just finished season 1 about a half hour ago.... onto season 2
I believe that hitting the wall happens not only with model building, but also with many things in life. I recently suffered a mild bout of wall hitting with the Endeavour when my enthusiasm waned. I believe this was not down to plain disinterest, but more to the fact that I was approaching the difficult stage of mast building and rigging and I kept putting this stage off. I took the plunge yesterday and commenced the manufacture of the bowsprit, boom, and associated yards. All went more or less well and my enthusiasm has grown again.
Human beings tend to procrastinate and with hobbys it is at some stage not entirely different. Are our expectations too high, especially among the beginners, as myself, under-appreciating how much time is involved in building a good standard model ship?
Building a model ship is not like going to work and having to produce results to satisfy employers or customers. We have the choice of when to do it and how much time we can spend on the hobby, but at the same time not losing focus on other things in life. The question is, where does the hobby factor end, and the chore feeling begin?
Jim above suggests reorganizing the shop or sharpening chisels etc. I find that works for me as well. I disassembled two failed hard disks today and extracted the magnets. These have a strong magnetism and easily hold pliers and other tools for the hobby. So, I will make myself a board and use the magnets as tool holders.
Stay safe and hopefully the Corona vaccines will be distributed soon.
Trevor
Human beings tend to procrastinate and with hobbys it is at some stage not entirely different. Are our expectations too high, especially among the beginners, as myself, under-appreciating how much time is involved in building a good standard model ship?
Building a model ship is not like going to work and having to produce results to satisfy employers or customers. We have the choice of when to do it and how much time we can spend on the hobby, but at the same time not losing focus on other things in life. The question is, where does the hobby factor end, and the chore feeling begin?
Jim above suggests reorganizing the shop or sharpening chisels etc. I find that works for me as well. I disassembled two failed hard disks today and extracted the magnets. These have a strong magnetism and easily hold pliers and other tools for the hobby. So, I will make myself a board and use the magnets as tool holders.
Stay safe and hopefully the Corona vaccines will be distributed soon.
Trevor
FOR ME I JUST WATCH THE NEWS FOR 10 MINUETS THEN RETREAT AND ENJOY LOL. GOD BLESS STAY SAFE ALL DON
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2019
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Maybe it's Covid, the time of the year, or just plain laziness on my part but I seem to have hit the wall when it comes to model shipbuilding. I have some great kits laying in wait but...arghShould I push on and keep working through it or just take a break? Just wanted to share the pain with folks that understand.
Happy Holidays from Canada!
I'm lucky. I have two residences that I shuttle between and I have a build going in each location. When I get sick of working on one ship it's usually time to head to my other residence (coincidence) and all of a sudden I'm jazzed again to start working on a "new" project. Then, I get sick of that ship and all of a sudden it's time to head back to the other location.....repeat ad nauseum.
How are you finding it?
I finished all 4 seasons and I can't wait for more.
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2020
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- 8
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I hit a 4-year wall, or as I call it... a creativity doldrum... but it took me a while to realize that there were other aspects in life one would consider “ship building” while my Spanish galleon was put aside; and for me I realized I was metaphorically building my home and my family, as well as some ship building with my career. I started my ship in August 2014, completed most of the hull by summer 2015, then was in a creative “doldrum” for 4 years while my energy went into other important things.Maybe it's Covid, the time of the year, or just plain laziness on my part but I seem to have hit the wall when it comes to model shipbuilding. I have some great kits laying in wait but...argh
Happy Holidays from Canada!
Thanks to self isolation during COVID this summer/fall, I forced myself to reassemble my shipyard and organize my tools, then just start with ONE THING on the ship back in June. That one thing turned into another “one thing”... and so on. After 6 years, I finished in November of this year (2020). One thing I look back on... Had I not been in a 4 year doldrum, I would not have come across some opportunities I had it incorporate special things into this ship. For example, in year two of my creativity “brick wall”, my dad gave me a piece of the oak tree in the film “”Shawshank Redemption”, which I later this year carved into the Spanish lion figurehead on my ship and painted gold. There are other great things like this I incorporated into my ship, with sentimental values and experiences. Most of all, this ship got me through some hard times with self isolation away from family. I celebrated a “launch party” with my family over zoom with a bottle of Ruinart Champaign I picked up on a road trip driving through Reims France back in June.
