Painting Motivation
- Thread starter Aliengod3
- Start date
evil tendencies
Cake or Death?
I don't have any one motivation. I'm usually too busy, but when I'm not tired and not otherwise occupied, I usually just end up at my painting station.
freakinacage
Well-known member
wanting to get something done. have to be in the mood. it varies and i rarely finish anything
BPI
New member
My motivation seems to exist in inverse proportion to the closeness to completion of the figure. Crap, not even had a drink yet 
Motivation decreases as figure nears completion. That's better! Which leads me to consider that my primary motivation may be my imagination, as I look at a raw mini & think of how it could look if I do a world class paint job on it.
Of course it has nothing to do with reality; force effects & sparkles & flickering lights & shifting colour schemes & sound effects & smells are all part of the daydream. So the longer I paint it the more mundane it becomes and down the pan goes enthusiasm. Not for painting mind, just that particular mini, I'll happily embark on something new. Helps to explain my Eternal-WIP-Pile-Of-Doom and the grand total of 4 entries in my Gallery, 2 of which are Snotlings I zipped off as a break from minis that still aren't completed
Other reasons include the fact that it's the only one of my hobbies that really involves producing anything other than collections & catalogues. Actually DMing a game is creative too but is rather more ephemeral. As Friar mentioned, it's a nice distraction from the lurkier of my thoughts. I never used to understand, as a kid, how my mother could sit & knit/sew through a film on TV (after always, always missing the first 5 minutes) rather than actually watching it. Now I'll quite happily paint my way through a DVD box set. As long as it's well written, it works. Strange looking up from time to time to see something new in a scene I've "watched" multiple times, particularly when it's a knowing glance or signpost that I'd been oblivious to. I just think of it as getting better value! (I've also come to really value a good director/cast commentary, some are bloody awful. Joss Whedon still the best so far but Peter Jackson is edging a close 2nd).
Aha, back to motivation I have a mountain of unpainted & WIP minis & I keep buying more. Must paint to justify that expense! And then you lot on CMON keep producing fascinating & inspirational work, so that gets me going too. CMOn again for the final one but it's my WIP thread here, my online presence is minimal so it's as close to a blog/website/facespace page as I'm likely to ever get. It's nice to update it now the initial trepidation has worn off
Cheers guys, B.
Motivation decreases as figure nears completion. That's better! Which leads me to consider that my primary motivation may be my imagination, as I look at a raw mini & think of how it could look if I do a world class paint job on it.Of course it has nothing to do with reality; force effects & sparkles & flickering lights & shifting colour schemes & sound effects & smells are all part of the daydream. So the longer I paint it the more mundane it becomes and down the pan goes enthusiasm. Not for painting mind, just that particular mini, I'll happily embark on something new. Helps to explain my Eternal-WIP-Pile-Of-Doom and the grand total of 4 entries in my Gallery, 2 of which are Snotlings I zipped off as a break from minis that still aren't completed
Other reasons include the fact that it's the only one of my hobbies that really involves producing anything other than collections & catalogues. Actually DMing a game is creative too but is rather more ephemeral. As Friar mentioned, it's a nice distraction from the lurkier of my thoughts. I never used to understand, as a kid, how my mother could sit & knit/sew through a film on TV (after always, always missing the first 5 minutes) rather than actually watching it. Now I'll quite happily paint my way through a DVD box set. As long as it's well written, it works. Strange looking up from time to time to see something new in a scene I've "watched" multiple times, particularly when it's a knowing glance or signpost that I'd been oblivious to. I just think of it as getting better value! (I've also come to really value a good director/cast commentary, some are bloody awful. Joss Whedon still the best so far but Peter Jackson is edging a close 2nd).
Aha, back to motivation
I have a mountain of unpainted & WIP minis & I keep buying more. Must paint to justify that expense! And then you lot on CMON keep producing fascinating & inspirational work, so that gets me going too. CMOn again for the final one but it's my WIP thread here, my online presence is minimal so it's as close to a blog/website/facespace page as I'm likely to ever get. It's nice to update it now the initial trepidation has worn off Cheers guys, B.
Aliengod3
Active member
My motivation seems to exist in inverse proportion to the closeness to completion of the figure. Crap, not even had a drink yet
I am with you. I find that the closer a mini is to completion the less I want to paint it. My motivation for painting is a bit different though. When I first entered the hobby I was going through a bad break up. My heart was pretty much crushed and for some reason painting redirected my mind to something more contructive than just thinking about how hurt I was. Now my motivation has grown to more than a coping mechanism. I paint because I want to win a slayer sword. I paint because I want to improve and paint minis I can be very proud of. I paint because I want to be in the top 50 on coolmini
ScottRadom
Shogun of Saskatchewan
Love everyting about painting. I have not in a coupel years ever felt like not painting. LOVE IT!
Necroghast
New member
Its fun, relaxing, I enjoy working towards accomplishing a goal, and I'm really satisfied when I finish something and it comes out good.
DrEvilmonki
Active member
I go with painting is its own reward side of things.
The painters here inspire me to try to paint better.
The painters here inspire me to try to paint better.
BarstoolProphet
New member
People need motivation to paint?
You have proof of this? If so I would dearly like to have either a link or copy thereof.
Because 35 Years of doing this as an occupation would seem to disprove you.
Motivation:
Well it USED to be cheaper than a Therapist.
Now.............
On the other hand, you probably have a lead pile that it would take ten painters their whole lives to get through. So, in theory, you wouldn't have to pay that much anymore... In theory, that is! :wink:
No Such Agency
New member
I haven't painted in *checks own gallery* four months now. It kind of scares me. with the home life and all it's so easy to get out of the habit. I guess I need to FIND some motivation.
Last edited:
DrEvilmonki
Active member
Of course you could be about to get it, I know people who smoked for 40 years and THEN got lung cancer.
