With creativity on the wane, and competing interests on the rise, this is a dangerous time for the James River Branch. It's at risk of coming to an end. This is not to say that I'm ready to heave the layout into the recycling bin. Not just yet. But this is one of those times when there is a remote possibility.
Some may rightfully ask if I've ever finished a layout. The answer is no. But the goal is not necessarily completion; it's the journey, not the destination. Much more enjoyment comes from building, from discovery, from learning new things, as opposed to sitting back and admiring. This is not offered as an excuse to leave anything unfinished; it is well and truly the reality.
My attention is divided. I have a T scale layout in the works, and ironically I have a much stronger desire to see it finished than the Z scale layout. Part of this is the fact that there are so few T scale layouts in existence; it thus has much greater uniqueness.
Also competing for my attention, though, is an idea for a new N scale layout. I've devised a means to squeeze a door-sized layout into my office space, and I've been away from N for so very long that I practically ache to return to the scale; lately I've been devoting a good bit of time to track planning.
So 2009 will be a curious year. One way or another, it will likely mark the end of the James River Branch—either as finished, or as abandoned.
31 December 2008
23 December 2008
Modeler's Block
It's a lot like writer's block. You're filled with ideas, with no end of things to do, and yet nothing's happening.
It's not for lack of free time. I'm on holiday vacation right now—two whole weeks off. There are of course the usual familial holiday responsibilities, activities and rituals to perform, not to mention a list of home improvements longer than my arm. But there's still far more time available for hobbies than usual.
And here I sit, unable to accomplish much of anything. Is this normal? Do modelers with a surfeit of spare time just seize up? I've got two layouts in the works; a dozen structure projects on the go at once; acres of scenery to complete; no shortage of materials and supplies to slow me down. Instead, I wind up banging on the keyboard about being unable to do anything.
Maybe that's it: I've got so much to do, and now that I have some time to get things done, I'm just a deer caught in the headlights. I'm usually much more productive during a busy work week. Is it that, with only a precious few minutes left for modeling, I just grab whatever is closest to my X-Acto knife and have at it?
Take this morning. Over the course of the last two hours, I've stared alternately at my two layouts, mused about how to solve some scenery problems, mindlessly surfed eBay for 45 minutes in search of something I thought was available in Z scale that's only made in N, made up a stupid image for a silly thread at The Railwire, and glued two pieces of foamcore together. That last item—which took all of three minutes—is my net accomplishment for the morning.
That's pretty sad. Considering that I've finished buildings in less time. Well, I take that back; I've never finished a building in that time because I've never built one without making nineteen hundred modifications; but that's a topic for another time.
One might be tempted to claim it's a matter of discipline. But modeling is a hobby, not a career, and creativity is the wellspring for hobbies. When the well runs dry, nothing much happens; one cannot sit down at the workbench and proclaim, "Today I'm going to be creative." I suppose I need an infusion of something to pump up my creativity.
I don't know. I'm tempted to say that maybe I should just go into the office, do some work, and come home to see what I get done in the last fifteen minutes of the day...
It's not for lack of free time. I'm on holiday vacation right now—two whole weeks off. There are of course the usual familial holiday responsibilities, activities and rituals to perform, not to mention a list of home improvements longer than my arm. But there's still far more time available for hobbies than usual.
And here I sit, unable to accomplish much of anything. Is this normal? Do modelers with a surfeit of spare time just seize up? I've got two layouts in the works; a dozen structure projects on the go at once; acres of scenery to complete; no shortage of materials and supplies to slow me down. Instead, I wind up banging on the keyboard about being unable to do anything.
Maybe that's it: I've got so much to do, and now that I have some time to get things done, I'm just a deer caught in the headlights. I'm usually much more productive during a busy work week. Is it that, with only a precious few minutes left for modeling, I just grab whatever is closest to my X-Acto knife and have at it?
Take this morning. Over the course of the last two hours, I've stared alternately at my two layouts, mused about how to solve some scenery problems, mindlessly surfed eBay for 45 minutes in search of something I thought was available in Z scale that's only made in N, made up a stupid image for a silly thread at The Railwire, and glued two pieces of foamcore together. That last item—which took all of three minutes—is my net accomplishment for the morning.
That's pretty sad. Considering that I've finished buildings in less time. Well, I take that back; I've never finished a building in that time because I've never built one without making nineteen hundred modifications; but that's a topic for another time.
One might be tempted to claim it's a matter of discipline. But modeling is a hobby, not a career, and creativity is the wellspring for hobbies. When the well runs dry, nothing much happens; one cannot sit down at the workbench and proclaim, "Today I'm going to be creative." I suppose I need an infusion of something to pump up my creativity.
I don't know. I'm tempted to say that maybe I should just go into the office, do some work, and come home to see what I get done in the last fifteen minutes of the day...
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