So in my five years in the hobby, I’ve come to learn some lessons. Some harsh and some that you can only learn by doing.

1. Hobbies are about what YOU want to do!

Hobbies are what you want to do, not what others want from you. This is your hobby. Your time. Your resources. Someone shouldn’t dictate what you should do with it.

Do you want to kitbash female space marines? Rad do it. What do add the weirdest things to your Gundam kits (like me)? Rad do it!

2. Social media can be a good AND bad thing

Social media is excellent for connecting with others in their hobbies. I know that I don’t have a lot of people in my area that build gunpla, so things like Instagram and Twitter help me connect with builders from across the globe. Which is awesome! Minus the language barriers at times, it’s nice to be connected to hobbyists in Japan or France

The downsides are a few things. First, it’s easier to compare ourselves to others on social media. I see a stream of people who are extremely talented at what they do. Did this cause me to feel bad about myself? When I started the hobby I used to feel down and out about not being able to do what others do. It took some time to work over that. Second, it’s also easier to edit pictures. A build might not look as perfect as it seems to be.

The last thing that is a pet peeve of mine is repost accounts. Yes, there are some that credit the owner but for the most part, a lot don’t. Why should a repost account get the credit that the actual owner should? Feels smarmy to me.

3. Wear gloves and use a paint respirator

When spraying enamels or rattle cans, wear gloves and a respirator. A person shouldn’t be breathing in those particles. They’re not great for your lungs.

As for gloves, it’s a pain to clean some of those paints off of the skin. Same with the respirator, those chemicals aren’t healthy for it

4. Sometimes it is about the friends you make along the way

I’m incredibly grateful for the people that I have become friends with since entering this hobby. It’s baffling how a hobby can bring a group of people from vast walks of life together!

5. Mistakes happen

It’s natural and expected. I’ve probably said a million times that mistakes are gonna happen no matter what you do. Some may be able to be fixed right away, some might take some time, or some not at all.

6. Rome was not built in a day

Skills are not learned in a day. You aren’t going to master a skill by doing it once and that’s okay. Scribing takes time. Painting takes time. I’m still getting a hang of painting and I’ve been doing it for years!

---

What do you think? Drop a comment below and let me know, I’d love to hear it.

Have a safe Monday everyone!

-J