Motivation?

[annabellector]

I have a few peps to do, a couple of costumes to complete and I am so not motivated.

Anybody have this prob? any way to push thru it?

I feel overwhelmed, prepping for moving (trying/attempting to), excessive work at my stupid job, new job interview, sick.....oh, weddings and obligations .... and yet I have a batman suit to finish and the 'dragonborn'....

Did I mention this is the first I am working with foam? so that's all new..... ugh

I know I've worked under the gun before, but every year?! and this year is working out to be the same.

All I can say is... If I can do most of last years daedric armor in the hospitals while the daughter got ...sick? better? LOL then surely I can do these costumes while attempting to move out of the house.

maybe i am just complaining? but ppls... please.. how do you get motivated?
and how the heck do you play with hot glue! OUCH

 

[Carpathia]

I motivate myself by posting here more than six times in two years. Share your project with everyone, get critiques, feedback and praise. Let us in on what you're doing and we can at least try to motivate you.

 

[GenericCola]

Might I recommend reading the Rules and Infractions sticky? This post breaks several thread creation rules; it could easily fall under the "attention," or "indecision," archetypes. While we're all very sorry about all of the drama that seems to be in your life, and while are all so proud of how you've always managed to pull through, this is not really the place to discuss these things.

To try to answer your question, though, if finishing the costumes is and kicking about in badass Spartan armor is not enough motivation for you to finish, then I don't know what to say. You really need to find your own motivation-- afterall, this is YOUR project. If you're building a character, think about how cool it will be to be able to step into their shoes, and if you're making your avatar from the game, imagine how awesome it will feel to be able to bring that off of the screen.

 

[Chernobyl]

I'll be honest - it sounds like your 'work ethic' has gotten off on the wrong foot. Costuming and propping is more often than not a hobby instead of a profession, so you should always be wary of going into it with the intention of treating it like an obligation. The more deadlines you set for yourself, the more frustrated and apathetic towards the project you'll get when those deadlines inevitably go sailing by and you're not where you expected to be, which tends to make you even more reluctant to work on your projects.

I wouldn't suggest 'forcing yourself' through this barrier. Working on things when you don't want to generally leads to poor workmanship, so dedicate your downtime to something else you enjoy to get away from it. Going in with a clear head and a desire to work will get a lot more work done, of a much higher quality. Maybe spend some time reading up on some different methods to costuming rather than actually doing anything solid.

Regardless of that: avoid deadlines, don't force yourself. I sometimes spend weeks on assembling a model in Pepakura, before it even sees a pot of resin - and that's fine, since taking it slowly, steadily, and at a measured pace is far more rewarding than slamming myself through it and being unhappy with my work. Maybe I won't get it all done for Hallowe'en, but at least it'll get done.

EDIT: I'd tend to disagree, GC. It's a thread asking for advice, albeit a more unconventional type than the usual 'how do I fibreglass?' questions we get asked, and I do believe that the potential for some good discussion is here.

 

[GenericCola]

EDIT: I'd tend to disagree, GC. It's a thread asking for advice, albeit a more unconventional type than the usual 'how do I fibreglass?' questions we get asked, and I do believe that the potential for some good discussion is here.

It may be a useful question, but it definitely wasn't asked in a useful manner.

 

[Katsu]

To get back on track, I do agree that a BuildLog is a thousand times better for motivation than just pecking at something alone. Putting your work up, getting the positive feedback and helpful input (criticism) are great ways to get on track, and laying it out on a forum is conducive to really framing your work so you can see what progress you've made, and get an idea of where to go from there!

There are also obligatory statements like "Plan in steps" meaning don't say "I want to make a full suit by next Thursday!" Do "I want to build the pepakura this week" and "When that is done I will dedicate a day to resining it" etc. And "Make sure you know the steps ahead of time". I'd also say you should check out videos from Cereal and Drack (Among others) and maybe try just doing small projects in different methods to see if maybe the method you are using now doesn't mesh well with your own actual skills and interests.

 

[U513]

to motivate myself I tend to look at the work done by other people. I love looking at completed suits and try and imagine how awesome it will be when mine is completed built by me, in my room, with my fingers, blood, sweat, burns and tears!

I also sometimes find myself going thorough my own jornal from start to end to see how far I have come or the progress I have made from that first cut I made!

get positive comments from others helps soo much as well and suggestions help me improve my build. I have been working on and off on my suit for over a year and its nearly completed.

