Why You Don't Have to GET GOOD

[@alexsr2841]

"Most people don't care how good a paint job is, just get your minis on the tabletop." - Charles Bukowski

[@johnashley-smith4987]

Bukowski was great, if troubled....

[@alexsr2841]

@@johnashley-smith4987 he had a fantastic way with words, even if some of his attitudes weren't great. I do like his views on Tabletop Gaming though!

[@mergus]

Notable wargamer, Charles Bukowski.

[@Anjohl]

It's amazing how much a basic primer coat and a few details can do. For Space Marines in particular, you can achieve a "good enough" paint scheme with three colors and a base paint. Prime with armor color, paint shoulder pads and eyes with color 2, paint gun with color 3, add base paint. BAM, you're army is in the upper 5% of armies. Why? Because 99% of them are grey plastic. Even just a primer and a wash thrown over it looks SO much better than grey plastic!

[@TommyWashow]

"We were heavy, man" -Chuck Dukowski

[@Xanuricus]

"The problem with Internet quotes is that people never doubt their legitimacy" (c) Vladimir Lenin

[@destrocrimson]

He totally didnt say that - ronald reagan

[@onkelgroen]

"What is teh internets?" - Vinton Cerf

[@firefly128]

@@onkelgroen "The Internet is a series of tubes, not a big truck" - Carl Sagan

[@PrestonMcgill]

Shits whack my dude -Pontius Pilate

[@davedogge2280]

"Never have so few owed so little to so many" - Winston Churchill on the internet.

[@petrinafilip96]

I honestly think that this is just an extension of the hustle culture we live in. There is a certain push that if you are not working 25 hours a day 8 days a week to improve yourself, you are wasting your time. No time to just slow the f down and chill for a bit.

[@Slenkamure]

had a friend say that our generation (gen-x or so) have lost hobbies because we do not have the disposable time to enjoy them

[@petrinafilip96]

@@Slenkamure And even if we have a hobby, we always try to find ways how to monetize it simply because WE HAVE TO if we want to survive. Because while you are out there hobbying, other people are trying to find other sources of income, so you have to turn your hobby into an additional source of income too, even if it sucks the fun out of it.

[@frocat5163]

I mean...all it really takes is the self-awareness and confidence to acknowledge that it makes absolutely no difference what anyone else, or "our culture," says about what you need to do. Who cares what other people are trying to do? Who cares if they're looking for other sources of income? If you have to turn to your hobby as a means to survive, I'd suggest that you've made a series of questionable choices in your life. If you feel like you have to monetize your hobby simply because other people are doing so, or because you have to "keep up" with what other people are doing, you have deeper issues that need to be resolved.

[@greenhowze]

@Slenkamure I always smile when I see people from America call out "their generation" and assume everybody on the planet with the same age has the same problems. Like America makes the laws for the world, or something? I mean, I am not saying that you are wrong for Americans of your generation, but please, try and have an open mind that maybe somewhere on the planet, in some other country with a slightly differing culture and economical structure, things might be different? For instance, in my country (The Netherlands), students are not left with a loan of over $200k after graduating and mandatory healthcare insurance is affordable (even without a job) to a point where a trip to the E.R. for losing a finger does not bankrupt you. Minimum wages are such that they are enough to sustain you with only having to work one job and be able to pay rent, utilities and insurances and drive a car and buy groceries. You will not be living in luxury, for sure, but you are also not below the poverty line. Also, a job in my country is either 36 or 40 hours a week where you have a set amount of vacation days that equals 4 times the amount of hours you work per week. So if you work 36 hours that would be 144hours (18 days) and for 40 it would be 160hours (20 days) and added to that are the national holidays for christmas, easter etc, totalling about 12 days (depending on the year) Add to that 52 weekends and you have about a 136 days per year to do whatever you want.. You will at max be working 8 hours a day (officially) and usually from 9 to 5, I think that leaves you with a lot of spare time to pursue a hobby just for the heck of it. Monetization of your hobby is still possible, but in my country it is not "needed" to keep your head above water. I'm just sayin' Not every country is screwing this generation over like you are suggesting

[@Kalron9]

It's called late stage capitalism when the majority of politicians aren't really representing the people at all or effectively. So many people are struggling to afford their basic needs because so many jobs pay like shit right now so a lot of people are working almost all the time. It's tragic.

