I was painting a drop pod the other night when I stopped for a second. I was frustrated that progress wasn't going faster. It's my first time painting a drop pod and I'd gotten to the point where I just wanted it to be done. I've already got a good amount of time involved in it and it's still not complete. I began to look for ways to cut my workload.
And then I realised I was treading dangerously close to losing the love of painting and having it become just a task.
I've done a ton of painting over the past year, so much that I've stopped keeping track of painting points. I've painted tough color schemes, simple ones and everything in between, but I've never gotten like this before when painting. It's never been just a task.
But losing the love of painting... that would be bad.
So I took a break and thought about what it was that really bothered me. It wasn't that the drop pod was taking longer than I anticipated, that was just the problem on the surface.
I'd fallen in love with the model being done as opposed to the process of painting it and I wasn't there yet. I wasn't "done," I was still painting.
That was the problem.
But the end is just that, the end. It's the process (painting) that's important and it should never get boring or become just a task. For me, I realise now that I just need to change (and keep) my focus and on the process and enjoy all the little things I learn as I paint models and not see the "end" as the source of enjoyment.
I'm fortunate that my commission work allows me the opportunity to paint models I would have never had the chance to paint otherwise. I am very thankful for that and I know that if I lose the love of painting, it will be reflected in my work.
And nobody wants their stuff painted by someone who doesn't care about anything other than getting done.
So I urge you, take a few minutes while you're painting your next model and just enjoy the process. Stop worrying about how well you paint and what the finished model will look like and and just enjoy painting it.
Because if you're not careful... you might suddenly find yourself hating to paint and and then it's just a task.