I go to the gym 5 times a week and I too have a job. Throw in shopping, cleaning and the general chores I have very little time left to do anything else. However, I make time ...its nearly midnight here and I have been working on the suit since I got home from work. Now its time for dinner and work early morning. (I gave gym a miss today lol)

Might I recommend reading the Rules and Infractions sticky? This post breaks several thread creation rules; it could easily fall under the "attention," or "indecision," archetypes. While we're all very sorry about all of the drama that seems to be in your life, and while are all so proud of how you've always managed to pull through, this is not really the place to discuss these things.

I think this is very harsh and I don't agree with it. The fact that an individual has posted asking for tips means they want to progress.

 

[CLOTHAR]

Sometimes it is worthwhile to take a break, or work on other projects. In the downtime, look at other builds, look at reference pictures, play the games, listen to the music. All of those things help me get back in gear!

 

[GenericCola]

to motivate myself I tend to look at the work done by other people. I love looking at completed suits and try and imagine how awesome it will be when mine is completed built by me, in my room, with my fingers, blood, sweat, burns and tears!

I also sometimes find myself going thorough my own jornal from start to end to see how far I have come or the progress I have made from that first cut I made!

get positive comments from others helps soo much as well and suggestions help me improve my build. I have been working on and off on my suit for over a year and its nearly completed.

I go to the gym 5 times a week and I too have a job. Throw in shopping, cleaning and the general chores I have very little time left to do anything else. However, I make time ...its nearly midnight here and I have been working on the suit since I got home from work. Now its time for dinner and work early morning. (I gave gym a miss today lol)



I think this is very harsh and I don't agree with it. The fact that an individual has posted asking for tips means they want to progress.

I was referring more to all of the drama thrown into the post, but I do see where everybody else is coming from. As I said, a useful question asked in a not-useful manner.

 

[Zaff]

I've run into a similar problem with my Rogue builds. At first the lack of motivation came from not having the cardstock,and not having the ambition to print out the pep pieces and transfer them onto cardboard. Then I hit a wall when I realized the Rogue I printed off was going to be too small to fit over my head, and I didn't want to cut into it to make my head fit inside, so it's still sitting next to me at my desk 3/4 pepped and I have no motivation to finish it. As Clothar said, sometimes it's a good idea to set one project aside and work on another, as sometimes it's the monotony of seeing the same piece day after day that makes it more of a grind than a pastime. I would love to be working on other projects, but having now had a taste of real pepping with actual cardstock and not just practice with regular printer paper, I've come to the conclusion that I'd prefer to work in foam, which I currently do not have the funds for. But I keep the mojo flowing by editing the unfolds of the models I want to use to better suit my methods and how my mind works when assembling something, I look for reference pics (which always get me in a creative mood), I plan out internals and whatnot in my head, I sketch out concepts of how I want something to look, or at least a general idea, and if all else fails I come back here to the forums and look at what other people are doing (which almost guarantees me that "I want it and I want it now" drive).

Best advice I can give is if you feel yourself hitting a wall in one area, switch to something else. You mentioned a Batman and a Dragonborn project. If you find yourself feeling unmotivated for the armor or other wearable aspects, maybe focus on props for a while, or just take some time to brainstorm on whether or not there are any custom touches you want to add to make it your costume instead of just a costume.

 

[Spartan 420]

As Clothar said, sometimes it's a good idea to set one project aside and work on another, as sometimes it's the monotony of seeing the same piece day after day that makes it more of a grind than a pastime.

Couldn't agree more. When a build starts getting tedious I usually take a break, and often come up with another build idea that I start planning. So far none of my builds are anywhere near completion due to the fact that I've got about 4 suits on my "To build" list, most of which are still in planning stages. But for me that's not a problem.

One thing that makes it alot easier is not having a deadline. I see people spending several years perfecting a suit on this site, and I've come to terms that this is not something worth rushing, If I miss comiccon it doesn't bother me, there'll be more comiccons. I'm prepared to work on my builds for years to come, and still not be finished. If you can come to terms with the fact that this is a long term build, not a 1-month wonder, then take a break, there's no rush.

I have one little tip, if you REALLY want motivation to start building a costume. Watch this video. It gets me every time.

