I'm still thinking about Anne's question. Is it possible to return to a once loved hobby after a prolonged and profound slump?
When I was a kid, I was obsessed with baseball, specifically the Los Angeles Dodgers.
I came by this interest naturally. My mother was a life long baseball fan. Growing up, there was always a baseball game on the radio. I didn't pay much attention when I was little, but that changed when my parents bought half-season tickets to Dodger Stadium. Suddenly, we were attending upwards of thirty games a year, and my interest in baseball went from casual to fierce.
And I do mean fierce. I was a total preteen super fan. I knew everything about every player on the Dodgers' roster, I nerded out on stats and strategies and I prided myself on knowing the answers to all the obscure rules quizzes presented on DiamondVision during the games.
I remained a fan all through high school and into college.
I thought I would always be a baseball fan, but no. I've watched maybe a dozen games in the last twenty years, and none since the Dodgers won the World Series in 2020.
So what happened?
As is always the case when we get together, the conversation was lively and wide ranging. We talked about horses, cats, dogs, spouses, work, politics, Tik Tok, food, weather and yes, model horses. And, you know, I may not have a lot of interest in packing up my models and taking them to a show, but if you put me in a room full of hobby friends, I can still talk about model horses into the wee hours of the night.
I think that's what it comes down to really. Hobbies aren't just about the hobby itself. They're also about the people you share your hobby with.
I can't imagine a better group of people than my hobby friends. With all of you in my life, I don't think I'll ever completely lose interest in model horses.
P.S. to Anne. I hope you do find your way back to enjoying your models. I love you, and you are an important part of my hobby community.
We love you Anne and Jennifer! Model horses will always be here waiting for you when you're ready to come back to them <3 Until then, us, your hobby friends, will be around!
ReplyDeleteCouldn't have put it better m'self. But man I need more hobby friend time.
ReplyDeleteI've taken breaks, basically, from the hobby when I was in college and when I had a job that demanded so much of my time and energy that I couldn't do anything else. I am still in it but not at the same intensity that a lot of people seem to be. Also, it's gotten so expensive to be competitive that I can't keep up--the low-number SRs and the quality of tack and the elaborate setups I'd need to show seriously are out of reach/not where I want to spend my money/beyond my skills. I'm still pretty much competing at a 1996 level. I'm OK with it.
ReplyDeleteI took a break of 14 years due to major upheavals in my life. Divorce, deaths in my family, moving, new career, etc. I returned to a vibrant & welcoming model community where I feel very much at home! So, I think breaks are ok, you need to do what you feel is best for you.
ReplyDeleteCome for the plastic ponies, stay for the people. That's my hobby mantra.
ReplyDeleteI have less hands-on with real horses, so models are all wrapped up in real horse-watching and my library, as well as being the familiar art hobby that seems least intimidating to start with. I stepped away from real and model horses for much of a dozen years, partly to lick my wounds when ownership seemed unlikely. Life interferes with how much hobby time I have, but it's my play space, and has spawned some long term friendships. I found my elementary school model horse buddy, who lives within visiting distance despite meeting in Florida. I talk regularly now on Zoom with a friend I met at a model event decades ago. Breaks and periods of less activity are part of everyone's landscape, and looping back just as common — the setting of "burning the candle at both ends" is unsustainable.
ReplyDelete