A short and irritable post, this.
I'm a member of several Facebook groups (remember when we had actual forums for things, without Mark Zuckerberg owning them all?) about various games and settings. I also follow a few different painting hashtags on Instagram.
Every so often, someone decides that we're going to "celebrate the hobby", or mark some anniversary or some particular style of model or painting. And we always do it in the same way: a painting contest.
I never enter these. I'm not an especially gifted painter - I'm ok, after a lot of practice, and there are a lot of techniques that I don't use. I know that any such contest will be won by people who are very talented and quite possibly professionals. I don't have anything against them, but it would be pointless for me to enter a 100m race against Usain Bolt, too.
Today I see that the Mordheim Facebook group, of which I'm a member, is holding a painting contest, and I don't feel any real enthusiasm. I prefer the vaguer, non-judged "orktober" type events, where everyone has a go as something similar, although it's not quite a perfect substitute.
Anyhow, not my cup of tea.
Totally agree!
ReplyDeleteI find them anti-motivational as when I see the winning entries of such competitions I realise that there's no way I'm ever going to be that good.
The Orktober and Tale of Gamers type things are much more fun and actually encourage you to do stuff in a fun way!
Likewise. I've always thought that the most inspiring painters are the ones who are slightly better than me, not experts whose stuff I'll never approach in quality.
DeleteI quite enjoy the themed months and that sort of thing, where everyone is working towards a goal and not in competition.
Haha, I know what you mean! I don't tend to take part in those events. Well, in fact I don't even have Facebook, so I only (and scarcely) enter some events (never contests or competitions) from other fellow blogs, a forum, or among my group of friends. Even then I only enter if I have something fitting for the occasion, I don't force myself into anything. This is not supposed to stress me, but just right the opposite! XD
ReplyDeleteFacebook is like playing cards with the devil - the way to win is not to take part! I agree that these things aren't supposed to stress us out and maybe if I thought I had a chance of winning, I might be stressed. But then this is supposed to be a relaxing hobby!
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