Every time I watch this video I want to get strait back to work on a costume. I mean how could you NOT want to go to one of these in costume!?
Some of the costumes are absolutely stunning aswell. Most I don't even recognise but they're just so awesome to look at.

-S420

EDIT: Make that 5 builds, 2 of which are my girlfriends though which she'll be making, I'll just be helping.

 

[Swatze]

I also like seeing the amazing work of others and feel how I can do that but better consideri ng I learn from their mistakes and spend a few hours each night assembling my peps.
I suggest figuring out a good time to do you pep work but don't let it interfere with work or school, some things are more important. Overall just have fun doing what you love.

^^^BTW, AWESOME video above.^^^

 

[annabellector]

GC, I am sorry you think I am whining here... I am not. If this is inappropriate than I am sorry. This was a plea to others to figure my way out of this dull brown bag I climbed into. I am sorry you took it as something else.

I have a bunch of life to live in a 24 hour period, and when I stress I usually find my zen in pepakura and building, yet I have been avoiding it at all costs- and I can't figure out why. I loooovee building, I love the creation aspect. I truly enjoy my fingers caked with superglue... it makes me feel productive.

And yet, My life is exactly like the majority of yours, just change the plot a bit, and the characters, and some of the issues- ie, same book just with a different face... yet we all face the money crunch, the time crunch, the overwhelmed, overworked, and no time for self... so how do you keep your focus on something like a build....?

What drives you to finish? What is making me stall? this is new.... Do I walk away? I honestly get stressed when I am not working on something creative... (except crocheting- I will kill people if I have to try to crochet).

I find myself in the same stress level of last year yet my drive is gone. I have the projects out to work on, but I pass by with a longing look but a churned stomach.

How do I find my motivation? How did you find your motivation? What kept you involved when you wanted to just buy the product instead of build it, just to call it good.

Sorry for the drama, I am trying- maybe as you put it, unsuccessfully- to get questions answered by the very people who have been in my shoes.

For those who did answer politely, thank you. I am taking each comment to heart. I did previously step away from my projects and build a dragon skull for the fun of it, but i find myself not wanting to resin it.... sigh...

I stepped away for the last 3 weeks, not touching any items- and still didn't feel a need to walk back to them. It's a mixed bag though... I wanted to, but didn't.

I have watch youtube vids but think maybe I will watch this one that you recommended asap.--edit: OMG LOVE the vid. daughter brought up that we are going next year to comicon... Ya, maybe that was enough to kick me in my pants- I want to be those.. I want to be awesome... I want to build awesome-- ty!

And yes, maybe posting more is a definite. I feel most inadequate when I see the fantastic costume builds on here that I think you've seen it, don't need to see it again... that is my failing. I will correct that. maybe that will keep me pushing thru this. I lurk a lot around here and rpf.... but I do not get involved which is wrong.

Writers block. - just like writer's block... with foam and hard paper... and glue.


I appreciate the input I have received and am going to try each one again.

I will review my posts and then quickly get up what I haven't yet.

 

[Kinggoobero]

I find motivation simply out of my deep love/connection with what I am building. I am a huge Halo fan, it's one of the few console games I can keep playing nonstop and the entirety of the Halo universe with the books/games/etc just fascinates me so when I'm building armor it brings me a bit closer to the illusion that it's reality. Now I know people won't be kid napping children to make super soldiers anytime soon but it's fun to imagine time to time, you know space travle and stuff... not kid nappings lol.

Basically your motivation should derive from your heart. If your heart isn't in your work then set it aside. Get everything in life settled a bit and maybe you'll get that itch like I do. That deep desire to press on with your progress and make something awesome.

 

[GenericCola]

I know one thing that I do to keep myself motivated all the way through a build is to save the piece I want the most for last. In my current WIP, I am starting from the boots and working my way up, because I know if I built the helmet first, I would become content and decide to just stick with that as a collection piece rather than build a suit.

On a tone of serious concern, though, everything you're describing says "depression." Lack of motivation, lack of energy, and avoiding things you usually like are all signs that something is wrong. Your book may be the same as ours, but we all handle things differently, and perhaps your story has had one too many plot twists for now. Perhaps it's worn too much on you. Spend some time with family, with friends-- talk about how you're feeling with somebody close to you. Heck, get them involved, if you can! I got my girlfriend involved in my costume making, and it makes the whole thing THAT much more rewarding to know that somebody else is just as excited as you are.

