Does customizing affect your work?

[Sabrina_Ng]

Ok. Not a rant. This is more of a,"Am I the only one" kinda thread. I have some issues. During my university days, I will practice painting after school till I was confident enough to do customs. Soon after, I painted as and when I had free time after school. Upon graduation, the economy wasn't too hot (not that it is now). So I was painting day and night. Somewhere in July 09, I got a full time job. Since then, I only had time for customs during the weekends.

Now...my issues are that customizing has become sort of a 'addiction'. The thrill of making value out of a normal piece of plastic is very exciting. After I completed my Devastator, I have been planning hard for Menasor, Defensor, Abominus, Superion and Seacons so much that I may have overstretched myself. I try (note that the keyword is try) not to go on boards or check my gmail during office hours. Gmail is a SIN. The moment I open my account and see those commission requests or queries, I lose focus of my work and start thinking on the process and charges that I wanna quote. The worse is when I get new projects and have a adrenalin rush thinking of which toys to use and buy, articulation and etc.

So can someone tell me if I am not alone? Or am I in too deep? I am not a fanatic. Meaning when u go out with me, I rarely talk about transformers or anything related to kitbashing. But when I am near a PC, the will to resist is hard. Thus, I have officially banned myself from being involved with boards and email until after office hours. I really am trying very hard!!!! Am I alone????!

[- Z -]

I am the same way. I currently own 2 businesses and have a 1 year old at home. I have maybe 2 hours a night and then weekends. I used to take commissions a few years ago and got totally overwhelmed, the hobby became stressful and just not fun. I made the decision to stop taking commissions and work only on projects I wanted to do and then auction them on ebay. It made my life MUCH happier and now I enjoy the "hobby". As I said before I envy guys like encline and FR having this as their full time profession. I am at work right now, working with clients, and I am on here typing away. You do have to draw a line though or it will consume you.

[NightBat]

It's the other way around for me....I hardly have time to customize. My job has me working six days a week for 40 hours only because of the economy, by the time I get home I'm exhausted. I think everyone here would love to do this for a living so it's a healthy addiction haha

[RodimusdawG]

You gotta have your down time for one. And while I can't really join in with ya but I am close. I have a disability which I am trying to overcome thankfully it can it being asthma so one would think I have a lot of time but I don't I am also a family man and have a few kids.

So I spend a lot if not all my time with them so the mother(s) (that's right two) can work and go to school. Both are really supportive and want me to take more time to do this and try to make it a profession but I feel that this is their time for schooling and my time will come.

The only thing holding me back really is not having an airbrush. I do everything by hand. The building, base coating, base colors, effects, detailing and sealing all by hand. This make for double the work. So I have been slowly but surely saving up for an airbrush and a compressor and I still have a bit to go. I plan on posting my first custom for sale ever on ebay this weekend and I hope it can be enough for me to be able to get those two said items. Then I will be going for a full out profession.

So yeah I feel where you are coming from with it being a distraction and definitely being around any internet source makes me a bit twitchy.:D And when the creative juices get flowing I am a man obsessed with a feverish determination. You just gotta focus and leave the kitbashing as a reward for a hard day of working.

[RyanUybengkee]

hey Sabrina,

your initial streak is similar to mine: started off as hobby, then when we get to some work that totally blew us off our wits, we are overwhelmed with all work that we propose and think.
i have a day job, and another job, plus another side-line job.

the key here is just time management.
i check on my mails and inquiries during lunch time/break.

in between, i can make some few personal calls. no harm in that.

when i get home, im am doing my thing. figures in front and no one disturbs me.

so, yeah, youre not alone in this. that's all i can say sabrina: time management.

we dont want to burnout in the process as you and me, compared to Mike and david, have full time custom jobs.

[XAVIERCAL]

Hi Sabrina... you’re defining not alone on this one. I have full time job that is not just an 8 to 5. It required allot more of my time and effort to keep this company going meeting and extra time to finish my projects. Like others had said here. Just manage your time and have a schedule you need to follow thru. Best of luck always and keep doing your best.

[Hotwire]

With me, I work pretty much indipendantly. Don't have a real start or stop time with work. But I find myself coming up with ideas while at work and then trying to come up with reasons to leave early to get started on the custom. I even have a couple hobby shops, not too far from where I'm working, so I tend to hit them on the way to and from work. My biggest problem is that I usually don't get home until after dark, and the only place I can spray any paint, is outside, under the piss-poor lighting infront of my apartment. So, yeah, it can affect work.

[anemis]

for my part i,m trying to find balance in hobby/work and familly... not always easy but i manage....

