Mistakes Were Made........

That old question of how to keep the mojo flowing has been bugging me recently, do I decided to do a quick blog about the mental block I have been suffering from recently. 

The first thing that people often forget is that this is a hobby for most of us, not work. That means it's optional! So you shouldn't beat yourself up too much if you don't feel like doing anything or if you fancy a night off. Sometimes a break is good and it's always nice to do other things like spend time with the family etc. The downside to it being a hobby is that as a result, it has to be down the list of priorities. There have been times over the last few weeks when I had a real strong urge to sit down and paint, but the need to go shopping, do the chores, look after the little one or invest some quality time with the wife (this is crucial in the long run people!), has all a come first and by the time these things were done, the hobby bug had left me. It can also be hard convincing others that you want to play with toy soldiers over the important things! 

Another reason I took a hit was I messed up. I was working on my first squad of the new grenadiers and I messed up their camo. No big deal in the grand scheme of things, but it hit the mojo for a few days, then real life I've got in the way, I started putting some overtime in at work for various reasons and it all combined together to keep me away. A couple of times I walked in to the man cave and saw the messed up grenadiers and just walked back out. This has happened to me before. Most notably when I spent an age on an imperial guard command squad and then ruined them with hasty varnishing. They stared at me from the shelf for a long time before I got the courage to strip them and do them again. 

All of these things take time. Summer is coming, which for me always hit my hobby time. BBQ's, family, holidays and work getting busier all come together to hurt the time I get to myself. I suppose I might just have to make the effort to fit a little time in here and there. 

So in short, it's a hobby and best not to get too stressed about it. I've found it to be a balancing act - some days jut putting the brush down and walking away is the right thing to do, but on other occasions forcing yourself to paint can be a help. For me, I feel like I'm getting back into the groove so will hopefully have something to show for it later this week.