Well folks… it\’s happened. After well over a year of being pretty pumped and motivated – feeling like I\’m getting a ton of painting done and really stepping up my talent. After all that, I feel like I\’ve hit a wall.

I know why, a few things combined that really shouldn\’t have so much influence on me: Real life issues, doing badly in a contest I\’d previously done well in, leaving an online community that had felt like a place to share my progress with others that shared my passion.

Whining about this sad state of being is not really the point of this post however. I want to explore things to get you re-invested in the hobby. As with pretty much everything else I talk about, Uncle Atom has gotten there first (and done it better). You can see a couple of the more relevant videos here and here.

So what can you do to fend off the brick wall?

• Paint with others – if you are lucky enough to have other hobbyists nearby, meet up regularly! Get together, chat, paint and just have fun. You can share tips,
• Hangout online – even if you aren\’t near other painters, you can still hang out with folks online. The Hobby Hangout in particular is a great place to do this. There are also a few discord channels that do the same like r/minipainting\’s channel that will often have others chatting.
• Set goals – give yourself deadlines to paint up an army or unit or miniature. Tell others about it as well so they also hold you to it.
• Set aside a regular time – This has been hugely helpful for me in the past, having an hour every day when I paint. 
• Find a new project – Sometimes it\’s best just to take a break from the current project and find something else that you are more inspired by to get you going again.

Have you got any other ways that you stay motivated?