[@Gumlass1]

Argh! So much pressure! Uncle Atom is telling me how to get better at enjoying my hobby!

[@cory7328]

Doesn’t he know that painting like Sam Lenz and placing number one at Vegas Open is all there is?

[@TheCimbrianBull]

Git gud!

[@story1951]

So if I hear right, we should git gud at not gitting gud.

[@quietwoods7774]

Atom keeping it real, reminding us it's okay to just enjoy our hobby, all its mistakes and all the small moments. You're the hobby Uncle we need, not the one we deserve

[@jordank1489]

Yeah man, I paint minis as a meditative thing. I have PTSD and it really calms me down to bodge my way through a squad of troops while I listen to music/podcasts. It's like taking a shit, a little escape, it doesn't need to smell of roses to be worthwhile.

[@tylerpeck9754]

We are here for you if you ever need to talk man! I suffer from depression and yea painting is very therapeutic!

[@badgerwijohnson4081]

I feel you painting is the one time I can tune out all the stresses of the world and concentrate on doing something.

[@peternorton1107]

Your taking a shit quote is awesome man. If it’s ok with you I’m stealing that 😆

[@danielmiller3596]

That’s why I re-started. That, and they weren’t hard push aggressive like when playing

[@grayalun]

Don't underestimate the satisfaction if a good dump lol. I find painting relaxing mostly, and like you I listen to podcasts and stuff while I'm doing it and it's a fun way to wile away the time.

[@darnokx9277]

The thing I enjoy most about your videos is your honest appreciation, and being a vocal proponent of, "just enjoy your hobby the way you want". I think we need more of this, so thank you very much, and keep it going! Also: have a good weekend, celebrate with your loved ones, and on to at least another 50 good years!

[@kallisto9166]

For most gamers, intent on putting mini's on our game tables, all the try-hard painting stuff we see on KZbin is a waste of time and yet that's what the majority of miniature channels seem to focus on. To be fair, it's easier to conceive of a video topic for advanced painting techniques than it is for the alternative; "How to be Average" isn't exactly clickbait. Still, if you are doing basic paint jobs and just churning out adequate mini's, that doesn't mean you suck at your hobby. It means that super-slick paint jobs aren't part of your hobby.

[@maahesghulainn9480]

I think the best advice I ever got related to painting came from this channel. It was something akin to "look at the mini from 6 feet or table distance away, how does that look? If you think it looks good, then it's good"

[@bocatt9202]

Am a bad painter and proud of it. I just like making my little toy soldiers look the way I like them and playing pretend with them.

[@manawacircus6720]

Every video from Uncle Atom has this vibe that you're getting some advise from the cool, safe uncle. Like, the uncle you go to because you crashed the car and don't want to tell your parents. Thanks for keeping the hobby wholesome!

[@Winterydee]

Pre-happy birthday Uncle Atom! Congrats on 50 years completed in the game of life!

[@TheCimbrianBull]

Does his stats improve?

[@asdasd9174]

@@TheCimbrianBull Pretty sure its the opposite.

[@TheKesslerFoundation]

Congrats on finishing your first half-century!

[@samuelsanfratello4617]

It's been several years since I passed the 50 year mark, but I'm still loving this hobby, due, in no small part, to your consistently positive videos! Thank you and Happy Birthday, Sir!

[@shuwan4games]

Hope you have many more hobby years ahead

[@BillySidness]

Thank you, iv been too much of a "perfectionist" lately which created a bit of stress when going to paint my minis; it helps being told "its okay if its not awesome good, did you enjoy making it? Just enjoy your hobby"

[@giovanni23048]

Well... It is 3am here, perhaps sleep can wait one uncle atom video

[@dukegoodrev2465]

Same here, brother!

[@bopaintsminis]

Graveyard shift here. >.

