A daily updated blog typed by someone with painty hands, oil under his fingernails and the smell of solder in his nostrils who likes making all sort of models and miniatures. And fixing things.
Saturday, June 01, 2024
Saturday Film Club: Overcoming Model Railroading Burnout
Quite an appropriate video this week - although not that helpful to me, it's an important point that for most, this is a hobby, and if you don't feel like doing it for a while (or forever) then simply, don't
Modellers do seem to worry about losing their 'mojo', at least those that inhabit forums do. I feel that an interest in any hobby will always wax and wane, just accept it as a natural part of life and be ready for when the motivation returns.
I'm not sure that 'burnout' is an appropriate word to use in this instance, to me burnout is total exhaustion caused by stress, usually work related, and far more serious that temporarily losing interest in modelmaking (unless of course the loss of mojo is a symptom of burnout, but then you'd be worrying about other things rather than small trains). I have experienced burnout myself when working as a care worker with 'difficult' children and young people, it ain't the same as losing mojo.
I agree about the mojo bit. There seems to be an expectation that people should be constantly doing their layout, all the time. I know one person who put himself under pressure to do this, and he basically left the hobby after completing it.
That said, the lack of mojo could be a symptom. Losing interest in doing things that you usually enjoy is part of it, but I suspect for most people, the only issue, not part of a bigger problem. Worrying, but not the end of the world.
The advice is sound though. Have plenty of projects on the go, especially when ballasting!
2 comments:
Modellers do seem to worry about losing their 'mojo', at least those that inhabit forums do. I feel that an interest in any hobby will always wax and wane, just accept it as a natural part of life and be ready for when the motivation returns.
I'm not sure that 'burnout' is an appropriate word to use in this instance, to me burnout is total exhaustion caused by stress, usually work related, and far more serious that temporarily losing interest in modelmaking (unless of course the loss of mojo is a symptom of burnout, but then you'd be worrying about other things rather than small trains). I have experienced burnout myself when working as a care worker with 'difficult' children and young people, it ain't the same as losing mojo.
I agree about the mojo bit. There seems to be an expectation that people should be constantly doing their layout, all the time. I know one person who put himself under pressure to do this, and he basically left the hobby after completing it.
That said, the lack of mojo could be a symptom. Losing interest in doing things that you usually enjoy is part of it, but I suspect for most people, the only issue, not part of a bigger problem. Worrying, but not the end of the world.
The advice is sound though. Have plenty of projects on the go, especially when ballasting!
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