Motivation – Amherst Show Aftermath (Part IV)

A month ago (as I write this) I attended the Amherst Railway Society’s Hobby Show as a spectator rather than a vendor. I’ve talked about the inspiration a really good train show can provide, especially the modules. But I also find that viewing the layouts does a good job of:

• Reinforcing the choices that I’ve already made
• Informing choices I might make in the future
• Ratcheting up motivation

We wrap up this series with a discussion on motivation.

It’s pretty simple: The Amherst show gets my juices flowing. There’s an energy about the show that can’t be denied. It makes me want to “get something done” and right now. So much so that I’ve said for years that I should take the next day (Monday) as a vacation day to take advantage of that burst of motivation (and inspiration). Unfortunately, I have yet to do it, and a business trip immediately following this year’s show meant I couldn’t this year, either. But I digress.

Motivation is a funny thing. It can be there one moment, gone the next. Often you need a catalyst, and seeing what your fellow modelers have done can be just that. When you’re building a layout, with just so many different things to do, that drive is key. Without it, progress can quickly grind to a halt.

As I said, it’s often the display layouts that incite me to action. Now, I have been known to complain about modular and, to be sure, some individual modules do leave a lot to be desired. However, the level of creativity and/or workmanship on many of them is really, really good.

I’m not sure what exactly triggers me. Maybe it’s a sense of rivalry—I can be a pretty competitive person at times, so it’s possible my subconscious sees it that way. Maybe these modules are a blatant reminder of how satisfying a well-executed scene can be. Perhaps it’s “these people got off their butt and made something cool, why haven’t you done that?” Whatever the reason, seeing others’ impressive work triggers something inside that says “you can do that, possibly even better.” (There’s that competitive streak again.)

Time and motivation can be mortal enemies; they don’t always play nice together. Often I have motivation but not the time, or vice versa. So the timing of the show is near perfect. And not just for me. Here in the Northeast, late January/early February can be a pretty dreary time. For many, this “indoor season” is the only time they have to work on their layouts. So having the time, coupled with the show as motivation, hopefully means people are getting some modeling done. Once I got back from that aforementioned business trip, that’s what it meant for me. (More on that later.)

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