Burn-out is a common topic amongst wargamers. Losing the mojo to paint. Losing enthusiasm for a project half-way through. Never finishing and leaving half-loved ideas, game systems, and collections in your wake. It is something we have all experienced, so let's talk about it!
First off, I am not an expert on burn-out. I don't even think I could define it. For those two reasons, I am not even going to bother to try. We have all experienced it, and we can all look back at a time in our lives when it was impacting us. If you have never experienced it.... lucky you! There are other great posts for you to enjoy on the blog!
The second thing to remember is that whatever advice I give is worthless. We all experience burn-out differently, and we all cope with it differently. What I write below will probably not work for you. However, these are all tips and tricks that have worked for me in the past. If you are extremely lucky, some of them make work for you.
Now that we have set the ground rules are you ready to talk about the war elephant in the room?
The Nike Method
Of course, Nike is the Greek goddess of victory..... and a major shoe company. Those of us of a certain vintage know there famous tag-line, "Just Do It". Honestly, the number one with a bullet (another vintage saying) method I use for getting over burn-out on a project is to just do it. I don't wait or expect me to feel a certain way about a project. Instead, I just get on with it and realize that my output may not be the best. If it is writing that is what the editing process is for. If it is painting that is what the wash is for. If it is researching that is what the internet is for. Just get on with it all ready.
You see, the hardest part of doing a thing is doing a thing. Therefore, to get past the burn-out stage you just have to do the thing. Once you start it is a lot easier. The hardest thing for a writer to look at is a blank page. For a wargame project it is unopened boxes and unassembled models. For painting it is picking up a brush and applying it to model.
I am in a slightly different place than many of you. I make money based on my output. No reviews, no painted models, no rules, no money. Granted, this is just a side hustle. If I stopped doing this, no one would miss me; and my life could go on. My kids would not starve and house would not be repossessed. However, I still make money from this and that helps motivate me to use the Nike method. No output equals no budget for any projects.
Even more important, I like to think there is some contingent of folks out there who ARE counting on my output. It is not my family, friends, or True Crit Gaming Guild. They will be there if I keep finishing gaming products or not. However, YOU help keep me going and creating content. Trust me, there are some days where I just do not want to write, paint, play, review, or make content. Who thought posting on Social Media could be such a chore!
Therefore, the Nike method works well for me. Just do it.
Move the Goalposts
The next technique that I use to keep things fresh is that I do not set myself strict timelines, deadlines, or even strict goals. I give myself plenty of room to "move the goal posts". By that I means, I just have a vague idea of what needs to be done and when, nothing is set in stone. This gives me the freedom of action I craze to follow where my brush takes me, follow where my dreams lead, and get a lot of stuff done.
I have heard the saying, "I am a wargaming butterfly" many times. That typically means you float from project to project and often do not finish anything. I am not a wargaming butterfly. I always have multiple projects running at a time, and definitely flit between them. However, I finish a lot of projects. I typically have 2-6 rules projects, 2-5 blog posts, and 2 painting projects running at any given time. However, I also have no given time to have them done. Instead, I have loose Goals and Objectives and if I don't hit them, I don't hit them.
I do not start or purchase anything for a new project until one of the other projects is completed. Therefore, my plate is always full, but never overflowing.
Expose Yourself to Inspiration
Here, is is about getting new stimuli into your brain. This often takes the form of movies, TV shows, music, books, graphic novels, art work, plays, opera, improv and anything else that can be fuel to create! You need to expose yourself to a wide variety of sources. Do not limit yourself to just screens either. In fact, the more you expose yourself to media outside your status quo the better. Look at new genres, try different mediums, and get beyond the tropes and story lines you are used to seeing.
Your brain will often take the ideas you are exposed to and bury them deep into your subconscious. For me, these ideas are often then expressed in my dreams. Some of my best work as concepts and mechanics has come from dreams!
Touch Grass
As the kids say today, sometimes you just need to get outside and touch some grass. Like the above, you are attempting to expose yourself to inspiration but also to de-clutter your headspace. A bit of exercise can be helpful in this regard.
I tend to to hiking and if there is one thing about day-hiking in this area you spend 2/3rds of it going up. You can feel the anerobic (?) activities of the body and then tends to toss out all the rest of the crap in your head. Plus, the views can often be inspiring in and of themselves. Sure, maybe you didn't make any progress on your painting backlog, your writing project, or the diorama you are building, but you did just climb a mountain.
All of us have access to that outside activity that we like. Mine is day-hiking. My wife likes swimming laps. Other folks in my group go rockhounding, running, biking, wandering around on foot aimlessly, etc. The key thing is to get outside, do something active, and clear your head of clutter by focusing on physical activity. This can often give you fresh ways of thinking.
Final Thoughts
There you have it. I am no expert on burn-out or how to deal with it. However, these are some things that work for me. If you are lucky, maybe they are some things that will help you too. We are all different, but maybe this insight will be some use to you? If not....well..... you get what you paid for! In this case, nothing!
Until next time.
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