[@christopherswindells1237]

Thanks for this vid, Atom! Seriously, I am less player and more a painter/ideas guy. I roleplay and am big into the Deathwatch and Inquisitor RPGs, so my models are represented accordingly. Between my conversions and use of non-brand bits, it's very unlikely I'll get into tourneys, but that's okay. I do my thing, and love it. My learning curve is NOT the same as anyone else's and it's nice to know that someone else feels the same about the hobby as I do. I enjoy this. It's not a monetizing thing. It's not a "OMG I'm so much better than you" thing. It's a thing that makes me go, "Hey, I painted this today. Huh. Lookin' good." The fact that we are of similar age helps too. Seeing someone active at 50 is further incentive to feel good about this particular crazy thing we love. So thanks and keep cranking these out. Also, I will be sure to hoist a glass in your honour! Happy Birthday from Canada, good sir!

[@cinnabarsin4288]

As someone new to this hobby, you have some of the most motivational videos. When I feel like my painting is sucking or getting frustrated with assembly prep you tend to hit it on the head with perfection isn't the only acceptable outcome.

[@Bugsy58]

The key part here is, 'acceptable' to whom? ; )

[@cordial001]

What a great sentiment. Worrying about if your stuff is good enough (usually for other people) can be so demoralizing. It's nice to have it reinforced that it doesn't matter and that having a good time does.

[@gregpotter6957]

I really appreciated this. A while ago I stopped trying to paint every figure perfectly, and changed to painting them ‘good enough for me’. I paint a lot more figures, so have a lot more games, and get positive feedback about my figures, so enjoy being ‘good enough’😁

[@AJratcliffe]

I can relate to this video a lot. I used to be always pushing my painting skills, until I realised what I enjoyed was getting something finished, and by dragging out the process I was actually enjoying it less. Happy birthday for the weekend!

[@JustinBrown-gh9vv]

I love this channel.

[@haydenandersen9937]

Seriously, feels like talking to a really good, walking self-help book + mini painting.

[@joemamajoastar8708]

That line gave me goosebumps when you said it I think you are right there is something great about that quote

[@mattmarlowe5980]

So true. Gotta enjoy what you do. Uncle Atom, you inspired me a couple of months back to get back into miniatures again. Started it early 90’s as a teen with this large space marine / chaos marine box set and for whatever reason stopped. I think it came down to not having any one to play with so I didn’t see the point in any of it. Came back to it and just started painting the Imperial Knight Canis Rex set and have been loving every moment of it. In fact there are days where I just crave the act of sitting there and painting. I can’t remember what video it was or if it was the many that I’ve binge watched that made me want to do it again, but thank you for being such an awesome and genuine human being.

[@skull9674]

There is a lot of joy from building and painting models even if the final result is tabletop standard.

[@ryanbrooks3432]

Love this, it’s important to remember that in the end you should enjoy your hobby.

[@daminit6]

and your shower

[@andrewsjurseth2517]

I recall the rest of the 'quote' was a comment that doing a wide range of activities, even if you're only 'average' at them means that you've got interests and therefore you're more interesting and have a richer life overall. Something like that.

[@edwardclay7551]

Happy soon to be birthday Atom! Good advice for everyone in their hobbies. Keep the fun rather than making it work. Im still painting and planning more demons for Reign in Hell as I go along. Ive also picked out all the terrain projects I want to do for it too. So I have some solid plans to start from.

[@JamesMKeegan]

I learned to draw and paint in the hopes of making it a career and I found that I stopped loving it (for a number of reasons that may not even have anything to do with putting a pencil or brush to paper). Once I started painting miniatures again this year after putting it down in high school (oh god) 20 years ago, I started to feel like I could enjoy making something again, just for me or for my friends. I don't have to attach my personal worth to the end results of any of my miniature painting projects and that's been really liberating to me. So this is very good advice! And happy birthday!

[@Bugsy58]

Excellent point made and I am totally in agreeance. The fundamental purpose in having a 'hobby' is so that it can be carried out as and when YOU feel like it, of course basic living from day to day requirements have to take precedence by their very importance to existence, etc. I have a 'workaholic' friend, who doesn't really have a hobby, just more work. When he first visited me after some years of losing contact with each other, he couldn't understand why, a) what was my hobby purpose, b) why I didn't just fully complete one project before starting or continuing with one I had previously begun. I then tried to explain that, that was part of 'MY' hobby, I did it when I was in the mood and at what pace and level of completion I felt like. As opposed to 'work' where you have very little control of when you are expected to achieve/finish expected tasks, your hobby is that pursuit which one has nearly all control over, (within obvious practical limitations) Equally, when some comment on another's contributions to social media sites, like YT, their criticism often points out where the contributor is doing it wrong, (not following canon etc.). Always: "IT IS MY HOBBY AND I WILL CARRY IT OUT TO MY PLEASURE AND MY SATISFACTION" is my response to them! (they'll still have to argue though, it seems to be in their nature!) ; )

[@TerrierHalo]

"What? I never said that!" - Mark Twain, but he did call to wish you a happy birthday earlier! Happy birthday!