Post pics on the forums, get feedback, get advice, and see how things turn out.

 

[annabellector]

LOL thanks on depression....

And great pep talk, because there are some out there who need it for sure. You gave all the right points on it, and while I know depression intimately... I divorced him 8 years ago 8^) all happy sailing now- even the bad days are pretty dang good now-a-days...

But maybe I do have too much going on, but then again.. halloween waits for no geek...

--your point on saving best for last may very well have hit a huge nail on head- I did the helmet, and chestpiece...... the rest is blah- sooooo.... I will pull a you - and- do the least desirable first. Thanks!

 

[GenericCola]

LOL thanks on depression....

And great pep talk, because there are some out there who need it for sure. You gave all the right points on it, and while I know depression intimately... I divorced him 8 years ago 8^) all happy sailing now- even the bad days are pretty dang good now-a-days...

But maybe I do have too much going on, but then again.. halloween waits for no geek...

--your point on saving best for last may very well have hit a huge nail on head- I did the helmet, and chestpiece...... the rest is blah- sooooo.... I will pull a you - and- do the least desirable first. Thanks!

You're talking to a community of people who spend hundreds of dollars to build costume armor in their garages; we've all got a few screws loose, here xD

People can make you sad, but they don't make you depressed. They can make the depression feel worse, sure, but depression doesn't need a reason to happen, it just happens.

I've more or less accepted that there is NO way for my suit-- nevermind my suit AND my girlfriend's suit-- to be done by Halloween. I'm just taking it as I go.

 

[NoMaybeYes]

I know its not exactly a pep talk like others has been but when I find myself with no motivation at all I look through several of the elite builds. I know that someday after I refine my skill that someday my armor will be like I just hacked the game and pulled out a set then and I get excited again.

 

[Zaff]

Perhaps another good way to motivate you to finish is to get a good feel of what you want the finished product to be. For the Batman, you might have a set image in mind, a particular movie, comic, or TV episode, or perhaps one of the hundreds of toy-only set ups. For your Skyrim build, though, being that the Dragonborn is not a set character, you have a lot of wiggle room with what items, armor, etc. you want to have. Sometimes a rough sketch or even an inventory list can give you that bit of extra "feedback" of sorts. I've noticed a lot of the Halo builders, particularly the Reach armor, will use the Vanity program to do a quick mock-up of their armor configuration and then highlight each part to show their progress, not only for those keeping tabs on the build but also for their own benefit of being able to look and see that they are, in fact, making progress. And sometimes, that's the kicker right there. It's easy to get swamped with how many pieces need to be done, and how much still hasn't even been started, that we lose sight of how much has been done already.

If you do happen to have something custom in mind, try using Photoshop or other image-editing software to piece it together (if you are using pep files it can be done fairly easily using screencaps of the models). I'm looking at three different Halo Rogue builds, one being a basic H3 helmet for display (don't really intend to build a full Mark VI suit), the second being what it might have looked like using the Reach aesthetics (so disappointed when we didn't get a "prototype"), and the third for what it could ,or should, have looked like in Halo 4 (even more disappointed with what 343 gave us on that front). Heh, my problem isn't so much the conceptualizing as much as settling on one concept and sticking with it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v617/zaffy/Halo Armor projects/Projectref_zps4e574ae3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v617/zaffy/Halo Armor projects/RogueReachrefcopy_zps55d273a3.jpg

Although part of that came from getting an actual game-ripped helmet file to work from, but in all honesty I tend to change my in-game armor and colors more often than most people change their undergarments <.< >.>

 

[Halex]

This may or not be helpful depending on how far along you are with the helmet and torso, but it helped me when I first got going last year... finish one piece entirely. Pick a small one and take it all the way from pep to paint. I found it much easier to visualize the rest of the suit and get motivated to work on it after there was a completed piece... plus I could wear it around the house. I swear I didn't take the forearms off for an entire day after they were finished. If that one completed piece only inspires you to complete one more, just keep going! One by one you'll get there.

To be honest I've used almost every method in this thread at some point. When a project takes this long and can be this consuming, sometimes it's hard to keep it as a hobby and not let it feel like a second (or third) job. Build logs, showing friends, switching builds, and taking time away can all be valid ways to get back into it, but sometimes it also helps to jump back into it and remember why you enjoyed it to begin with.

This is only my experience, but I do hope that you can find what motivates you to get back into it. We're all here to help!