One A Day - Day 7
I must admit I’m really struggling with this ‘One A Day’ project, this is only day seven but it feels like MONTHS … crazy! I’m sure being unwell isn’t helping the situation but I’m also aware that spontaneously writing a new article each day, one that isn’t connected to previous work or current product development makes each article in some ways, laborious.
I am enjoying the process though and as I continue to work my way through the next twenty three days I have no doubt that I’ll continue to write one article a day, but I’m also conscious that, at the end of the day, I do run a business and I need significant daily sales to sustain my considerable overheads. Thus, I need to get used to incorporating articles into my development and sales pipeline.
Anyway, enough rambling let’s get into today’s article and it’s something I have posted on Facebook about before … being inspired by computer games.
As I’ve been laying on the couch, popping pain killers to crush my headaches, I’ve been replaying Assassins Creed 2. It’s one of those games that provide amazing opportunities for exploring wonderfully details cities and towns.
A few years ago I was replaying the first Assassins Creed game and was super motivated to make lots of different models based on the architecture in that game. I took HUNDREDS of pictures. Yes pictures, I was playing on the PS3 and couldn’t take ‘screenshots’ unlike Skyrim, which I play on my PC and can save good images of my adventures.
Skyrim is another open world game that is ripe with inspiration. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve started a new session of Skyrim just so I can take screenshots with the intension of making new models. There are loads of different reasons and excuses but that; the making of new models, has never occurred but that doesn’t diminish the wonderful resource that computer games can be for crafting terrain.
One of my biggest challenges when it comes to actually taking action on these moments of motivation and inspiration is that I’m constantly pulled in so many different directions. Not just by the diversity of games I play and the different settings they have or my ADHD, but because so much of my hobby is commercially orientated that I’m frozen into inaction due to time vs return.
I would love to make an awesome Skyrim table with wonderfully detailed hills and sculpted terrain features with a smattering of hand crafted stone buildings and a windmill! But I cant. At least it seems like I cant simply because of the time such projects take. I just can’t justify the time.
Much like this ‘One A Day’ concept of just doing something small each day, I really should just pull my finger out and ‘do it’. I think I worry too much about turning a dollar from everything I do that it actually stops me from doing anything at all!
There are lots of opportunities these days to ‘monetise’ your hobby and you see that on YouTube and Patreon specifically but I think I forget that I also have the sales from products I manufacture which would allow me the time to spend to make some of these awesome projects.
Anyway, I’m loosing myself (as I always do) in thought so I will sign off for today and simply ask you …
What are they games that inspire your table top projects?