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Hi, lately, over the last 4 months, I've been finding myself with absolutely no drive to go and paint warhammer, I'll be browsing some pics, decide to go and paint, then stop and give up before I even see the models, I am depressed by the way, properly depressed, but I was wondering If anyone can help me. As I don't know if it's because all the photos I look at make my painting look terrible or I'm just too depressed.

Please help, smiggle

Personally, even if each individual model isn't painted particularly well to look closely at, I just love having a fully painted army on the table when battling. I often even shape my lists around what I have painted, to whatever standard. I can always go and do some more highlights afterwards.

If you are already depressed then it's entirely understandable that you don't want to do *anything*. I know, I have that T-shirt too and it's taken me almost a year to paint just ten imperial Guard troopers.

Warhammer is supposed to be a hobby, something you do for fun and pleasure.
If it feels like a chore, just don't do it. Leave it for a couple of days, a week, a month. It'll still be there tomorrow.

Concentrate on keeping yourself warm, clean and fed. Look after yourself, everything else can wait.
Hope you feel better in yourself soon.
*sends a hug*

^^^^^^This times 10.

Welcome to the club, Smiggle. As Chrissy_J suggests, when it comes to depression, there are far more important considerations than your hobby productivity. It's understandable, though, to feel disappointed when you find yourself unable to actively participate in a hobby - something you do for fun, satisfaction, relaxation, etc. - that you chose. Relax, step back, and try not to let that disappointment fuel an even stronger stagnation.

First off, a question: When you say "properly depressed," do you mean "diagnosed with a depressive spectrum (MDD, dysthymia, etc.) disorder?" If not, I'd say consulting a professional is the best first step you can take to improving quality of life, generally, and hobby productivity and satisfaction, by extension. For some, that leads to counseling, for others, medication. Statistically, a combination is the most effective option, but everyone is different. That can seem an insurmountable task, in itself - I'm only just now getting back on medication, after muddling through years without it - but it's well worth the effort. Having someone else to give you a kick in the pants can help, if you can't find the impetus, yourself.

To your question, more specifically, I'm of two minds, based on my personal experience. As I mentioned earlier, focusing too heavily on productivity (or lack thereof) can very easily lead to disappointment, potentially fueling a downward spiral. Stepping back may be the best thing for you. On the other hand, accomplishing something in spite of depression can be a deeply rewarding experience - far more than the achievement might normally merit. Knowing that you can always step away, it might (I know nothing of your personality than what can be gleaned from a single, short forum post) be worth trying your absolute hardest to just sit down and start. Set a time, remove all distractions, and say "I WILL NOT leave this table until I've at least basecoated this model." I often found that if I was in a painting slump, if I could force myself to start, it would be much easier to finish. Sometimes it would take me months, sometimes mere days, but it was always easier to pick up a WIP than a fresh model because I was that much closer to the finish line. Even if you've only basecoated in a few major colors and the bulk of the work still lies ahead of you, the models look so much closer to complete that you may find it a motivating factor.

Now, comparing your own work to that of others is a somewhat separate issue and another potentially double-edged sword. Some people take great examples as inspiration - a challenge, even - to fuel their own progress. Others see them as a wall they'll never be able to scale. I spend a hell of a lot more time looking at models online than I do at my own, finished or in progress, and it hasn't diminished my satisfaction with my own work one bit. That's not to say I'm ever perfectly happy with my work, but I'm generally satisfied. Enough so, at least, that looking at my finished collection becomes more and more motivating the larger it becomes. It's not enough to spur me to great productivity, but seeing the "quality of quantity" come into effect certainly doesn't hurt. This, coupled with the sense that my models are at least "good enough," gives me the sense that the only weakness I need to overcome is productivity. Tying into my previous points on forcing a start, if you can manage to get in enough research and practice to reach a level you find satisfactory (you needn't blow your own mind with every new model, just be able to say, and honestly, "good enough"), you may find it much easier to continue working, which feeds back into the satisfaction, fueling further productivity, and so on.

Again, everyone is different, depressed or otherwise. We can offer our best wishes and our advice, whether based on conjecture or on personal experience, but it's really up to you to find what works for you, as difficult as that can be. As I've already offered what insight I can... Good luck, Smiggle.

I know how you feel dude, i am a sufferer to. All i can say is dont rush anything, if you cant sit and paint even the thoughts of it makes you worse (which i know from experience) pack it away so you cant see it. I found a good way to keep my intrest in it was by reading a 40k novel and go back when youre ready. Just dont rush yourself.

Another thing that helped me was by having my very first model out on my desk to remind me i have improved.

