"Particular kind of burnout" Topic

I have scores of figures started and many that could be completed in a couple hours or so. But guess what? I can't get motivated to do them. I don't feel like starting any, finishing any – just don't feel like painting.

So instead, I've been organizing, cleaning, scraping mold lines, assembling, sculpting, gluing, leveling bases, priming.

I have hundreds of 15's & 25's, across several periods, primed and ready to go, lined up, ready for paint. Furthermore, I'd rather clean up a few dozen of these new Perry Cossacks than paint anything.

What do you think of them apples? I think I'm addicted to checking off boxes and completing stuff -much faster to go through the process steps of prepping than the slower one of painting. I wonder if playing video games has fostered the need for regular, small accomplishments, satisfying bits of efficacious effort like leveling or gearing up a character, or whatever.

Well as long as you are being productive all is not lost! And donīt forget- you can always play a game.

I have something like the same problem. I haven't felt much like painting miniatures in awhile. At least for the past month. I've done other stuff. As you described. My backlog is not as bad as yours, however.
I suggest it is a summer time thing.

This has happened to me a few times so like you I use the time to tidy and re-organise. To get back into the humour again I usually look at well illustrated books and campaign maps or even blogs with plenty of photographs.

I'd agree with the two previous posts, summertime slow-down, and at least you're still getting something done.

Personally I have the opposite going on: I have a certain amount of anxiety going on because I don't have time to get anything done. We've got a new baby (8 weeks tomorrow), and so I have very little free time, and when I do have some it's usually very late at night and I don't have energy to play or paint.

I'm quite thankful for TMP in that I can at least spend a few free minutes watching other guys get stuff done and still participate in some interesting discussions.

V/R,
Jack

Possibly, if you force yourself to complete a unit (or whatnot) the satisfaction of having done so might not motivate to finish off some more figures and so on.

But in the end, it's a hobby and if you're not enjoying yourself, you might be doing it wrong.

Sounds to me as if you are still focused on just another part of having figures. Nothing to worry about, it happens to everybody.
I have not painted a figure in about six weeks.

I've gone over to doing batches of 16 and that includes the whole process, so 16 prepped, then painted, then based, then varnished etc and start again.

It's a bit robotic, but it is a system that makes me shift things bit by bit. Watching the number of bases grow and knowing I have passed the halfway mark helps motivate …….. Plus I have painted my kneeling down people, which I hate, so that's done and I am saving my artillery until last, as I quite like doing them.

So I would suggest small batches to re-establish routine.

Flashman, you aren't the only one…so don't let it bother you.

I've been wanting to do more figure painting, but instead have started reworking and focused on some halfway painted buildings that I started back in 2009 and then just let sit and collect dust. I've worked on them more in the last two weeks than I have in the last five years….

I'm finding myself wanting to finish up a bunch of the "almost there" projects, and like you I have a queue of figs lined up waiting to go when it's time to get paint on them.

I've done pretty good so far…hope to keep it going…

Sometimes working on too many projects at once will exhaust you and cause you to lose interest in them altogether for awhile. Try to narrow it down by doing one project at a time and completing it before moving to another.

One of the many reasons I started the great culling of my collection. And as I started to organize all the crap I have I found even more things I had started or half started tucked away. While some of the figures and eras I have sold off or given up leave me wistful I am overall glad I have made the effort. I feel I will be in a better position to actually finish some of the things I still have.

Regardless any progress made is still progress. At some point you will get the painting bug and take off. I usually find it takes me painting a single figure then the result encourages me to do more.

However, there is something addictive about this hobby and we do have a golden age of availability. I think the access afforded by the internet and forums such as TMP have aided in driving the habit.

I find the pressure applied by the deadline for a club game can work wonders for my productivity- I recently completed 120 cavalry figures and 200 infantry figures in about three weeks for an LoA game, admittedly the last coat of varnish went on at midnight before the game. Usually that number of figures would take me three months! On the other hand, my US WW2 infantry platoon of around 40 figures, has sat unfinished for the last two months, as I don't need it for a game anytime soon. And as for the Russian 28mm Cuirassiers- they have been at the "almost finished" stage since 2011, no one in the club plays 28 mm Nspoleonics, so absolutely no incentive to finish them.

I go through phases like that all the time! I have not been painting much, or playing or building, but am finishing up the sixth major cleaning/reorganization of the game room in four years Added a 4'x4' game table in addition to my 5'x10' and still carved out more storage space! I often shut down between major projects, although I typically work on more than one project at a time. I get less bored or burnt out that way. That or I don't do anything game related for a few days except maybe read or watch TV/Movies for inspiration. This rejuvenates the creative juices and helps me find new projects.

Have your wife write one small (1-2 hour) painting task on your honey-do list.

I used to paint for an hour a night most nights whether I wanted to or not. After a couple of sessions, I started looking forward to painting every night. It's those first couple of sessions that are the toughest.

I think if you are a long time painter everyone goes through this. I couldn't get myself to pick up a brush for a good 4 or 5 months about a year ago. Then I got interested in a period I've never looked at (AWI) and got motivated again. Just hang in there.

Sounds exactly like me. If I see a set of figures I like I'll just buy them and add to the pile, regardless of the fact I have enough figues already to keep me going for a few years. I have always got one 'project' on the go of 12 – 20 figures. If I get into the 'not painting' mode as you describe I sometimes find taking just one figure and working on that until finished gets me back into the mood for doing the larger batches.