Who’s Got the Funk?
I am sitting here on vacation while I write this. It has been quite some time since I have written something for the blog, and there are reasons…
I might have expected some post-Adepticon hangover, but I came back really motivated and had several games lined up for April. Those came and passed. They were great, I took a bunch of pictures, and I fully expected to write them up for the blog. But then it set in…
“Hobby Burnout” is a term that we have all heard. It is certainly something most of my friends have experienced at some point. I have been dealing with it regularly for years myself, as well as traveling on my own special mental health journey. To simply say what I have been experiencing is a case of Hobby Burnout would be a bit disingenuous. However, for the purpose of this outlet, that is the topic I will address. There have been times in my life, like immediately following the passing of my father, that engulfing myself in the hobby has been a lifesaver. There have been times where I have been riding high on life but just couldn’t catch a whiff of inspiration for building or painting models. And then there are times, like now, when a certain malaise sets in that I can’t seem to shake, and then I also cannot be bothered to hobby. So, what to do?
I have done a bit of work on a small Custodes force during this time, but it has been sloooow.
I generally experience a low-level of dread prior to vacations. They disrupt my routine. And for anyone that doesn’t know, I am a fully retired house husband and dog/cat dad. I mostly set my own routine. Anyway, I have really been looking forward to this vacation. My wife and I have never seen the sea/ocean in Germany. (She is German, so she doesn’t really have an excuse.) It is a definite change of pace in terms of vacation spots, which in itself would often cause its own anxiety. However, I have really been looking forward to this vacation because this time I need my routine broken up. I need to hit the reset button. Maybe it will help to break me out of my funk. There is no guarantee, but it is likely.
I still intend to write my blog post(s) from April but the other day I had the idea to write about this subject. I have a tremendous amount of experience so I thought I would share it. I see plenty of people out in the ether that seem to complain more about it than actually produce anything. And they are just out their moaning about their existence without ever adding anything of value to the discussion. If you don’t know my painting pedigree at this point, you can check my Instagram to see a fraction of what I have painted. I fully dedicated myself to Heresy five or six years ago, and I have more painted armies than anyone I know. Like I said before, I largely set my own routine. I can paint like a full-time commission painter without ever having to paint anything I don’t want to paint (basically). So, what happens when I do experience burnout?
Don’t stress about it. This is something I started to learn about ten years ago. Stressing about something that is already stressful only makes it worse. This message was reinforced through actual behavioral therapy. You feel how you feel. If you’re sad, be sad. That’s actually how things are supposed to work. Repressing your feelings or feeling other negative feelings about your feelings only leads to bad things in the end. So, accept that this is where you are and try to find something else to focus on. For me, it has often been soccer/football, lifting weights, running, projects around the house, or video games. If you don’t have other interests to lean on in these times, that is something to look at. (Note: Part of my problem in this period is that I had stopped playing soccer. I have since remedied that.)
Don’t force it. The idea of people painting entire armies at the last minute for an event makes my skin crawl. I know it is a badge of honor to some people, and I get it. I got a taste of it and never want to do it again. I am an artist before anything and that process is so antithetical to the way I approach the hobby. Forcing myself to paint when I didn’t want to, in a very short-term situation might work. However, doing this continuously leads to the worst kind of burnout. I have burnt myself out for months at a time doing this. And even most of the people that do this for an event experience this as well. This is a hobby. You are supposed to enjoy it. It is not supposed to be torture. I know some people do it for the game. I understand it for competitive games but I do not understand it for narrative games like Heresy. I am not trying to judge here. I know times have changed. In the past, people had to spend big money on Heresy armies. So, why not pay someone to paint your army if you are already spending that amount? The entry level now is much lower, but it still adds up to get to 3,000 points. And getting a 3k army pro painted is not cheap. Anyway, this is a diverging topic, so I will get off it. Bottom line, if you are concerned about hobby burnout, do not force yourself to paint.
Do something else. If you don’t want to paint, build models. I have found that, if all else fails, I work on terrain. I enjoy financially acquired terrain, as well as scratch-built (and its combination). Painting terrain, when done correctly, allows you to dial down a bit. You can get great painted terrain with some rattle cans, washes, and maybe a dry brush. Scratch-building terrain exercises whole different parts of the creative brain, as well as motor skills.
Work on a different project. This could fall under “do something else” but might be a bit controversial to some. Some people have their one army. They have 30,000 points of x army for 30k. Other people, like me, are hobby butterflies. If you are that, this one is for you. I used to worry about leaving one project for another. How could you possibly pick up an old project? The key is copious notetaking on your paint scheme. Now, rather than trying to force myself to work on one particular army, I ride waves. I started my Emperor’s Children before my Thousand Sons, the latter of which is currently a far bigger army. However, after banging out a chunk of Thousand Sons, I might work on Emperor’s Children for a while. In the past, I had so many “failed” projects. By riding my creative waves, I have turned what in the past would have been considered failures into successful side projects. With 3rd edition being so ally friendly, it feeds right into this.