[Tank_driver]

i drive a forklift all day so it becomes so boring all i think about is what custom work i want to do next....

[mampy]

I just started a full-time (even longer than that) job as well and I am just exhausted when I get home. Weekends I also need to spend time with the girlfriend and my family. So yeah right now I don't get to customize as much as I'd like. I would have to try to find more time for it, though. Probably when I get used to the new job and schedule.

[Solrac333]

I have to say YES! As you all may know, I am a guitar teacher. My customizing gets in the way of my guitar playing. Well, not being in a band and also playing video games also gets in the way of my playing but my customs did kind of take over. Maybe when I join a new band or reform my current one and get some more advanced guitar students, I'll play more. Until then, more customs.

[Sabrina_Ng]

Thanks for the input guys. I think ur all right. My time management is not as good as I would like it to be. I really should stop thinking of that 'particular mod' or 'paint scheme' and etc. Urgh! I have to!!! I need to focus at work and not be distracted by customs or emails. :(

[BigHank]

You have to find the balance. My day job is Mon-Thu 11 hours a day. I get 3 day weekends and nights off very week.

I am though, one of those people who gets by quite easily on 3-4 hours of sleep a day (55 gallons of diet coke a day will do that!) So when I get home it's about 7pm and after a shower and a bit of chilling out I tend to be up until 2-3 in the morning. This is my time to kitbash without interferences and distractions. I'm constantly brainstorming, though 24-7!

For my job I'm a scale technician, industrial weights and measures and force measurements. Basically small electronics and mechanic work. Not to toot my own horn but I'm pretty good at my job, I usually can bang out 10 hours of work in 5-6 hours.

Since I'm in the field almost all the time I get many opportunities throughout the day to toy hunt, check out new lines and get great ideas!

Weekends are hit and miss, I do the art show circuit with my girlfriend and so often we have shows booked. On the off weekends I try to get in some painting and such. But I must admit I prefer the wee hours of the night!:cool:

[Commandergree11]

I dont work! Isnt being 13 great? yes, yes it is. Once i get into it, it will probably affect other things though.....

[Shinobitron]

More like the other wat around. My work kills my customs. I get home and when I worked normal hours I had motivation, now however I just want p either sit and watch TV till I fall asleep or play WoW. Then when I do get a day off I need to do the daily life stuff like bill pay, laundry, grocery shop etc.

[Solrac333]

I dont work! Isnt being 13 great? yes, yes it is. Once i get into it, it will probably affect other things though.....

I wake up at around 11 am. Play video games, customize transformers, play guitar, go to work and teach guitar around 3 or 5 pm, come home around 8 or 9 pm, play more video games, customize more transformers, watch cartoons at night, go to bed at 2 or 3 am. Isn't being 32 great?! Yes, yes it is.;)

[Lionfireshg]

im a tattoo artist, so when the shop gets slow(like now in the fall and winter time) i usually work on other projects like this at work. i definitely get excited getting the parts, creating and finishing up the piece.

[Overhaulimus]

Hey,you guys are not alone.

I work a full time job,like many of you,am married,run my own business and do TF customs.My personal time is spent on my customs,it can get overwhelming but I keep on,and while I am at my day job,I am constantly thinking of what I'd like to do on a potential custom.

[FREED]

BWAUAAHAHAHAHHAHAHA I dont have that problem cuz Im unemployed right now! HA-HA HAHAHA! wait....

[kahlistrophic]

Right now having about 4 or 5 unfinished customs on my table is really distracting while Im trying to finish writing my masters thesis...but...cant..put..them...away...

[speedleescustoms]

Yes i can feel u guys and girls, before i convert to full time customizing, i was taking a 8-5pm job. Taking in commissions and putting up customs on ebay totally overwhelmed me and eating into my work. Mind you considering the fact that my day work was already a mentally stressful job, everything was so out of place. Time management plays a big part as i sacrificed playtime out of home for indoors customizing as i love, but it always come to a point where u will think that did you go over fanatic in what you love or etc.

One clear thing is i never regret taking up this hobby, just follow your heart !

[Commandergree11]

I wake up at around 11 am. Play video games, customize transformers, play guitar, go to work and teach guitar around 3 or 5 pm, come home around 8 or 9 pm, play more video games, customize more transformers, watch cartoons at night, go to bed at 2 or 3 am. Isn't being 32 great?! Yes, yes it is.;)

Haha, i think i like being 13 better:D

[Lionfireshg]

im gonna go with 32, you dont have to go to school anymore, if you have gone through college or found a career.

13 is great, but it gets harder for a bit.