathmark
  • A 6x4 gaming board
  • Writing this blog
  • 4 Necromunda gangs
  • A lot of terrain for it
  • Sculpting a treeman and a rock golem / earth elemental
  • House rules for new Oathmark units
  • Starter set for Black Seas
  • Some terrain pieces for it
  • 2 dioramas
  • 2 boxes of Frostgrave Knights (mostly for Frostgrave, but they are perfect for Rangers of Shadow Deep)
  • Snakemen for Frostgrave and Oathmark
  • Gnolls for Frostgrave and Oathmark
  • Writing my own siege rules for Oathmark
  • Modular wooden fortress, mostly for Oathmark
  • And of course there are several mixed miniatures…
What I finished:
  • Frostgrave wizards and barbarians
  • The Avatars of War minis
  • 3x3 gaming board
  • My treeman and golem/elemental (okay, their not varnished, but I still...)
Every other thing is under construction… Its pretty clear, that I started way too many projects. Im acting like a fox, who got into the henhouse. I think its partially understandable after 2 decades of destitution, but still wrong. So I think I have found the main reason for my current situation. 
If I think about more, where my unfinished projects stand (except the written ones), maybe I can find a more optimal solution for it. Because its shows a pretty clear pattern: everything is built (all the minis, but most of the terrain also), but nothing is painted ready… Im avoiding painting. But why? I think, because it takes a lot of time, because I want to make them perfect (on my level of skill of course). That could be a good thing, but after a while it can lead to this situation. Want to make things perfect, can be a good direction to go with showcase minis, or maximum a skirmish warband, but not complete armies…
Are there other reasons too? Yes:
  • Shiny new stuff is just a few mouse-clicks away, but completing them takes much more time. And apparently, I love shiny new stuff too much…
  • Even in home office, I don’t have enough time for everything: family, work, general adult problems (like household for example), sport, hobby. And I think that’s the priority order too…
  • Obviously, the lockdown also causes a general demotivation…
But! This weekend I started to get my sh*t together, and I hope I can present something ready for the next weeks post.

7 comments:

  1. Don't worry BZ. Forget about painting for a while, just play some games with what you have completed. Skirmishes on your 3x3 board could be a lot of fun, then you might paint the odd figure for the next skirmish which might get your painting mojo back.

    You have a great blog by the way. Take care.
    Regards,
    Paul.

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  2. We all go through this. And we all buy too much stuff. Sometimes, you just need to take a break, and a step back. Re-examine it all. Decide what are the one or two things you most want to get done and then focus on those. I find it helps to sell off, or give away, some of the old stuff. It helps tighten the focus and make it all more enjoyable.

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  3. Thank both of You for your kind words, I very much appreciate it! I find the whole community of wargaming amazing, because of such nice people!
    Brake is taken, I didnt do anything in the last two weeks, on purpose. Was refreshing not to fight with my guilt about not doing it, and just play some easy board games with my kids. Now Im back, while the weekend I made my modular wooden fort almost ready, and I built a complicated, enormous, bolt-thrower for my sons dwarves. And Im really determined, that I will take (at least) the primed miniatures, and paint them ready, one by one. If my work doesnt suck me dry next week (again), I can post some real content.

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  4. I feel your pain, now if I finish at least one miniature I am patting myself on the back for pushing through. At the same time, the 'pile of shame' grows with more deliveries of new future projects.

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    Replies
    1. I think my pile of shame is not really a pile of shame, because nothing is forgotten and nothing is disliked. Its just the lack of time... But its still pain.
      I stopped aquisitions for now, and started to complete my current projects.
      Results are coming!

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  5. I just discovered your blog and I know the feeling of having too many projects and the time or energy to follow through with them.

    Thank you for taking the time to worm on it and I hope you can continue.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for reading! Im already coming to the next burnout... But I think its a common thing in this hobby. If there are not too many projects, then the hobby is dead. 😀

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