Well, this hobby helped me to socialize in high school, got me through work burnout and in general became one of my daily routines that makes the day feel "normal". Now my country is at war and i still managed to evacuate some of my minis (family and close ppl first, ofc) and now i use hobby to center myself and cope with all of the hard stuff outside. It became my small daily meditation and a news detox.
Honestly... its often made it worse. I get deeply frustrated trying to achieve some sort of impossible perfection in my hobby. I often don't enjoy it and find im very unkind to myself about poor hobby, be that painting and gaming. I've had to scale it right back and find other hobbies that I can relax more doing. Kinda sad really...
Mainly a positive one, RU-vid is a big part of that for me now too, while I relate to the issues around burn out and content induced pressure it definitely tips the scales in a hugely positive way for me.
As a recovering addict, the “plastic crack” jokes always hit a little close to home. Because it really is. But, generally speaking, I’ve found that picking up the hobby has been nothing but good for my mental health. It gives me something to buy when I want dopamine, and something to enthuse about. It also builds my confidence slowly but surely as I try and succeed at new things.
These couple months have been super hard (divorce, family medical stuff, job changes), but gaming in general has been such a great coping mechanism and way to spend my time productively.
It can sometimes be hard to talk about these things, thank you for sharing. Sorry to hear that times have been tough and I’m glad to hear that gaming had been something that can help serve as a coping mechanism.
This video collaboration is such a breath of fresh air. Mental Health is something that a lot of people deal with and it is nice to bring it out in the open and talk about how Wargaming and Hobbying help to relieve the stresses of day to day life. Moreover, to have feedback from icons in the Wargaming Community such as Duncan and Scott. Well done, this is so very much needed.
As a critical care nurse, the last two years definitely has had a toll on my mental health. People like Duncan and Scott have been life savers in guiding me through my hobby journey and have huge respect for their love and dedication to the hobby of ours.
First, thank you for all that you do! I can only imagine how draining being a critical care nurse can be, especially in the window of these last two years. I'm really glad to hear that the hobby can be a little bit of a respite or rejuvenating factor in your life.
Having mild to severe anxiety issues has hindered my progress as a painter and as a player in this hobby. Struggling with learning the game has held me back since 5th edition of 40k, and having constant issues with getting tabled, puts me months between playing. Right before the pandemic, I had a nice casual group at a local store, but that has since not re-emerged. I have fun painting, building, and scheming armies, but struggle to keep painting as I am always leaving high and consistant standards beyond my grasp, and this puts me from improving. Videos from Miniac, Duncan, and select others are great reminders to try and have fun, look forward to playing the hobby. But it is an ongoing issue that I struggle with daily. Thanks for this video, it really helps and will be a reoccurring video in my hobby life.
I am so glad that you've decided to cover this particular subject. I've had my own set of challenges trying to stay "healthy" mentally, but now that I've discovered miniatures.. I feel like that particular area of interest has done loads of positive reinforcement for my own self interest.
Thank you for having this conversation! I think it’s really important to take time to sit and reflect on these topics. I believe it can really help to recenter yourself and also it’s a great way become aware of your current mental state in the hobby and life and make adjustments as necessary to help nurture your fulfillment and what you want to accomplish. I find for me personally the hobby whether that be the gaming or the painting aspects present a healthy way to always be challenging myself and gives space for growth. That feeling you get when you’ve really pushed yourself to get out of your comfort zone and make a breakthrough no matter how small scale is very validating and allows me to look back on the process it took and know it was worth the effort and exciting that I know I can do better on the next project or the next battle I’m in! Thanks for all the insight what a great episode!
What an incredible video. Thank you so much to Chase, Duncan, Scott, and Dr. Alta du Pont for having this discussion. Enlightening and heartwarming to see folks talking about these issues and supporting each other.
Really awesome video. It is definitely helpful seeing figures like Scott and Duncan talk about the same things we all go through when balancing projects, working and family
Absolutely loved this video! As a new content creator I was floored when a viewer told me that my voice has a very calming effect and an almost ASMR feeling. This was coming from a veteran who is getting back into the hobby after some mental health struggles. So hard to believe that I have a small channel, but have already affected someone's life. -John
The last three years of my life were very rough. Medical debt, sick kids, pandemic, knee surgery, new jobs, etc. It really helped me take time for myself and find some time where nothing mattered but the piece on the table. Between that and DnD/DCC with friends both online and in person this hobby is a mental life saver.
Scott and Duncan, during the shut down year, I got back into warhammer figure painting, you guys were the voices out there in TV land teaching me how to do paint and brushwork. It was something that felt useful to do when we all were quarantined. It also kinda gave me adult permission to add color to stuff.