[@endlesswaffles6504]

"Git gud noob!" - Sun Tsu, Craft of Conflict

[@johnashley-smith4987]

Happy 50th Atom! I started playing guitar when I was 18...and after 36 years I'm still no good at it, but I enjoy it anyway! I started this hobby around age 7 and well...you get the picture...I do it because I enjoy it. Sure, everybody wants to improve whatever it is they choose to do as a hobby,and if you do it enough, you cannot help but improve, and increase the enjoyment you get from your hobby. Some take it way too seriously when in my opinion, a relaxed approach is the way to go. Anyway, have a good birthday, and thanks for this video. Always great topics for discussion and consideration!

[@woodyrobinson9628]

"Good" is a constant struggle in many areas & I agree with you . Example golf, so many struggling to get good & miss the fun of golf. You help me to paint bcuz i enjoy it. Thank you sir

[@dikrot]

"The cost of perfection is prohibitive" "I don't think being good at things is the point of doing them" 2 of the best bits of advice I've ever heard. Thankyou.

[@Sha_Fermo]

Happy birthday! I used to be able to care about making everything the best and doing everything amazing, but now I have a two year old so I just have to be ok with doing what I can do at this point. Still get to do all the fun of hanging out and playing a game and what not, but the intent of why I do it changed and I think people do that all the time, it is alright to get worse at something as well over time if your priorities change.

[@colemalachi]

You’re a good guy. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, experiences, and building a community.

[@paralipsis]

I frequent a little corner of the internet where people post their work. It's a lively and positive space in no small part because there are no expectations or standards beyond what each person has for themselves. There are some people there who are industry professionals, and others who are content to just get painted models done as efficiently as possible to keep up with the multitude of kickstarters they want to get on the table. Feedback is given when solicited, but the point is just to have a place to share one's joy of the hobby. It's a great resource for tips and advice when it's needed, but foundationally the community is built on just sharing the joy first and foremost.

[@phonty1]

Thanks for making this video. As a newcomer to the hobby, it took me some time to detach myself from what I see that pro painters (or many year experienced painters) do and find my starting skill level. Everyone starts somewhere and it's perfectly OK to be where you are if you're content with where you are. The other thing is that you can watch videos on how to improve specifically what you are struggling with, which is immensely helpful. So, it's less that you HAVE to learn how to improve, but all the content is there for you to choose from IF and WHEN you want to improve some aspect of your hobby.

[@pjsines4705]

Been in a hobby slump lately for various reasons. I think is what i needed just to sit down and hobby this weekend. Thanks and Happy Birthday!

[@razielthewraith2042]

Happy 50th for this weekend, Uncle Atom! And thank you for these uplifting hobby messages. I often get down on myself for being "not good enough," even though my paint jobs are considered to be good by most people's standards. Thanks for reminding me that having fun is the point, not attaining perfection!

[@eyoung6943]

Great attitude! My goal in starting to paint minis is because I don’t enjoy the “sea of gray” while playing a game on colorful boards with colorful components. Some of the sculpts are too close to each other, so selecting characters to play is mostly a matter of selecting the most unique and easily distinguishable shapes. I have no interest in competitive painting, I just don’t want all gray minis anymore. So I just have to be good enough that I still prefer whatever I paint to solid gray. That’s a nice, low bar. More than any other activity in memory, I’m perfectly happy to assess what I do or do not enjoy while painting. I don’t like painting flesh, but I really like painting weapons, fur and hair. So I focus on making those features stand out. I’m content while painting, and the results are still much better than gray, gray, gray everywhere. If I tried to focus on the parts that weren’t as fun, I think I’d walk away.