My friend Alex mentioned to me that he is terrible at taking notes. Don’t get me wrong, I often do not enjoy it and struggle with consistency. The key is finding the system that is the least bad. I used to write a color scheme on a random piece of paper, which doesn’t work if you cannot find that piece of paper in the future. For some people, a digital format would be ideal. I keep notebooks in which I can consolidate notes and references for each project. Rarely when I am developing a color scheme do I write down every paint as I use it. However, I do keep the paints on my workspace until I log them into my notes. So, maybe after I have finished the base coat and varnished the model for decals, I will jot down all the colors I used. Gaining experience is also understanding that just writing down the colors you used is not enough. For certain special effects, like eye lenses, plasma, etc., I draw myself a diagram and apply the actual colors in the same way. This might sound like self-flagellation as you read this, but it is far less torture than not being able to revisit a project because you have no idea how to recreate the color scheme!
Talk to someone. The problem with social media is that most of the time you are just firing off into the void. Even when someone shoots you a comment, it is something surface-level or just reinforcing your feelings. I have two hobby boyfriends I speak to almost daily. And I have a few more that I also speak to regularly. It is essential in life to have some people that are going to call you out on your bullshit. Everyone has a different approach, some more direct, some less-so; however, you need those people in your life.
Organize your workspace. This is a very personal one. My workspace is in constant need of organization. My creative process is just absolute chaos. However, I feel much better when my space is organized. There are times that I walk into my space, have the desire to create, see my mess, sigh, and walk back out. There are times that I want to organize and do the same. Now, I have heard it all. Clean as you go. Put x away when you’re done with it, at the end of the day, etc. I have read Atomic Habits more than once. That shit just makes neurodivergent people feel worse about themselves than they already do. There is so much tied up into this for me, but the bottom line is that most people are probably going to better create in a tidy, dedicated space. Now, there are certain aspects of an art space that just come with the territory, like dried paint on your table. If that doesn’t bother you, don’t worry about it. The key to this, for me, is just trying to do a bit better over time. I am better about putting various bits boxes away when I am done looking for something. I try to periodically re-rack my paints. Perfection is pointless but try to improve your space enough to give you that positive brain chemical response. The knock-on effect is that it will help your creative process. Now, if you are one of those weirdos that loves to clean and organize, use the time of a block to put all your models away and organize everything. When you want to come back to it, you can get things out again or maybe pull out something to work on. However, looking at an open table is going to feel so much better than having it full of shit.
Read a book. One of the biggest things that has inspired me over the years is Warhammer lore. The written lore and art are what really drew me to Heresy as my full-time gig. I am at a point where I have consumed the majority of Heresy lore. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have the brain that can retain all of it, but I have read most of it. I started listening to the Zardu Layak book recently and just lost interest in it. I have similarly revisited some other classics with the same result. So, it is clear that I need a bit of a break from Heresy lore. I have also recently been tearing through Joe Abercrombie after months of Brandon Sanderson. I took a pause from Joe Abercrombie to read a Norse-inspired fantasy trilogy by John Gwynne. That is a recommendation from my sister. You might see a theme here. I love fantasy. I was thinking that this trilogy might inspire me to revisit my Space Wolves. However, fantasy and science fiction are not the only genres you can draw on for inspiration.
So much Warhammer lore draws on actual history. One of my favorite podcasts is the Rest is History. Their back catalog is huge and covers just about every facet of history you can think of, and some you may not have. I have tried several historical podcasts, but I am confident in telling you this one is the best. And whether or not you consider listening to audiobooks actually reading them, the idea is to consume them in some fashion. I listen to podcasts and books when I am working around the house, walking, and driving.
Note: The Black Books are widely considered peak Heresy lore. The novels are great, and I love most of them. The new Journals Tactica are decent, and I am very happy that we have them. However, the Black Books were stuffed full of lore that can inspire new armies, battles, etc. I had long hoped that they would re-release the Black Books in some fashion but never considered that they would release Black Book lore for free. It seems such a simple thing, and they have a huge catalog to mine, but giving away premium content for free is just not something GW generally does. Anyway, I just looked and GW has had twenty releases so far. So, there is no excuse not to read that lore for inspiration!
https://www.warhammer-community.com/en-gb/downloads/warhammer-the-horus-heresy/
I am including the whole link above rather than the usual hyperlink so people don’t miss it!
Well, anyway, those are my ideas for breaking through or dealing with hobby burnout. I would definitely be interested in hearing other people’s ideas. Besides being able to share them with the world, I wouldn’t mind some new ideas to help break me out of my own funk!
Remember: Be kind to yourself. This has become a bit of a cliché you hear all over the place. However, it is so true. Being tough and grinding it out might work when it comes to many things, but that is just not how good art is created.
And att the end of the day, you sometimes just have to ride it out. There is no simple fix.
Conclusion
Well, I am going to wrap this up for now. I hope this helps someone!
In the meantime, you can check me out Instagram or Facebook!