It's a wonderful hobby ... for me I've likened it to having the same calming effect that say Japanese Bonsai tree cutters and carers get when they tend to their beloved plant, that zen like feeling. But remember excessive hobbying can also be detrimental to you so balance is key.
Great discussion. I think one of the reasons I like the 24 hr paint marathon videos is the burnout they have at the end is how I feel a lot after just an hour. So it's nice to feel that kind of empathy
This was a fantastic episode. Really nice to hear the mindset of you guys. It’s nice to hear that you’re all just “regular people” and have the same challenges like anyone else. For me, getting back into the hobby has been a huge part in managing my stress and anxiety. It really is a vital part of my day. Plus I have something to show for my time. The biggest issue for me is to not bury my head in my proverbial hobby sand and actually deal with my problems.
Its great to have people like Scott and Duncan to be relatble and a guide for something we can control and make our own and that helps ground your self in a chaotic world the escape and communal enjoyment, where you can step out from your life and can un apologetically just be yourself is priceless and really helps with day to day activities and work
I never thought i would think of suffering from Depression or loneliness. In 2017 my girlfriend broke up with me, my dad was diagnosed with his fourth cancer i needed something to get over all this feelings. I rediscovered warhammer/miniature painting etc. And now with lockdown and really fighting with sometimes forced isolation and my heavy real life work this feelings and loneliness really kicked in again. Painting makes me call, lets me forget, makes me feel not alone. Maybe sounds wird but sometimes i talk with my miniatures. I dive into the lore of the factions, and i do not have to think of real life issues. Thats a part of story.
This could be one of the best Fridays in terms of therapy I can recall, in a long time, drugs or no drugs. Thank you Chase! 💯 The synergy between y'all was amazing and you are wonderful host for communications. Personally speaking, wargaming has always been the ideal (regardless of actual accomplishment), however the roads I have discovered just learning how to paint or being exposed to RU-vid communities has been a boon for mental health. To Dr. Alta and Scotts point, this is an incredible microcosm that parallels the world. The Will, striving toward an ideal, perhaps even slave to the whims of the imagination, yet encountering real struggle against the material reality. One that continues to test our will and our commitment to the original ideal.
Duncan needs a second instagram, Duncan After Hours, where it's just Napoleonic models for a year straight, because that's the stuff he paints while there's no camera pointed at him :D
What a great video! It was awesome to hear everyone's different perspectives and how much respect and positivity you all had toward each other was heartwarming. Thank you so much Chase for putting this together and making the internet and people's lives a better. My 2 cents as a random internet person: I think the process is the end goal. We've all heard the cliché it's the journey not the destination. I think our brains thrive in a state of learning and growing. The end goal of perfection just isn't attainable no matter your mastery in a thing. The pursuit of what engages and excites you is what's important, no matter how good you are at it. We have this huge world of ever expanding things to do and learn. Developing yourself and sharing that with others just seems to make the world better. Your purpose is whatever you make it and witnessing you all pursue yours is inspiring. So thank you!
@@OntheTableGaming thanks for making it... It's always good knowing everyone has the same issues, I reckon. And well done on the excellent guests! #legends
This was such a beautiful conversation! This is the first episode I have seen of your's Chase and I will be making sure I watch them all from now one, you are an incredible host! Thank you all 🙏
I'm a surgeon and have wargamed and hobbied since childhood but in my adult life, the meditative aspect of painting and hobbying and creative aspects help to unwind from high stress environments. Needless to say the gaming aspect addresses much of the social and competitive checkboxes in my off time. I'm glad you tackled a tough topic, especially one that may have been creeping into our current culture as a result of the last two years.
Thanks, @Jux2p0ze! This is a topic we have wanted to do for a while now and we agree the impact of the pandemic on mental health has only made it more important. Love hearing the role the hobby has had in your life. Totally agree that meditative aspect can be a helpful way to give yourself a mental break when under stress!
This, even this, has helped me, just hearing it, let Alone the hobby itself. Warhammer 40k helped me recover from Alcoholism when barely anything did. I did rehab of course, but this gave me something to Replace alcohol with
This was a great idea! It was great to hear how Duncan and Scott faced similar struggles like the rest of us n00bs do. I would have loved to hear more from Alta. You could do a regular segment that picks one struggle (frustration, impostor syndrome, etc) and she could talk through tactics to process through the roadblocks each episode. Nobody has this kind of content to mini painting.
at the beginning of 2020 I hit the tail end of an intense ride that left me completely exhausted in every sense. The onset of the pandemic only exacerbated the primal urge to retreat from the world and the negative effects that followed. Started seeing a psychiatrist, but it wasn't until a discord friend linked this fan film called "Astartes" that something finally clicked. I became an avid consumer of the lore and it wasn't long until I decided to paint my first box of intercessors. Duncan, Scott, Squigmar, Vince Venturella, Uncle Atom, Baldermort, Rob The Honest Wargamer... the warhammer/hobby online community showed me the ropes, helped me discover a creative side I didn't think I had, and gave me an outlet through which I could slowly re-enter the world. miniatures and wargames became this multi-faceted life raft for me at a time when I felt completely adrift. I'm doing so much better now than I was 2 years ago and I would not feel that way if it were not for this hobby and the community that surrounds it.