[@dethsor666]

Thanks Uncle Atom, In the last few years I've tried to not worry so much, and try and stop comparing my painting with others. Unfortunately I can't. Whilst I have gotten better - I can still find problems with my work. It does bother me when other people say that they think I've done a good job... the inner paranoid me thinks they are being disingenuous, especially since their work looks so much better. But I'm still trying, not wanting to give up getting better. Much thanks for all your videos - they definitely help brighten up the dark times we are all going through.

[@danielmiller3596]

When it becomes ALL about, “I am made to solve every problem”, vs. ‘I have a specific goal and I need to be specific in solving the problem to express it a certain way’. The first one makes it your job, and sometimes the second is your journey, if you keep flexible. I know it sounds inverse from what you said, but sometimes it isn’t. And you are correct.

[@karrayon9029]

Even though I dont have such inner drive to be the best at everything I do, I really enjoyed the talk. As you said - you see progress over time, but the most important thing is enjoying the moments spent on your hobby

[@decam5329]

I've got my level. Sometimes I go up. Sometimes I go down, but mostly I'm in my happy place.

[@pez5767]

I've been in the hobby for 30+ years, and the idea that it's okay to just enjoy the hobby and not feel pressured to "get good" has honestly been the hardest lesson to learn and share. I adopted this mindset, somewhat ironically, after attending a $400+ paint workshop. At the end of two days of intensive instruction, I realized I actually didn't care if my stuff looked like the "master painters" and especially didn't care if it meant I would have to be as pretentious about my toy-soldiers as he was. It's okay to enjoy the hobby at whatever level, and to whatever degree you want. To this day I still have people who don't understand my "I fight (hobby) for myself." stance. Both painters and gamers alike constantly tell me, "Well, if you just put in the time too..." and will argue with me when I tell them I'm happy with my hobby and I'm enjoying it the way I want to. It's an amazing, and unhealthy, phenomenon. It's a hobby, if you're not enjoying it, then what the heck are you even doing?

[@GTGreeney]

Awesome video with an awesome message. Happy birthday for this weekend Sir, and thank you.

[@RedHandedDaniel]

Great message. I've been feeling this way for a while. I'm glad you're putting this out there.

[@jayrobert3535]

THIS! This right here! The hobby is big enough for everyone to enjoy it their way, from casuals like me to diehard tourney fans, from 3 color minimums to gradients/shading/wet-blends. Thank you!

[@maahesghulainn9480]

This is definitely something I had to come to terms with when I realized how much time I was willing to commit to painting and then comparing that to the goals I had, which was to get my minis for board games tabletop ready and to slay the gray. Initially I tried to experiment to improve, trying lots of new techniques, but eventually I realized that I didn't want to invest the time required to improve past where I was, which was a level where I could paint my minis to a tabletop standard that made me happy. I do so many basic things but I am generally just happy seeing my table not being gray so I've ended up more satisfied in the hobby getting more games finished up.

[@Uberdemon0666]

Well said and Happy B-Day! Vonnegut is from Indiana there is a restaurant inspired by him and his writing in Indianapolis called Bluebeard. There is also a huge mural of him on Massachusetts Avenue.

[@hobbybro3902]

You know so true have fun, relax, and enjoy your time hobbling. I started out in 40K with the mindset, to just build, paint to tabletop standard, and play the game. Well getting to play the game in the last 12 months didn’t go so good, so I took time learn to paint better. I still paint to a tabletop standard, but it looks better than my first batch ( sorry Reavers). It was really rewarding when a fellow game told me my army looked good. Happy hobbies everyone 😁

[@gregarious_one]

Happy 50th Birthday, Adam, make it a great one! (I am hitting that mark next year). So much sage advice here. Cheers!

[@WeresPrime]

I really love how along with painting advices there are just words that make you feel better

[@ernstbergerbrent]

Thanks for putting that out. This hobby can be intimidating to newcomers. You end up comparing your work to veterans' work and want to get better. Which is natural, but it's important not to loose sight of the whole point which is having fun. It is a hobby that my teenage son and I just started and has been a great experience.

[@nerdfatha]

I finally got to enjoy various hobbies over the past 4 days and it was excellent. Reading comics, Playing non kid related video games, and mini painting. For painting I finally painted some Dr Who minis from Warlord. First time doing metal minis and also first time using real detail brushes and not craft brushes. For me, they turned out fantastic! Compared to the box art they were pretty poor, but it was an al time high for me. I absolutely appreciate them for what they are and how fun it was to paint them. .

