Festive greetings to you all, wherever you may be. I will be taking a short sabbatical from the hobby until into the new year, partially to bring this blog up to date with any previous content from the old site I intend to keep, but also so I can recharge.

I will be spending some of the free time thinking about what I want to pursue hobby wise in 2021, how I can make it fit around what has been a big change to my work life this year. But most of all how to best share that journey, whatever direction it ends up taking.

It has been a challenging year for everyone and it’s fair to say the hobby I love had to take a backseat for much of 2020. It was regrettable, but ultimately unavoidable. As a result of changes to not only my working life but also my partners it was no longer viable to live stream or even paint with regularity for much of the year. Much of that decision was based on practical changes, but I won’t deny it was also a conscious choice as my heart simply wasn’t in it. Without that passion, painting for the sake of it would not have been either helpful or productive in the long term. Instead I have tried to watch and support others from the sidelines throughout the year, chip away at the backlog of kits the needed building and get myself into a good space for when the mojo returned.

The break from painting in 2020 wasn’t necessarily a bad thing as it gave me space to reflect on some of the aspects I enjoyed about the hobby and an opportunity to focus more on those. It also helped me realise what I enjoyed most in painting was the activity itself as much as the end result, being able to enjoy the freedom of expression rather than be a slave to one method. I will be doubling-down on this in 2021.

Looking ahead

The creation of the ‘Lost Exodite’ and ultimate retirement of ‘Dropship’ is more than just a name change; it’s the closure of a project I began twenty-five years ago and the start of a new hobby adventure. Whilst some of the things I share will remain the same, the Heresy and Titanicus for one, others will be new and different as are my goals. One thing that remains unchanged however is a commitment to freely share what I know or discover through these pages as I close one chapter and begin another.

Have a wonderful Christmas and above all a prosperous and safe New Year