Everyone Should Pick Up a Hobby

Why learning to paint was the best decision I made for myself.

My main hobby when I was younger was playing video games. The thrill of exploring new worlds, defeating bosses, or challenging myself against real opponents was amazing.

Then something happened when I was in college. That drive to keep playing new games and pushing my skills started to decline. It just stopped being fun.

It started around the time when I got through Dark Souls 3. Easily one of my favorite games of all time. Once I beat that game on multiple characters, I just felt…finished?

I do mean that with a question mark. There was something I lost or went missing during that time. It just felt like there was nothing else left for me to explore when it came to video games.

After a while, I just felt empty. I tried starting up new games, but nothing had that spark in it.

And the emptiness continued.

The Big Switch

There was a therapy session I had where my therapist recommended I try something completely new. That led me to pick up Battletech: A Game of Armored Combat from the recent Catalyst Game Labs Kickstarter.

As an aside, I am no stranger to Battletech. I have been playing the Mechwarrior video games since I was four years old. It is my favorite franchise of all time.

But I have never played the tabletop game in my life.

When I opened that box, the joy that filled my heart was like being a kid again. It was experiencing my childhood all over again but in plastic miniature form.

That was when I started looking into painting miniatures. I have never painted miniatures in my life, and my conventional painting skills are awful.

Until one day I decided to say, “Screw it!” and I pulled the trigger.

My first batch of miniatures was terrible, but I was happy that I sat down and did it.

I taught myself to do something that was way out of my comfort zone.

As I watched more videos (shoutout to Vince Venturella on YouTube), I steadily got better. I am now at a place where I am comfortable with my skill level. I am good enough that I am proud of my work, and it doesn’t take obscene amounts of time to get good miniatures painted.

The best part is I love doing it. I love seeing myself gradually improve. I love spinning my miniatures around appreciating my work.

Doing this has restored my passion for having fun again. It feels weird to say, but it is true.

And the best part is, I don’t have to push myself to be consistently better at this. Painting is purely for enjoyment.

What Am I Getting At?

All of us here have either a full-time job or a set of entrepreneurial gigs pulling in cash for us. That is a lot of responsibility and stress that grinds you down.

I think it is important to have one aspect of our life dedicated to just fun. At least to refill that mental gauge.

Just remember, you don’t have to be good at it. Heck, you can be awful at it. But as long as you get some value for yourself, then it is a win.

At the time of writing, I just finished that green Marauder IIC yesterday. I tried out some new techniques for this one and I think it came out beautifully. It is easily one of my favorite miniatures I have painted thus far.

I have my next one prepped and ready to go on my desk. I will be doing it in the same color scheme as the one above. And it should be a great time to get after it.

If you are reading this and you don’t have a hobby, do yourself a favor, and find one for yourself. It makes the grind more manageable, and it gives you an excuse to take breaks from it.

If at all else, it is good to have something that does not have pressure on the outcome or quality of that hobby.

Sometimes it’s good to create things for creation’s sake. And that always feels good.