[@Sanguine_01]

Woke up this morning, coffee in hand, sweet roll in the other, and this video pops up like a positive affirmation for my day. Appreciate you brotha, Love it!

[@BB-pn2qv]

After a year of pressuring myself to learn to paint as best I can using every video possible since starting recently…. This was a video I needed to see. Thanks.

[@xenoserum]

Happy birthday for this weekend, enjoy and have fun. Yes this is how I build, paint and play it is a good way to think and do things and if you get better then awesome but if not thats fine too.

[@josiaht9227]

Great video topic. You bring that awesome balancing factor to the conversation. I was thinking about this topic earlier while working on some D&D townsfolk that aren't the most detailed models but are thoughtfully designed. I accidentally stumbled on a different method of priming that gives looks like a grimdark zenithal.

[@Birdmanesp92]

This really resonated with me. I started painting about two years ago but lately I plateaued in my skill growth but I was okay with it. I've learned a lot of skills and paint how I want to paint. Now I can just enjoy it and not have to worry about my performance as much any more.

[@leejamesburns]

Hey, happy birthday Adam, and thanks for sharing some of the good sense you've acquired along the way!

[@Vanye111]

Happy Birthday, Adam. Thank you very much for these words of wisdom.

[@Sir_Gonzo]

Just painted my first Blood Claws. Had a ball modelling some extra stuff on them like skulls and a frost sword and a bit of green stuff action. And painting these boys each day after 9-5 work as a form of very subtle decompression which does the job. I'm always out there to get better through experience, but these mini models are just vehicles for enjoying the hobby for hobby sake: Build, paint, play. I might get better as time goes on but it's ok if I don't, as it's not completely about that for me. I'm just not actively chasing that. Its about the self-enjoyment and the act of modelling. Thats kinda the hobby.

[@Morgulvale_]

This was great to hear actually. Appreciate your videos.

[@maldo_minis1171]

Like you said, the goal of this hobby is mainly enjoying the building, painting and playing. Having the best of times. I learned a lot but that dosen't mean I'm good at this. But I've enjoyed almost every second of this hobby from building, to painting, to hearing the lore. Hope the message gets to everyone

[@johnwalkerblack27]

I've been thinking this way since I started the hobby several years ago and it's good to see it out in the KZbin world. I own 4k+ wargaming models (trigger warning?) and I have personally fully painted maybe 20 of them. I find the painting aspect of the hobby to be very chore like and put my hobby time into building and playing. I find myself not liking many of the "just paint it" videos and channels because it has this feel like they are semi forcing you to do things in your hobby you don't want to with the assumption that you want to but maybe aren't motivated. So yes enjoy your hobby time to whatever degree you prefer and dont worry about the rest. Thanks for sharing.

[@GeekOfShaves]

Loved this video, it stuck a note on so many levels. I review shaving razors because I like to and find it interesting, people always comment on my lack of post production, but I found I did it a couple of times and it sucked all the fun out of doing it. I decided to just film on my phone and upload it raw, now editing etc as I then post content and have fun. I have ended up adopting this name from the industry I review, and I get to see cool reproduction prototypes and help design new models. All unpaid, but it's fun and cool. I dont do this to make money, I make money in my day job, but I now have more high level, industry and world leading connections in my hobby than I would ever get in my day job 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I even got offered an amazing job from leading companies, but turned them down and it is not conducive with my lifestyle / family life and that's way more important. Being good is not the point / aim, but it is often a side effect of practice and repetition, and we all repeat stuff we enjoy so often becomes an unintended side effect. Another famous quote I like. 'Do a job you enjoy, and you will never have to work another day in your life's Not totally true, there are always a few days you end up doing things you hate, generally admin lol.

[@earlkriewall7251]

Congrats on becoming 50, youngster! This was a fantastic video; I appreciated what you had to say. Thank you.

[@nathanthom8176]

Outside of the things you have to do (job/duties/responsibilities), I feel you should only be concerned with things you enjoy or things that you have a natural talent at (they don't have to align with each other). If you enjoy doing something, it is never a waste of time/resource as it will improve the your life in so many ways (mental health especially). At the same time doing something that you don't necessarily enjoy but which you have a talent in can also be very good for you (confidence, self esteem etc and could possibly align with a career); the worst thing is to do something you neither enjoy or have talent in (often jobs/duties etc fit into this) and the best is when they all align.

