Inspiration and hobbies

[Psionicist]

I'm pretty sure most members here have interests and hobbies they feel passionate about, be it Dungeons & Dragons, painting, photography or something else.

I am reasonably certain most members for short periods of time grow completely tired of their hobby, just to regain the interest days, weeks or months later.

What I want to know is, what do you do when you are completely fed up with your hobby? Similiarlt, what do you do when really want to work with your hobby, but are simply out of ideas? Simply put: What do you do for inspiration?

I am particularly interested about non-RPG hobbies.

 

[crybaby]

One of my interests/hobbies is rock climbing. I climb at an indoor gym 2 to 3 days a week and try to get out on real rock whenever i can. When i lose my inspiration i take a week or so off and realize how much i really enjoy climbing and regain my inspiration. I guess what im really doing is taking a break so that my hobby doesnt become "work" and lose its fun. What are hobbies after all if you dont have fun and enjoy doing them?

 

[Tinner]

I seem to always get burned out right after Origins every year.
I guess I just do too much gaming at the con, and then feel "gamed-out" for a while.

What I do to renew my inspiration is just change my pace.

Rest! If you're tired, nothing seems like fun. Get some sleep. Even more importantly, get some mental rest. Spend an afternoon outside getting some fresh air, and just thinking. Or better yet, not even thinking at all! If your brain is fried, you're not going to want to do anything, so make sure your refresh those brain cells.

Do something new. Go to a museum. Try some new and exotic ethinic restaurant. Even seen an opera? Go to the zoo. Anything that can break your rut will be helpful. New experiences = new ideas.

Make new friends. Part of my burnout each years stems from gaming with the same group every week. Don't get me wrong, I love my friends, but as they say, "familiarity breeds contempt." While you're doing new things, try to meet some new people. Call some old chums and catch up with them. Spend more time with your spouse.SO.

Do something worthwhile. Nothing will refresh you faster than doing something that makes you feel good about yourself. Spend a day helping others. Plant flowers for the elderly. Volunteer at a shelter. Help out at your place of worship. Good deeds pay off in good feelings! Good feelings make you feel renewed.

Hope this helps. YMMV.

 

[DarrenGMiller]

My other favorite hobby is railfanning/model railroading. I know this is a wierd combination with role-playing, but I find it very relaxing and satisfying. If you think about it, both DM'ing and model railroading allow me to create a world of my own.

DM

 

[Aeson]

My hobbies are gaming, gaming and oh gaming. I'm not in the shape to play but I like watching sports and when I'm in shape again I would like to play some baseball, softball or football.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I'm a big fan of a bunch of TV shows, MASH, Stargate, Surface and Star Trek taking the lead. I like to lay around reading novels of these series or watching the shows. Every once in a whiile I work on some fanfiction regarding them. I find writing abouth various genres get my creative juices flowing.

 

[Aeson]

That sounds like me but without the fanfiction writing.

 

[Zander]

Although the things that interest me have remained pretty constant since I was a teen (a long time ago), I cycle through my hobbies so that when one is waxing another is waning. I let the particular hobby itself influence whether it's in ascendance or descendance.

For example, next Saturday there's a big RPG con near me so that's fired up my interest in RPGs. The recent release of Realms of Sorcery for WFRP has got me wanting to try out WFRP 2E in particular. Also, the newly released toys for the Narnia movie have re-kindled my interest in fantasy action figures. On the other hand, there hasn't been much going on in the world of dice so I've let that slide a bit.

I don't try to force interest or seek out inspiration. I just keep abreast of what's going on in each of my hobbies and follow or spend time/money on whatever I fancy most.

 

[Rel]

I have a lot of hobbies but none that I do consistantly except for gaming and reading. I always read but sometimes I read a little and sometimes I read a lot.

Other than that there's scuba diving, which is limited by season and finances so I don't get to do it often enough to become "burnt out". I do some minor wood working which I pick up and put down as I feel like. Mostly I'll work on a project until it is done and then not do another one for several months. I also keep an aquarium but I tend to set up a sort of "fire and forget" kind of aquarium that doesn't need much maintenance.

I play a lot of computer games and I generally buy 4-6 new games each year. I'll play them almost obsessively until I'm tired of a particular game. Then I usually spend a couple weeks not playing much at all after which I dust off an older game I like and play that for a while. Then I go pick up something new.

As for RPG's, I never seem to tire of them completely. I may get tired of running a particular campaign (right now I'm coming up on the end of one and I'm not sick of it but I'm ready to finish it and play for a while) or a particular character. But I don't seem to get burnt out on gaming entirely as many do. It probably helps that we only run games for 6-9 months at most before changing campaigns and GMs.

 

[Old One]

Other than that there's scuba diving, which is limited by season and finances so I don't get to do it often enough to become "burnt out".

Dude, I didn't know you were a diver...

One of my long-time, but oft-neglected hobbies. I have been AOW-certified since 1984 and had the pleasure of diving in FL, HI, St. Thomas, Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, Couzemel and a couple of other places.

My passions include:

• History - I love all things history
• Travel - I love to visit new places and experience different cultures, especially if it relates to history (see above)
• Exercise - I find that I have to exercise...if I go more than 2 or 3 days without exercising, I get very cranky
• Financial Education - I love speaking/teaching about personal finance issues

My hobbies include:

• Reading - Avid reader, particularly of history books and historical fiction. I am reading anywhere from 2-4 books at any one time
• Gaming - Used to be a passion, but I have other priorities now
• Computer Games - I have a real weakness for computer games. In the past, I have played several for 24 hours + with only pee breaks ! Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it) life does not allow for such indulgences these days

~ OO