I've had an idea of writing this post for some time now as we left 2020 behind us and walked into the cautious unknown of 2021. Alas, the beginning of the year put a screeching halt on many of my creative endeavors, but now that we're out of the darkness (so to speak), and headed toward a brighter year, I can feel this energy returning to me! This post will be the first in a series about miniature painting, and it may seem a little all over the place, and for that I apologize. Hopefully at the end, it will all make sense!
So, the title of this post is a bit misleading and for some people, a little intimidating. I think a lot of people struggle with goals—both setting them and achieving them. I have set and achieved a lot of goals personally, but for me, the path to success is one simple rule: don't set goals—create habits.
In order to better explain this, I'll supply a quick anecdote.
A before and after photo of me with a 220 pound difference
These are both photos of me—separated by probably 4 years and 220 pounds. It's crazy to see these kinds of comparisons because I was always told that losing weight like this was possible; people can do it and I could too. And then I did it (with a lot of help). It didn't happen over night. It didn't happen in a year (though a lot did change in a year). It took time. And furthermore, I didn't do it by setting goals. I did it by making habits.
When I weighted 327 pounds, I was a soda fiend. Dr. Pepper was my general practitioner and I had a daily appointment (at least). I love food, I loved big portions, and I ate out often. But then I started to fear that my life was going to end sooner than it should—that I was doomed to die before living a fulfilling life with my new wife. So I decided to change.
Instead of drinking Dr. Pepper, I switched to Diet Dr. Pepper. Then to flavored, carbonated water, then to flat water (and now to carbonated flavorless water). I started eating smaller portions, and making healthier decisions in general. I wasn't setting weight goals, I was changing the way that I lived. At night, I would walk around my apartment for half an hour, just doing laps. I'd do sit-ups, jumping jacks, and other small exercises that didn't require me leaving my apartment or even picking up a weight. I just made a lot of little changes.
"Okay, but does this have anything to do with MINIATURE PAINTING, KENNY?" I can hear you yelling at your screen as if I'm there to answer you. Well, yes it does. Here's how!
One of the best decisions I've made in the last year was to start a Hobby Streak! #HobbyStreak is a community hashtag where hobbyists all over the world (mainly miniature painters) share their Hobby Offerings to the internet. It's about taking a little bit of time, each day, to improve your craft, make some progress, and otherwise commit time and energy to this wonderful (looks at PowerThesaurus for "hobby") ...pastime.
As of today, my Hobby Streak is on day 134. Others I follow (like the amazing Dana Howl) are well into day 700. So how do people keep up with a streak like this? Well, it's all about setting parameters on what Hobby Streak means to you and committing to the time and energy of maintaining them—holding yourself accountable to yourself.
If you don't have an hour of time to paint models, maybe do 30 minutes. If you find yourself without paints; perhaps you're traveling or somewhere where you are unable to work on models—write an army list, read some rules, whatever activities you can do that are helping you improve your hobby and keep your mind on the streak. Set the time aside, commit to it, push yourself to stick to it. 5 minutes a day is better than no time. Something is better than nothing.
So it's 2021 and you are ready for New Year, New Army. Maybe the new Soulblight Gravelords caught your eye (like me) and you're ready to start painting up a bunch of bats. Let's practice creating some realistic hobby habits that will help you get this army ready to play when we're able to get back to the tables.
Potential Hobby Habits:
Spend at least half an hour working on models every day.
If models are unavailable, read over the rules of your army to theorize new lists, understand synergies, and figure out the way this army works.
Read some lore on your army that may inform your paint job or a new basing scheme you want to try out.
You may not have any creative energy, or you're experiencing burnout; if this is the case, clean up and organize your hobby area! Rearrange things, get a better creative energy in the room by refreshing the workspace you have!
A day may come when you lack the ability or energy to do any of the above, and if that day comes, it is important to let the streak die. You cannot fail in your goals as long as you have the will to return to them or create better ones. You can always start a new hobby streak.
One last thing before I leave off for the day. It's another anecdote, but one worth reading I think. I remember a long time ago talking to a guy about tattooing. He equated tattooing as a career to being a racecar driver. I thought that was interesting and kind of laughed when he said it, but when he told me why, it made perfect sense, and I feel the same thing applies when I talk about Hobby Streak and setting realistic goals. He explained it to me thus:
"A racecar driver is not just a racecar driver when they're behind the wheel on the track. They're also a racecar driver between races, when they're studying the tracks, working on sponsorships, hiring new team members, driving practice laps, figuring out how to make their car faster, better, safer... there's a lot more to do than just driving the race and taking the trophy."
Anyways, that's it for this post! I'm so glad you read it and I hope that you are going away inspired in some way. If you liked this post, please click the little heart to let me know or leave a comment letting me know what topics you want me to talk about or what new habits you're planning to make in 2021—hobby or whatever else!
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