Art or Hobby? What Is Scale Modeling?

Art or hobby? I’ve heard it discussed many times. Where does our hobby fall?

The discussions I’ve seen over the years have often become quite contentious. In one case, I’ve even seen good friends end a friendship over the question. All over something so subjective.

Art Or Hobby… Or Something Else?

I think the problem we face is that the definition of art is so varied. Ask anyone what “art” is, and you’ll get a very different answer most likely.

I once heard a story – probably apocryphal – about a crowd gathering in an art gallery around a display placed over in one corner. They oohed and aahhed and speculated on the artists motivation. While they were talking, a janitor stepped through the crowd, excusing himself as he did so, and then slowly rolled the art away.

It was his mop and mop bucket.

When it comes to how we view scale modeling, I think the same problem exists. One person’s art is another’s mop bucket.

As I’ve gotten older, and perhaps a bit kinder and gentler, I’ve started to wonder about why things like this separate people. Why would two adults who have been friends for years part ways over a definition of how one views playing with plastic toys? (When you get down to it…)

I think it honestly boils down to selfishness. We become so convinced of our innate “rightness” that the focus becomes winning an argument, and not on enjoying the common hobby (or art!) we share.

In this video, I offer a different way of looking at it. One that focuses not on us – but our friends in the hobby. Because when you get down to it, we won’t remember the arguments we’ve won as we get older. We’ll remember the friends we have. Some still with us, some who have gone on.