Had a conversation recently with a friend about painting, both for others and for ourselves. What we find rewarding. Having not been a "casual" hobbyist in about a dozen years it's always healthy to stop and appreciate the situation. I certainly remember the days of doing the usual paint at night for the upcoming event, and fondly, and that conversation brought back those memories and how things have transitioned over the years naturally. I could empathize with him in his mention of having little time, and really only wanting to in order to relax. Over the years, and having done this for so long my personality has simply changed to one where I get more enjoyment out of painting for other people, and not so much myself. The relaxation still remains and luckily never fades even in long days of painting, but a new primary natural high and reward comes from essentially giving a gift of a dream army to someone who can generally imagine it, but doesn't have the time and/or skill to make it a reality themselves. I get the fun of giving gifts at Christmas multiple times a year and I enjoy that more than the reward of painting for myself these days. Spontaneous conversations such as those are nice to stop and smell the roses and appreciate my Santa complex that keeps me going and very fulfilled.
Within that, the moment of uploading pictures and sending them off is always fireworks. The only shame is that, while in terms of emotion it lasts especially in going back to old photos, digitally it is pretty fleeting. That said, hopefully you all don't mind a little revisit to the last project to keep it going a little. A few of my favorite pictures in many ways that I always assume get lost in the shuffle and giant drop of a gallery when a project finishes. So enjoy, let me know if you mind, or don't, and see you at the next one! Thanks for listening to me ramble if you got this far, and have a great day.