I remember years ago being on the brink and 1 thing that my grandad said helped me no end, all he said was " i see youve not been feeling yourself recently, well atleast thats 1 bad habit gone"

If you ever need an ear to bend feel free to message me dude, sometimes talking to someone who doesnt know you but knows what its like does help. Hope ypu feel better soon dude.

Yeah man. Separate yourself from the hobby for a good time. Its not going anywhere.

Perhaps a good thing to do is look for a separate hobby or interest, and if one starts to bore, depress, or otherwise freak you, out, you could occupy your mind with the other, and a third, fourth...whatever.

These various hobby activities should be fun for you, and if they become un-fun, they're not worth the time doing, and they'll still be there whenever the drive to do them comes back, like riding a bike.

I too hear you Smiggle, and I've been struggling with the same head monsters for a while now. I actually bit the bullet and went to see the Doctor and had some time off work recently.
I was a bit shocked to look at my blog and realise that I hadn't done any painting for about four months - it felt like so much longer though! I had three weeks off work, and managed to paint two and a half miniatures. On the one hand, it would be so easy to beat myself up over how I hadn't actually done very much at all, and of course I wasn't overly happy with the results, so I felt I should have done better. BUT - picking up the brush and making even a bit of progress WAS a sense of achievement (and I count it as the greatest and perhaps ONLY achievement of those three weeks), and it also gave me something to focus and concentrate on and allowed me to forget what was going on, at least for a little while.

I'll echo what the others have said - painting can be great, and it might help a little, but if you're not in the mood, don't force it, especially if you want to strive for high-quality results. I'm an Illustrator/designer trained, I know very well the truth behind that having inspiration and motivation allows you to do great work. I know it's so very easy for us to all say to be easy and kind to yourself, but it's very hard to listen to that and to actually take it in and act on it, but be kind to yourself.

I've been doing this hobby off and on for about 25 or so years, and I have NEVER had a painted army! At the rate I paint, I might have one in the next 15 years or so! My mind boggles at how quickly other people paint, but the thing is, they're other people, not me, and the only person I can judge myself against is me. My fully-painted army will happen when it'll happen.

Another echo, but hobbies should be FUN. If you don't enjoy it any more, take a break, and that break might be for a short while or a long while, but it's still there. You might have great emotional attachment to it, and feel as if you SHOULD be working on it, but why? Try something else for a time, these funny little toy soldiers of ours will still be waiting for you when you come back.

Hang on in there dude - we all know this horrible disease can be absolutely crushing, but we are in this together, and if you need a helping hand, just shout, knowing that you're being stronger asking for the help than trying to struggle on by your own (advice I need to listen to and act on myself!!). Much love.
Warren.

Just don't be so precious with your models.
Spray, basecoat, wash, base.
Smash an army together and feel a sense of achievement.
It'll help.

Like other people are saying just take a month or two out, right now i've been away from my models for almost 3 months and the entire time looking online and ordering stuff home (I'm aboard you see). When i get back i'm sure i will paint up 10 men in a day but after i a while i will just slow down and play with my unpainted army again. Its just the way the hobby goes. You may not feel like it if your down but go to the local shop or FLGS and just paint, not only it gets the hardest bit done but almost gets you out the house and talking to people. Its why this hobby is so fun to me because i get to meet all types of people in my local (most of which are very friendly!)

Update: Also you spoke about your models looking bad, never think that because the golden demon team also started out basic, i don't think i paint well either but there's always fans! I put up my Valkyrie on dakka and i got loads of positive feedback in the score, heck i've even shown them to girls and they liked my rubbish painting, so its never too bad.

Smiggle,
I've suffered from depression most of my life, and over the last couple of years I've done a lot of work helping people understand the disease and its implications. I've done an awful lot of shows, interviews and public Q&A sessions about mental health, though strangely enough, nobody has ever asked me any questions about painting miniatures.
Of course you can't paint when you're depressed. Most things become close to impossible during a bad bout. But if you're getting the help you should (please speak to a doctor if you aren't. If the doctor doesn't help, find a different doctor) then in a while you'll start to feel like taking on the world again. And painting really helps here.
Models are little lumps of plastic, resin or metal. They're a lot less complicated than people. One thing they'll never do is judge you, and we know how painful judgement can be when you're down. But if you compare yourself to the best painters here, or the guys in White Dwarf you'll judge yourself.
I'm a lousy painter, so when I pick up a new model I set myself one of two tasks. Either just get the damned thing finished to my usual standard, or I try to improve one, and only one, thing about my painting. Either try one new technique, or try to improve one of my techniques (shading, highlighting whatever) or try to paint to my standard but slightly faster. Trying to improve in a bunch of areas at once is setting yourself up to fail.
Finally, well done to everyone who had the courage and decency to admit to living with depression. The more of us who are open about this the easier life will be for everyone.