Will the competitive fire fade for a focus on the hobby side of things for you? Perhaps a painting commission service may be in your hobby future? GMM reminisces about his hobby journey over the last decade or so. Be sure to follow him on his GMM Studios blog.
I had a conversation recently with a friend about painting, both for others and for ourselves. What we found rewarding.
Painting For Others Is a Joy
Having not been a “casual” hobbyist in about a dozen years it’s always healthy to stop and appreciate the situation. I certainly remember the days of doing the usual paint job at night for the upcoming event, and fondly. That conversation brought back those memories and how things have transitioned over the years naturally. I could empathize with him in his mention of having little time, and really only wanting to in order to relax. Over the years, and having done this for so long my personality has simply changed to one where I get more enjoyment out of painting for other people, and not so much myself.
The relaxation still remains and luckily never fades even in long days of painting. But a new primary natural high and reward comes from essentially giving a gift of a dream army to someone who can generally imagine it, but doesn’t have the time and/or skill to make it a reality themselves. I get the fun of giving gifts at Christmas multiple times a year and I enjoy that more than the reward of painting for myself these days. Spontaneous conversations such as those are nice “to stop and smell the roses” and appreciate my Santa complex that keeps me going and very fulfilled.
Within that, the moment of uploading pictures and sending them off is always fireworks. The only shame is that, while in terms of emotion it lasts especially in going back to old photos, digitally it is pretty fleeting. That said, hopefully, you all don’t mind a little revisit to the last project to keep it going a little.
Thanks for listening to me ramble if you got this far, and have a great day!
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