[@burnyourdice1578]

I had stopped building and painting over three years ago due to a disability and the feeling of not being able to paint to the level I used to be at but that misses the whole point of why I liked to paint just for the enjoyment of doing it. I have just got the Adeptus Titanicus box and built two warhounds and started painting again and it's great,it may take me longer but it's nice to be doing it again 🙂

[@Glasmn45]

Another great video, Adam, that hits on an excellent topic. Happy Birthday, mate!

[@turnt_barbarian]

Part of my enjoyment is seeing improvement, but part of it is just the act of painting. They do come in phases though, sometimes I'll just batch paint a bunch of units, and sometimes I'll spend double that time on a single model

[@CoffeeHobby]

I always try to aim my painting videos to make the end result something I'd be happy to put on a table. All I want to show is you can be happy with something without spending endless hours, giving yourself backpain to achieve :) I'm all with you here.

[@idaeus5949]

Thankyou. I think you hit the nail right on the head. Now we just need to apply this to the prevailing opinion that the only way to play Warhammer 40k is competitively. Ninth Edition is great, but I miss the asymmetric narrative scenarios of 8th Edition. Not that anyone in my gaming circle wants to try, the fixation with competitive play means that they flat out refuse to consider any scenario that isn't 'perfectly balanced'. :-/

[@Draconicbliss]

Thankfully I got given the best bit of advice by the store owner at my local store after I said I have a hard time painting because I dont feel I will ever be good, simply said "comparison is the bane of happiness", dont know if they were quoting something or not but since then I'm happy to paint my little guys and have them displayed proudly on my shelf, they are rough in places and are for sure not going to win any awards, but they are mine and I love them

[@cooltubes547]

Totally agree! most of my favourite hobbies I’m not very good at. I’ve been doing some for years and know a lot about them but that knowledge hasn’t exactly made me good. It’s made me better sure but I’m still average or below average. I would get disappointed because I wasn’t able to match the skill level of some friends and it frustrated me but I’ve come to realize that that’s kind of my limit. I would spend lots of time trying to match or beat them and it just made me unhappy and not enjoy what I once did. So now I just play to enjoy. I still make progress sure but it’s just about having fun not spending lots of time being unhappy and frustrated with my hobbies trying to get good or be the best. I think in any aspect of life as long as you are doing YOUR best no one can fault you for that.

[@merci_ann]

Excellent video. I after a year stopped getting better. I don't try new techniques - just variations of what i already know. Ill never try wet blending because i dont care enough. I paint on my level and have a good time getting through minis

[@Marcusstratus]

Happy birthday dude! Your comments are always great to hear

[@black_tower_knight3186]

Thanks, man. That is so true. Like... It shouldn't be a competition. Like if you want it to be one, that's ok, but the whole point is to enjoy yourself! If you really enjoy smth you will get better in it organically. If you don't and you're just trying to prove smth to somebody or the main motivation is take make money with it, then it sounds more like you're just having a second job...

[@CFTim]

I think there actually are a lot of videos in the hobby about how to appreciate your shower ("look at this cool model I painted/project I built"), but the problem is that all those showers are nicer than mine/ours.

[@MatthewThornton76]

100% this message. I am a 45 year old who loves to miniature paint with my 8 year old. He LOVES painting. We do it for the experience and the fun of seeing our minis on the table. Paint for the joy of the hobby.

[@kylefoskett3700]

Happy Birthday Adam! Thanks for being such a great hobbyist advocate! :)

[@maydin8351]

Very true!.. Happy birthday for this weekend! 🎉

[@MrKraitiv]

I appreciate your refreshing attitude.

[@grayalun]

It's important to enjoy the journey as much as the eventual destination. Doesn't mean you shouldn't try and improve but don't put pressure on yourself to the point it's not enjoyable. I'm very basic at painting tbh, but I enjoy it and I don't have a particularly natural aptitude for painting. As a result I'm probably never going to reach a really good standard of painting without the kind of time investment that just I can't give at this moment in my life. I've learned to take my time and do the best I can at that particular time and then to be happy with the result and learn from that one to be more efficient at it next time. I found I really enjoy making scenery as well lol.

