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How do!

Bit of an aimless thread I’m afraid, mostly just a bit of a vent of self frustration. Perhaps in the hope of giving meself a kick up the arse.

In short? Over the past few months with pending and now completed house move, I’ve been off my Hobby game. And the backlog is building.

Since I moved just over four weeks ago, I’ve finally settled in but have built but a single Epic scale Mastodon. Which in hindsight, due the Heavy Flamers being exceptionally fiddly? Just nuked my enthusiasm. The rest of the kit is a really nice, easy build. But you try gluing two pieces no more than 4mm each, by a single 1mm point of join, and not making them all wonky.

And so? I’ve got the kits. I’ve got the tools. I’ve got the glue. I’ve got the space. I just don’t have the mojo or motivation.

It's a hobby, you're not under any obligation to do anything unless you feel like doing it.

For me, the best cure is looking back at what I've accomplished. Have you set up your display cabinet yet?

Not yet. I’m not done unpacking.

I’ve an antique cabinet a friend is wanting off me, and I don’t think I currently have the space to buy its replacement - which means the books it once housed are still boxed up, taking up floor space.

Until they’re all shelved properly, I’m not sure my current positioning of stuff is quite what I want. So the models remain in their boxes, so if I do end up rearranging it’s less of a faff.

I also need someone to come over and help me get stuff I know is for long term storage in the loft. Which should free up enough space to relocate the cabinet my friend is having.

It’s just a logistical log jam right now. But I do normally find building my kits, and even painting these days, enjoyable and therapeutic,

I think you just burned with all that buying, fixing, moving shenanigans. And also you don't adapt to your new place. When you really settled, no boxes on the floor and your hobby space complete your mojo returning in no time. Hobby need place and time where and when you comfortable.

Habby shouldn’t be something to get you down, sometimes it’s just good to relax and ignore it if you not feeling it at the time.

People are different in what they are after in a hobby as well, and can change over time. I also think building up a backlog isn’t best way to think about it, makes it sound like your obligations building up and not future projects you want to do. Thats possible just me, but I have boxes I got that I’m just waiting for a project to take me for.

But to your fiddly bits, have you got any cross/self lock tweezers. I use them a lot to hold little Pieces like that, just having like half a dozen to use for any project is a huge help.
You can even stick em into foam when painting, if you do parts painting.

Agree with the don't force yourself to commit to hobbying activities just because you feel you have to.
Do other things to pass time until you're enthused to craft.

Granted I'm doing more hobby as business so my downtime is different, but when I find myself in a model for fun slump I'll randomly make scatter terrain out of trash materials and old sprues lying around.
Mostly as an excuse to drybrush things.
Heck, sometimes I just paint cardboard to test weathering or color techniques.
If I don't love the results, just bin 'em, not like wasting precious models.

Could put on some hobby tutorials or movies to find inspiration? or just to watch other people do cool stuff just because.

Funny you mention this, but a Youtuber I like recently posted a video about hobby burnout and what to do about it:



Trust me, I know what it's like. I've been fighting burnout a bit myself lately, mostly with work just taking my energy away and leaving me both physically and psychologically drained. My pile of shame is a literal mountain. But, all I can do is keep moving forward. I've been on more of an assembly kick lately rather than painting, and the change is good.

It’s a common problem, but the causes and fixes are a numerous as the number of people suffering.

I find blogging helps. I’m OK letting myself down, but less so others. Even the hypothetical others that follow my progress. (I know there are real people, but sometimes when you post a few times in a row without a response, you need to trust that they are still out there)

Painting comps. Even out little monthly one here. Gives you some structure, not just a nebulous pile of shame to chip away at. And engaging with your fellow hobbyists and help in a number of ways. You can enter ours at any point of the month, as long as it was just primed at the start. We are painting “Chaff” right now. Next month will be the annual Halloween Special.

Make a plan, state some goals, work at them.

Clean your space, only keep active projects out, display your results, get some games in, read some lore, sell your soul, watch tutorials, meditate, etc etc.

Burnout happens with ANYTHING.

When its a hobby (that doesn't involve living things) you've the luxury that you can put it to one side and focus on something else.

You've just moved house so instead of feeling guilt at the hobby stuff; focus on all the moving stuff. Might just be its less mojo and more "house buying stress, moving, stuff" that's filled your brain and there's no space for the hobby at the moment.


Taking breaks from a hobby is natural, normal and to be encouraged. I'm always one to say put the hobby to one side don't sell it off - unless financial pressure requires you to of course.


So perhaps its time to box up the models (or er leave them boxed up); unpack some hobby stuff for the house and do something else. Take a walk; watch some birds; get a dog; paint the lounge - whatever.

The only danger is you might find a new hobby



Sometimes you just need a break; might even just be a few days or a month. Sometimes you can push through if the issue is less mojo and more "too many projects/ideas" etc.. where you get guilt at not doing X because you're doing Y and Z and A just got advertised and looks cool; but you still need to actually eat food this month etc... Or where its "urgh gotta paint 100 termagaunts for the game and don't want tooooooo"
In those cases things like blogs; or hobby logs; or just sorting and organising your workspace can all help re-motivate you and refocus your attention.
But if the energy is just not there; if you're forcing yourself to do everything - let it have a break. A natural guilt-free break will let you recharge your energy far quicker than trying to bully yourself through and making a hobby into a chore.

My usual advice is: read a book, watch some films, play a game, do another hobby.

Also, clean your hobby space and put away projects that don't appeal right now. (Sounds like that's not a problem for you).

When your energy comes back, do something you know you'll enjoy as the way back in. Don't worry about the To Do list.

And a rule I don't always follow: Don't buy new stuff for a bit so the feeling of guilt doesn't grow.