What do I wanna see more of? Scott, Jon, and Duncan just being people. Take the kids to the zoo? Fine. Air museum? Awesome. Blend a trip to a museum with mini painting that's not really GW releated? EVEN BETTER! How can we blend the hobby into real life, especially when our wives/GFs/SOs don't really dig it as much as we do? I wanna know about Scott, Duncan, and even Jon as people. The ups and the downs. GO!
That was great, could not turn away, I’ve had all the problems you talked about. Hope to see more content like that soon. No pressure, LOL. Again thank you.
Certainly helped me through a dark patch. Good luck to all of you out their with your mental heath challenges. To look at how people live in 3rd world country's its amazing we end up having problems with our happiness and moods. Compared to others we are not in a bad place.
Glad to hear the hobby has been a positive force in your life, Paul! Your comments connect to what some others have shared with us -- that gratitude for what they have can be important during challenging times. Though it is important to note that those who have highlighted this strategy have shared that it can be a double-edged sword for those who lean toward criticism and minimizing their challenges.
Excellent video, I genuinely enjoyed watching it, I make a few videos on mental health so it’s great to see people out there shouting about it. Keep up the great work
For me, it's like this. It's a space to completely disconnect from the real world, whether for a thirty minute painting session or a Half half hour game, it's a piece of time and space to be what ever is there. You can look that bit up. It's cannon. The future we make up. tomorrow can be what we want it to be. What YOU want it to be. Just do EEEEIT!!! (until it's cannon and they recon the whole campaign, but. you had fun, right? :)
As someone with BPD, PTSD and GAD I would probably be pushing up daisy's by now if it wasn't for the hobby. I vary rarely game but I really enjoy painting and modelling as a form of distraction
Minis are one thing that help quite abit stabilise or at least have helped me during bad periods, Just zoning out for a few hours fiddling with somthing instead of worrying about whatever mess the clowns in govt are creating next.
What a fantastic video! I found the entirety of this conversation resonated with me, and it was very uplifting and inspiring to listen to - thank you guys :)
The only thing about the hobby that impacts my mental health is when people pressure me to monetize my skills. I have a low income, so life is difficult. The hobby helps distract me from the harsh realities of the world. Family and friends have pressured me many times over the years to turn my skills in model making, painting and - just recently - terrain building into a business. I have tried commissioning and selling stuff I make several times over the last 12 years, but they always end up nearly killing my love for the creative side and it can take months or even years for me to get back into the swing of things. However whenever I am feeling anxious or depressed (or sometimes suicidal) my go to medicine is slapstick comedy anime. A laugh makes a world difference in improving one's mood. Generally after 2 weeks of watching comedy I begin modelling and painting again.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Andrew. This maps on so well to Scott's comments about the initial appeal of doing commissions and how that can quickly turn into a chore. Also appreciate you sharing about how you use slapstick comedy anime when you're feeling depressed, anxious, or having thoughts of suicide. We are confident that there are others reading this who have similar experiences and are so glad that you have found helpful ways of coping. Of course, we do want to re-highlight the resources we put under the video (such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: (800) 273-8255,) for all of our community in case that's a resource that folks are needing at any point!
Any hobby has always centred me, as does warhammer. Problem is when I get into warhammer I want to build an army to play, everytime I play I realise that the community is fairly elitist and mean, not that welcoming to new players. Must just be my meta because it hasn't changed over the past 15 years and has gotten worse with the younger crowd
Respectfully, I find the constant interruption by ads takes away from the topic and the flow of conversation. Great topic - just find all the ads frustrating.
Thank you for posting this. We had auto generate ad breaks at natural pauses selected and it seems to to have gone from 3 when we initially published the video … to 23. I could see how that might be distracting!
I love the hobby but because of my mental health I find I don't have the motivation to do it as much as I would like especially lately due to splitting from my partner of 20yrs and having to move away from my kids I wish I did it more
So understandable that you'd have less motivation for the hobby given what you've been going through. We're cheering you on and hope you are kind to yourself as you keep at it!
As an owner of 15 40k armies, I think I have a problem. I just cannot pass on a cool miniature I see. It's like a biological reaction at this point. I probably need help.
Unfortunately, I think the title of this video promised far more than it delivered. Way too much time was spent on “The Joys and Stresses of Being a Painter on RU-vid.”