[@stuartmortimer3922]

Happy Birthday soon man. Love the videos. Especially this one

[@perfectcell8130]

A very thought-provoking video - thank you! Have a happy 50th!

[@gcnielsen651]

My favorite quote, “When playing a game, the goal is to win, but it is the goal that is important, not the winning” - Reiner Knizia, board game designer.

[@moleverine8589]

This video is right in line with something I figured out about painting recently. I've always been trying to paint to someone ELSE'S level of skill and not finding it fun. Then a light bulb went off in my head and I realized that I don't HAVE to work to a certain level and that I can choose to work at the level that I find fun.

[@patchlord2112]

Hey Atom, I just got done watching your Monday night stream on twitch (I watch all the time on twitch and you tube actually I'm jtms2020 on there) and I just caught this video and I wanted to say thanks for all the work you put into making all the Inspirational content ...it helps a lot. I'm a little older then you, I'm 58 and I started painting and collecting miniatures when I was 12 or 13 I think and have been doing it on and off since then....as you know the hobby was very different back then in the world with no internet lol. and more recently ....especially after the last year with all the shit we've all been through, I've been dealing with a lot of bad depression also partly from the blood pressure medicine I have to take, so it's been very rough honestly to get motivated to do much painting (or anything for that matter) but I've been watching most of your content and streams in hopes that it will help be brake of of this funk in in and I wanted to tell you I really do appreciate it a lot...its really been helping me and inspiring me. :-)

[@cymraegddraig]

I just watched this video and it was pretty uplifting as a new painter. Also looking at that still from old paint job to new paint job...I still think the old one looks great ! Keep up the great content

[@tabletopminions]

That's kind of the point: my paint jobs haven't REALLY improved a ton, because I just enjoy painting and I'm not trying really hard to improve. I've improved a bit, and I think I'm a good deal faster now, too. Thanks for watching!

[@Kevin.Mitchell]

Happy Birthday - you have a 3 week head start on me exploring the wonders of reaching the half century - report back and let me know what to expect yeah? I'm thinking cake, balloons, walking into rooms and forgetting why you went there - you know, all that fun stuff!

[@TheCimbrianBull]

Does your stats improve as well?

[@astrozombiac3535]

Appreciate a well working shower. Theres a slogan for a T Shirt

[@TheCimbrianBull]

True, true. You don't know what you have until it's gone.

[@mouseketeery]

"The doing is its own reward" - Lion El' Johnson. Sort of. Happy birthday for this weekend. Yikes - grown-up now! Hope you have a great time.

[@frocat5163]

Well, if the greatest Primarch said it, who are we to argue?

[@peanutseltzer5724]

It came up in a facebook group that I don't really want to try to get better at WMH because I'm more interested in having fun playing; a fair few people reacted as though they had no idea what I meant. It's nice to see people emphasizing this concept over all the perfectionism we see in our hobby and mainstream culture as a whole.

[@tsdmft6638]

I got into 40k some weeks ago and I'm just having fun painting and watching some tutorials to get inspiration and see how other people paint there stuff. I know that it will take time to get good at painting but i have plenty of time no need to stress a hobby should be fun not stressful.

[@aidanquiett668]

I tend to only see the extremes for people getting into communities, in this case, either people thinking they are perfect when they start or people thinking that they cant start before they learn everything. We need to keep in mind that we can and should always be learning on our hobbies and interests just as much as we need to know we wont know everything and will make mistakes starting out

[@jakeveryard1775]

Such an important lesson that applies to any hobby. I’m in the middle of my Craftworlds army for 40k, and I have no interest in improving until I finish them. Because if I improve halfway through, by the time I’m done I’ll end up wanting to redo half of it

[@michaelfranciotti3900]

When me and my friends played video games way more often, most of them played fps games with a very competitive attitude. Sometimes I did too. But at least half the time I liked playing the campaign story mode. I liked games with an immersive single player experience (assassin's creed or shadow of the colossus) because I viewed video games as a break. Something to be enjoyed. Sometimes that meant playing to win, and sometimes that meant just playing for fun.

[@G_Threepwood]

Great video and happy birthday for the weekend!