If there is one thing that I am increasingly thankful for in the passing years is the hobby community. I was never much of a social butterfly when I started participating in the hobby. I often dealt with social anxiety when interacting with others. I was an odd duck and never really found the right pool to swim in.
At some point, after building my first IBO kit, I decided to create an Instagram to post some goofy little pictures. I quickly found myself interacting with a broad spectrum of people! What a surprise!
I’m very thankful to still talk to the majority of those who I met at the start of my hobby endeavor. I’m equally, if anything more, thankful for the friendships I’ve made as well!
(Shout out to my favorite hecklers Julio, Kyle, Brian, and Pabz! Congrats on season two of the podcast)
These little rambles lead me to this question today: What does community mean to me?
I like to believe that community is all about connection. Roots, so to speak. It’s like being rooted in connections, kind of like Mycelium.
Mycelium is fungus threads, very very thin threads. It commonly grows underground. They are connected together to form a network and these networks can span hundreds or even thousands of miles long! From these networks can spawn things like mushrooms. They’re also connected to many things in their environment, such as trees. They also send messages to each other by electrical signals.
Now hear me out, It honestly does remind me of a lot of hobby communities. We, as members, make up the “mycelium network” of our hobbies that spans the globe. Our conversations are technically electric signals. What comes from these connections, much like the mushroom, is the comradery we make along the way.
Corny? Fungusy? probably.
I like to believe that this is the wisdom I’ve gained from those in the hobby as I grow (I was fresh out of high school when I came into the hobby and a person never really stops growing). I hope that the more the hobby continues the more we can expand our little mycelium network and connect with each other more on both local and wider scales.
What does community mean to you?
A mushroom walks into a bar…
The bartender says we don’t serve your kind here,
The mushroom says, why not? I’m a “fungi”!?
What do you think? Drop a comment below and let me know, I’d love to hear it.
Have a safe Monday everyone!
-J
Creeping for Scale Models 
Hi, I am Nagi, modeler who picked up modelling as a means to rehab from my mental illness, addiction, etc. I have been aware of your work and think that you are accepted while establishing your style is awesome.
As for the community, I as an ASD with social anxiety etc, I often feel isolated no matter how I have friends and people who care about me. I kinda freeze myself heart rushing in real encounter with people, often leaving thoughts to me like “PMG I was weird again, etc.”
To rewire and recultivate that aspect I started to stream trying to redo my social presentation and the nurturing sense of community. To nurture the community, I have to switch focus on people rather than small my internal self.
while I think a sense of belonging and being in a community is very imp for one’s health, survival and being human, except people like Charles Bukowski. Although I sort of belong to one, my sense of isolation never gotten away. I am hoping that one day, it will change.
and to come across this article was kind of timely. thank you.
ps: I leave my streaming link as my homepage but I am still cultivating my presentation so it is kind of embarassing….. lol.
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Battles with mental health definitely are taxing and I’m glad that streaming has been doing well for you. Sense of isolation is definitely something I can understand at times.
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