People talk about writer's block as this affliction that prevents authors from getting constructive work done towards their novel or article. It's a commonly know affliction. Some prolific authors also label it as a myth and the excuse of unimaginative or lazy writers. Myself, I am not sure. I certainly have moments where I know I should be writing a blog post but cannot bring myself to think of anything to write about. I don't think it's a block so much as the result of my brain getting easily distracted all of the time. I am sure I have mentioned before that I try to write at least one blog post a month ( a self inflicted deadline that serves no purpose other than to keep this blog from drying up and ensures I keep my "writing" part of my brain exercised.) You will notice then, that I missed January entirely and February is going to have to be a double post month.
Some months I have loads to say, a sensible man would therefore save a post or two for later, there isn't really any relevant time stamps on these posts, unless I am discussing a particular show that I am attending. Fundamentally though, this blog has always been a whimsical vanity project so you get what you get.
I have found that blog posts without photos tend to feel short and if I were chasing the stats of people reading this, posts without photos don't "perform" as well. I have been in a hobby free period since Christmas so that has also meant no photos have been taken in January either, that also scuppered any inspiration for a post. Luckily in that respect I am a tiny bit organised.
Since around 2018 when I started this blog, any photos I have taken that are vaguely hobby related have been moved into a "Toy Soldiers" folder on my phone. In more recent years I have discovered that I need a second folder for the same, but photos that have subsequently been posted online, whether it be in this blog, or something like Instagram. It is embarrassing how many there are in both, but luckily having a good couple of hundred in the non used folder means that this post now has some models that I finished painting in September last year.
These are all from Crooked Dice, a company that continues to itch my middle aged mans need for nostalgia. A need for nostalgia that I am fully self aware of as being unnecessary and sometimes disappointing when I scratch the itch. I recently finally got around to watching a DVD in my collection that has sat untouched for years. I watched the first episode of Visionaries, a terrible cartoon from the late eighties based on a toy range that childhood me was desperate to own, but I know now the toys and the cartoon were both less impressive than any memory of them I might have.
But back to the hobby block, yes I haven't done any hobby this last month, but that's okay. I have spent more time video-gaming, again with a touch of nostalgia. Back when I was a student I remember getting a bit too into playing the Tomb Raider games, late into the night when I probably should have been doing coursework instead. Now I am playing the re-releases of all six games on the Nintendo Switch. I am once again finding myself constantly getting that itch to do just one more level. I did declare before I started this marathon to my family that I would get a bit too distracted with these games and my prediction did come true. This time though, I have managed to keep it just about under control and the time stealing it has created has only been affecting other hobbies and not the essentials, like work, or other adult tasks.
Additionally though, I do think that there is a touch of a mental block at the present with my hobby time. I do have a couple of projects built and primed ready to paint and they just don't seem to giving me the itch to get them done. It's not a problem, I am still playing games at the club and other non war dolly related hobby tasks are getting some attention so it definitely isn't anything that could be described as a "funk". I would probably go as far to say I am just enjoying a short break from the lead. I regularly repeat myself telling you all that hobbies are there to help you when you need them and you should not feel bad for stepping away for a short period. This 21st century obsession with monetising everything in our lives does make me cringe sometimes. A recent tv show about pet cats noted that people buy cats specifically because they think they will be "instagrammable". What happened to just getting a pet! I'm sounding like a grumpy old man, but I don't care, that is ridiculous.
So, when inspiration does return, I am sure my obsessive brain will dive straight back in and give me plenty more for me to talk to you about. In the meantime, feel free to keep wasting time scrolling the internet, or paint a toy soldier, or just veg out in front of the tv and watch low budget terrible movies. All time well spent in my opinion.
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