 Da Boss wrote:
And a rule I don't always follow: Don't buy new stuff for a bit so the feeling of guilt doesn't grow.

Honestly with that one my advice these days is closer to

"Keep aware of what is coming out but only buy the limited-edition stuff"

Because there's been a few limited releases over the years that I missed because of being on a hobby break and they are always the most tricky/expensive to find after.


It's also good to keep aware of the news and developments casually cause sometimes an army or game or whole company is going to close up and that's the last chance to grab a bunch of things.



That said this advice really only works with major life hobbies - ergo those that you always come back too and sometimes you don't know that for a long while with a hobby or interest.

Its completely normal to go through a hobby slump. I went through one for almost 4 years.

Hell I'm a regular poster on here showing off my progress in the hobby. In the Summer I always shelve my models and do other stuff. Once the weather turns enough to start getting cold I get back into it.

If you want to get back into it you just have to sit yourself down and work on something. It doesn't even have to be part of a main project. Want to know how I get my mojo back? I grab a random Bones mini I have from my pile and bang it out. Once the juices get flowing and you see progress on, well, anything. You will get back into it.

I'll go through periods where I'll build and paint like crazy and the sometimes go a month or more without doing anything. Recently, I built and painted a 2k Emperor's Children army (actually about 2500 points) in about 4 months. I have 1 Winged Daemon Prince left to go, probably about half finished. It's been like that for over a month. That's fine, it'll get done, but the motivation is not there right now. It might be burn-out. It might be other things taking priority. It might be the model itself being uninspiring.

The reason doesn't matter. You've done the hard part, in realising there's been a change in your attitude. The easy bit is to do nothing now. The urge will return, it always does.

Personally I'm finding building LEGO kits helpful - they're easier to go from sealed box to finished model than GW kits.

The hardest thing to do is to start.

Writer's Block happens when you look at a blank page. Work projects are put off because the computer screen is blank. Homework is unfinished because you are staring at problem Number 1. Errands are left undone because you have not left the house yet. It is easier to set it aside than to move forward at this point.

Therefore, to solve the issue just start doing something hobby related and the rest will flow. The longest journey begins with a single step and what have you.......

When you're in a slump in anything, a hobby, a sport, your job, dating, whatever, the key is to look for any easy win.

You have burn out with a massive FW resin kit? Of course! It's a PITA and punishing to build. Put it aside, and build and paint a simple kit, or a character you'll enjoy Just get back to enjoying doing the hobby.

Feeling it too, Doc.

I boxed up all my Epic Warpath stuff the other day because it was just so *much*. It was only two army sets, no extras, but I was like "There are 120+ bases here" and I just couldn't face it.

Some bases I'm wating on from Micro Arts for my Guild Ball resurrection project have yet to turn up so that's on hold...

So for me, I think to need to play something now rather than just focus on hobby.

Good luck.

Right. Work done for the day, and had a magnificent dinner, cooked by meself from a meal kit (anyone wants to try Hello Fresh, let me know as I have freebies).

I’ve also put a fresh new blade in my hobby knife, and it’s time to push myself. Gonna do that second Mastodon so there’s not something I know it going to be irritating sat there, taunting me.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Yup. I think that did it. Got the second Mastodon done, then blitzed my way through a box of Cerberus.

Thank you for the advice and pep talks and stuff. I guess sometimes you just need a wee vent and a bit of support.

This is something i have been dealing with as i settle into a new position at work with more responsibilities.
I get into Anxiety thinking i need to get this done, because i want to get the next thing done, and the next, and the next, im constatly thinking several projects ahead.
I say to myself "Nothing needs to be Done now and you have no deadlines" and it helps
Really the only thing that i need to get done is finish strtipping and rebuilding my guard so i can play them.
but i say to myself as i sit down for a video game or something "Nothing needs to be done now"

If you want, we can give you unsound advice...

Step 1: Mail all completed armies to American players.

Step 2: Mail all uncompleted armies to French players.

Step 3: Watch Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40,000 Movie

Step 4: Buy the rules to WarCry

Step 5: Build a WarCry Stormcast Eternals Thunderstrike force.

Step 6: Go on forums and explain to others what you've done... (and tell really lame jokes)

Step 7: Watch The Mutant Chronicles

Step 8: Eat a grilled Hot Dog with a pickle spear.

Step 9: Paint your 5 WarCry models.

Step 10: Look at your completed army!

Mojo restored!

Dont beat yourself up about it.

I havent done partically any hobbying since moving last year, as I still dont have any proper space where to do hobbying. Its OK. I concentrate on my other hobbies in the meantime. There will come a time when its the right time to get back to hobbying. You still got some years left in yous..

> It's a hobby, you're not under any obligation to do anything unless you feel like doing it.

Exactly that.

Myself, I'm painting mini's only when I need them for a game. I'll also pick a game that uses a chunk of my painted mini's. Not sure how well this works for GW, but it's fine for miniature agnostic-games.

Right now, I'm playing Doomtown: Weird West, a card game. It doesn't have mini's, so I'm not painting. Okay, it does have a marker for the dealer, so I painted up a dealer token. (:

I lost my hobby mojo for the best part of a decade. When I came back I found the hobby changed.

First off I was pretty flush and could buy stuff more easily so invested in some Kickstarters and Gamefounds which was a lot of fun and kicked the mojo into overdrive for sure.

The big change I noticed is paints are now like coloured miracles. Speed paints, massive ranges, everything special you could ever want and things like dirty down rust. Add the mass of instructional videos and painting technique, it's quite astounding. Painting was a thing I dipped into but had to be in the mood, now its like downtime and I enjoy it much more.

All in all I'd say losing the mojo for a few years and coming back has been a lot of fun. So if the mojo goes for a while pack it up and come back when you get the itch. Big bonus being all that old stuff you have is now worth a bloody fortune!