A recurring theme of my blog is the gaps that appear in my output. My blog output that is, not my modelling output. Since retirement, I am less likely to turn on my desk top computer, which is the main tool that I have for blog writing. I guess that it doesn’t help that I am unable to decide whether to use my blog as a simple record of my modelling achievements or to write articles that I hope will entertain and inform fellow hobbyists. All the time that I had the business, there was a good reason for the latter option as I could point customers in the direction of the blog if they had queries about a topic. Now that I have retired, the only reason for the blog is to record my various painting and modelling projects.
On the subject of recording my hobby progress, I use a small journal and keep a record of what I am doing and what has been completed. The picture below shows a typical entry.
I also have Model projects folder that I use to plan each six months of activity. This keeps me focused and stops me going off on tangents and buying stuff that I will never paint. Can you believe that I have 10 categories in the folder! They are as follows: War of the Roses and Bill Hooks armies; DeeZee Miniatures; Napoleonic Armies – specifically Britain and her allies; 1/48th Scale Afv’s and Aircraft; Samurai; Lord of The Rings collection; Naval Collection; Special Characters; Scenery and the Caribbean.
There’s enough leeway in those categories to keep me entertained but you wont have to think for very long to see the miriad of periods and themes in the hobby I have excluded … for now! In addition, when I plan the next six months, I decide whether a category is on hold or dormant. So for example, my Napoleonic and Caribbean categories are both on hold even though I have plenty in the lead pile to paint from these categories.
To be fair, my wargaming buddies are somewhat amused by my approach and I understand why. It is a bit OCD and you could argue that the time I put into the blog, journal and project folder could be spent on painting or researching my next project. However, the result is that my ‘lead pile’ is actually shrinking and I have a cabinet full of completed projects rather than a box of half built and half painted stuff. I also find that the Journal serves as a motivation to get more done – I know that this time last year I had painted 113 Infantry and 22 cavalry figures, so my output is slightly down. I suspect the warm summer has had an effect, I don’t paint so well after a beer or two! As winter is coming, I will up my output!
I have one other rule with regards to my modelling. If I go to a show, I must paint whatever I purchase before that show comes around in the next year. If I haven’t, I will not buy anything else!
I’ve also started to re evaluate my use of Facebook. It made sense to post on the Arcane Scenery page when I had the business but once I retired, it was less important to do so. I also have a love hate relationship with Facebook. I realise that providing content for Zuckerberg and his company simply gives Facebook the opportunity to use my time and energy to make money out of promoting advertising to other people. However, it’s nice to keep in touch with Family and friends. The problem is that about 80% of my personal feed is filled with adverts and spam, never mind the politics of some of my friends. As I am a confirmed contrarian, I have gotten into trouble whenever I have engaged with these posts as I tend to disagree with most of them!
I had in the main, stopped all posting on Facebook, other than ‘liking’ anything that took my fancy in the hope that algorithm would reflect my preferences more. Alas, that doesn’t seem to have worked out particularly well so I have decided to use the Arcane scenery page to post more often ( I said that I was a contrarian), almost daily just to record what I have been up to in my hobby. If you should have the faintest curiosity as to what I had to eat, where I went on holiday, what I think of Spurs Transfer policy, do I think that Liverpool will win the league, what conspiracy policy I currently follow or who I vote for, you’ll have to talk to me, preferably in a pub, having bought me a pint and don’t get all sniffy if you don’t like the answers! By posting more frequently on Facebook I hope to keep focused on my projects and perhaps to encourage my wargaming friends to engage with their projects, thereby spurring me on with my own.
So sorry about a slightly different tone to my blog. I just wanted to get these thoughts out of my system and perhaps the idea of a modelling journal might be of interest to others. Just to show that I have been doing some modelling as well as guzzling beer and rambling on, here are a few pictures of projects completed in August.
That’s it! Happy Modelling!