Cheers .
”Don't spend your entire life building a ship, without ever tasting the salt of the ocean.”
-Alexander Den Heijer
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2020
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I concur with Black sails. When I got back into building my ship, I binged on Black sails every night. There was a scene in one of the final episodes of the ships sailing into Havana harbor by Castle del Morro when it was under Spanish rule. That was a huge moment for me. I bought a painting in Havana back in 2009 of a ship sailing into Havana harbor... a few years later I had it framed and was inspired to build a Spanish galleon... which I started in 2014. Seeing that scene really got me hyped, brought the painting and my ship to life.
I agree with Ab: go to scratch! It keep your mind open for finding new solutions. Again and again and .....
Instead of “do this, than that, etc”. It keeps me more then 30 years working on my Lee . Not only for 4 seasons. No, several decades LOL.
And the build of the Ducati goes by a manual. But the extra detailing keeps my mind open.
So, everybody has to find his/her own way.
And now I can’t wait for the Bluenose!
But first finishing The Lee and and the Duc.
And starting with reading the new book of Barack Obama ‘A Promised Land’.
As we say in the Neterlands: ‘A change of food does eat’.
But in between also wallpapered rooms, window frames painted, walls plastered ....
My wife cals often: Do this, do that, do this..... Exactly the sound I often heard at work in my police car......
And when my head is full of thoughts, depending on the weather and season, I took my MTB of street race-bike, or my in-line skates or ice speed-skates, or when there is snow, get my cross-country ski's and get running with my dog.
Oh man, why are there only 24 hours in a day, 7 days in een week etc.........
So, no time to run to the walls.
Regards Peter
Instead of “do this, than that, etc”. It keeps me more then 30 years working on my Lee
. Not only for 4 seasons. No, several decades LOL.And the build of the Ducati goes by a manual. But the extra detailing keeps my mind open.
So, everybody has to find his/her own way.
And now I can’t wait for the Bluenose!
But first finishing The Lee and and the Duc.
And starting with reading the new book of Barack Obama ‘A Promised Land’.
As we say in the Neterlands: ‘A change of food does eat’.
But in between also wallpapered rooms, window frames painted, walls plastered ....
My wife cals often: Do this, do that, do this..... Exactly the sound I often heard at work in my police car......
And when my head is full of thoughts, depending on the weather and season, I took my MTB of street race-bike, or my in-line skates or ice speed-skates, or when there is snow, get my cross-country ski's and get running with my dog.
Oh man, why are there only 24 hours in a day, 7 days in een week etc.........
So, no time to run to the walls.
Regards Peter
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Its pretty good. Definately better than what's on tv
I can't believe you wrote it either. I was just about to say that!
You cleaned up? Sacrilege! I don't even do that between builds! The Admiral started to vacuum a month or so ago and I ordered her out! There might be a tiny deadeye or cannon ball down there!
How did you do that with the flags?
I started to watch the "spartacus" movie series. It also is multi disc series.... you might like it. It was a little too much for me. I also found it at the local library.
I was reminded reading these posts that one common wall for me is procrastination preceding a more difficult aspect of a build. I convince myself that it will too hard and frustrating so I put it off. It can take awhile to regain my enthusiasm to give the hard part a go...
I began to watch Spartacus but could not really get in to it.
- Joined
- Dec 24, 2019
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Find a simple, easy to build model and build copies to give to friends who like boats, or who used to be involved with boating, or are history buffs. I'm getting ready to build #'s 8 - 10 and have people ready for and wanting them. Their enthusiasm at getting a hand built model may get you fired up -- and a relaxing break from difficult or challenging models. They're easy! And who else gives away gifts like that besides you?
I feel for you. I am in the same boat right now. But I think this is normal. It seems to happen to me every so often. I just simply leave the work area and not go back until I feel like it. During that time of being away, I do another hobby that I have. I have been working this way for years and it seems to work for me.
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2018
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It really isn't easy when you hit the Doldrums so to speak. You miss it but at the same time, you walk around your bench instead of sitting at it. Chatting about it here has actually been helping me feel better about things. Reaching out always is the best way to find your way back.