Painting motivation. Even the most enthusiastic hobbyist goes through stages where they’d rather do anything other than pick up the paintbrush.
The ebb and flow of motivation is all part of human nature. There’s a quote I’ve heard often in the creative world though. I had to look it up, and it’s attributed to photographer Chuck Close.
“Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work. If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you are not going to make an awful lot of work. All the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself.”
So “just sit down and do it” is a tip that we can’t ignore. But are there other things you can do to make the process more desirable? I certainly think so. That’s why I’ve put together these 8 tips to rekindle your miniature painting motivation.
Consume Content About Painting
Whether you’re an avid YouTube watcher, podcast listener, or blog reader, consuming some hobby-related content can help shift your brain back into its motivated state. I’m a big fan of the Paint All The Minis podcast, and there’s never an episode I listen to that doesn’t get me up for cracking on with my to-do pile. The good thing about podcasts, too, is that you can actually keep them on whilst you’re painting.
YouTube tutorials can be really helpful for painting motivation too. Just seeing someone applying a splash of paint and making a good job of it makes your brain think “Okay, my turn”. You might even find blogs like this one useful. I mean, that literally is the point of this post, so I’d hope so!
Be Like Hemingway
I don’t know if Hemingway ever picked up a miniature, but he sure knew a lot about getting stuff done. One famous piece of advice he gave to fellow writers was to finish a session mid-sentence, when you know exactly what comes next. That means it’s much easier to sit down the following day and get started.
This can easily translate to painting miniatures. End the previous day knowing that there’s a nice big simple bit to do next. That way, it’s going to be much easier to feel motivated than if you were sitting down and thinking “well, I suppose it’s time for the iris on this Epic 40k snotling”.
Get Nostalgic
There’s a hobby origin story in all of us, and whether that dates back to the 1960s, or last week, is irrelevant. The point is, there was something that initially stoked a fire in you to get started in the collecting and painting of miniatures. You can lean into this when your painting motivation is low, and you’ll be surprised at how much it helps.
For myself, I have an old dog eared pile of White Dwarf mags from the mid 90s near my painting table. A quick leaf through one of those never fails to capture the imagination. The goblin green bases, the red spear shafts, the photos of staffers with dodgy haircuts. All combine to have me reaching for the paintbrush in no time.
Minimise the Barriers
There’s nothing new or groundbreaking about this tip, but it’s an important one. If a painting session for you means clearing the dining table, putting some newspaper down, finding the shed key, going out to the shed, retrieving your paint box, going upstairs, finding the miniatures you want to paint… alright, you get the picture.
Not everyone has the luxury of a permanent painting area, which obviously solves all of this. But think to yourself “how can I minimise the barriers to getting started?”. What’s the minimum amount of steps you can be set up and painting in? This will be unique to your own situation, but the chances are, you can make it a bit easier than it currently is.
Be Accountable
Accountability is incredibly useful for some miniature painters. You might choose to do this on social media, or in an online community. You might also run a blog like this one and do monthly hobby updates. The point is, even if no one is really paying attention, you know that you’ve come out and declared that you plan to get this next thing done. That can give you the motivation towards actually doing it.
There are loads of painting communities and miniature painting challenges online. Or, you might look into the possibility of joining or creating a ‘real-life’ painting club. When you’re working on your stuff alongside others who’re in the same boat, it can give you that extra nudge through those inevitable periods of flatness.
Have Clear Goals
If you know you’re testing out that new game with your pal in 2 weeks, and you need to have this warband finished for it – then that’s painting motivation.
The alternative is staring at your huge pile of plastic and thinking “okay, what next?” Here, there’s no real end in sight, so your brain will convince you that it’s really not worth the bother at all.
Take stock of every unpainted miniature you own. Group them into categories, considering things like “why do I own this?”, “what’s it for?”, “when does it need to be finished by?”. If there’s stuff on there that you can’t really answer these questions about, don’t be afraid to cut your losses and stick it on Ebay.
This not only helps with painting motivation, it also comes in handy next time you’re about to buy a new horde of minis on impulse.
Block Out Time & Have Painting Cues
I’ve mentioned the writing world already, and the miniature painting world is very similar in the oft repeated advice of “you should paint every day”.
If you genuinely can’t paint every day, don’t feel guilty about that. Instead, pick out some slots in the week where you have a free hour or so, and block them out. Book a date with your paintbrush, and let nothing stand in the way of showing up. Also, leaning back on some of our other tips, know exactly what needs done, and why.
If you’re in the position where you can paint on a daily basis, but you often don’t due to lack of motivation, then you need to create a cue.
This simply means “when I do this, then I paint”. So, “I do the washing up, then I paint”, or “I have a shower, then I paint”. Take the decision out of the equation and make it automatic. If you miss the odd day due to some anomaly or emergency then that’s absolutely fine. But make this your default routine.
Treat Yo Self
There’s nothing quite like a well-earned reward. Set up some for yourself to keep your painting motivation high as you work towards your goals.
Again, this builds on the previous tips where we know what needs done, why it needs done, and when it needs done by. Make sure your targets are realistic, and perhaps even start this strategy with the bar set low. You want easy quick wins to get you into the grove, then you can begin to step things up over time.
Set a reward in advance of each month. That could be anything from going out for a meal, to buying yourself a new crate of minis (careful now!). Whatever your reward is, hit your target and you can enjoy it guilt-free, and with a feeling of accomplishment.
What Are Your Own Painting Motivation Tips?
I’m writing here as if I’ve got this stuff mastered, but I can assure you that’s far from the truth. I’m always keen to learn about how others stay on track and get their work done. I enjoy reading the comments on these posts, so be sure to leave your own in the section below!
Thank you for tips!