OMAD - Obsessive Modeler's Accumulation Disorder
shieldwulf
03-29-2004, 01:17 PM
In celebration of my 100th post in AF... :evillol:
CreatureScape Online Article - Obsessive Modeler's Accumulation Disorder(OMAD) (http://www.creaturescape.com/onlinearticles/omad.htm)
An interesting article I read from the CreatureScape (http://www.creaturescape.com) website. So how many of us are self-admittedly "suffering" from OMAD? Does having the no. of unbuilt kits becomes directly proportional with the level of severity of OMAD? :screwy: Or, is it more towards what's happening inside the head which determines the level of severity of OMAD. Since the no. of unbuilt kits, or should I say, the depth of one's pockets (income level) and available space (living space) determines the no. of unbuilt kits, and so should not be linked to OMAD severity? Or perhaps this is yet another self-rationalizing excuse from an OMAD sufferer. :banghead: Anyway, enjoy reading!
CreatureScape Online Article - Obsessive Modeler's Accumulation Disorder(OMAD) (http://www.creaturescape.com/onlinearticles/omad.htm)
An interesting article I read from the CreatureScape (http://www.creaturescape.com) website. So how many of us are self-admittedly "suffering" from OMAD? Does having the no. of unbuilt kits becomes directly proportional with the level of severity of OMAD? :screwy: Or, is it more towards what's happening inside the head which determines the level of severity of OMAD. Since the no. of unbuilt kits, or should I say, the depth of one's pockets (income level) and available space (living space) determines the no. of unbuilt kits, and so should not be linked to OMAD severity? Or perhaps this is yet another self-rationalizing excuse from an OMAD sufferer. :banghead: Anyway, enjoy reading!
DJSurfer616
03-29-2004, 02:01 PM
OMAD: Obsessive Modeler's Accumulation Disorder
While some might argue garage kit builders have more obvious afflictions, none is more pervasive than OMAD--Obsessive Modelers Accumulation Disorder. In simple terms, this refers to problem of purchasing more kits than you can possibly display, let alone complete. In truth, OMAD often demarcates the line between the hobbyist and the addict, for as many of us know, there is very little middle ground.
This begins innocently enough. Many OMADites get their first taste with an Aurora collection as a kid. The one day, you wander into a hobby store, or see a diorama in a museum, or you are watching Jurassic Park and think, “Man, that T-rex is really cool. I'd love to have a model of that, just to put on my shelf.”
At this stage, your focus is on the completed kit--i. e. the model itself. As long as you stay here, you can't enter OMAD because logic dictates that you can only have so much time, energy, space, and resources, and really all you want is one or two objects to add some personality to your environment and offer a little diversion. Logically, there is no reason to own more kits than you can do, and so, there is no reason to see a threat.
Logic, of course, is a paper tiger.
Sometimes, entry into the second stage begins almost immediately, but normally a modeler can get one or two kits a month and still be considered a moderate builder. In fact, among psychologists there is some considerable debate about when the second stage actually begins. Hardliners and graduate students working on dissertations insist that the first time you fail to complete a kit and buy a new one to revive the thril, you are on your way.
This seems a bit draconian, so it is no surprise that others have defined the second stage in a series of indicators. For instance, Professor Maximillian G. Buttkitz writes:
"A modeler fearing he has slipped into OMAD may have a difficult time recognizing the second stage, which is marked by a slow pattern of what we call the '1 to 4 Syndrome.' When a modeler can complete only one kit in a certain period of time but buys four in the same period, he is on the downward spiral."
Dr. Florence Martin says there are other signs.
"Purchasing models with credit cards . . . logging inordinate amounts of time on Ebay . . . packing your lunch to compensate for money spent on 3 varieties of super glue."
Perhaps the best way to recognize the second stage is to think in terms of the modeler's thought process. It is not uncommon to hear stories like this one from P. T. Boyler during therapy sessions:
"After nearing the end of a couple of kits, I felt that there should be more somehow. Like a when you reach the bottom of a Big Gulp and realize, maybe you should have gotten the Super Big Gulp. So, anyway, I thought I could have done a better job or maybe build a whole diorama.
I was really in my own world at that point, but if I had just looked around I could have seen how ridiculous this was getting. I mean I had actually subscribed to Fine Scale Modeler, for heaven sakes. Fine Scale!!!"
If the truth be told, Mr. Boyler was already on his way into the third stage, which is marked by a "I think it is time to get serious" mentality. Modelers in the third stage begin to feel that in order to get the true satisfaction they crave, they need better tools and more practice, and most importantly better kits.
At this point, the victim typically moves from gateway modeling publications to something more enabling. One day, he is just passing time in a big bookstore when a very different modeling magazine catches his eye—a garage kit magazine. Boyler describes this discovery:
"You’re amazed. You can’t believe it. Your eyes grow wider. Holy moly, look at all that cool stuff and . . . they have conventions! A subscription, that’s what you need . . . a subscription will make everything okay again."
Psychologically, you are opening the door to not only another kit, of course--and another, and another--but to more expensive kits. Suddenly, you notice something special in an ad, perhaps on sale, and even though you have sworn and determined that you will definitely finish the other kits first, you can't pass up the bargain.
Tragically, modelers often begin cutting deals with themselves, with God, or if things are really bad, with the spouse. "I swear," you may hear yourself saying, "if I get this one kit, I won't buy another kit until they are all done." Sadly, however, he is invariably still checking EBAY compulsively, spending work hours at on line modeler's boards and buying plastic storage crates to hold unopened boxes and half completed kits.
But he won't really stop buying. Soon, he will enter the world of lies and self-deception. "Oh, no honey, I bought that a long time ago," you find yourself saying . . . saying and perhaps believing!
He also begins to tell himself that if he could just get control, everything would be fine. This leads to a sub-stage that Dr. Carlton Reynard calls the "Cosmic Organization Phase." In order to demonstrate that he has things under control, he sets out to organize. In the worst cases, the modeler will buy a label gun and actually plan to alphabetize unfinished kits and make completion schedules that he will sign as contracts with himself!
Most of the fantasies are relatively harmless, but by the time the modeler is envisioning a work room, he is probably in the fourth stage. Since he can't spend money on models any more, he starts to talk about "home improvement." Like some teenager's version of perfection, he mentally designs a space in the basement or the garage, planning for a TV and DVD player and fridge and, sadly, a cot. And shelves, shelves, shelves. But, there will never be enough shelves . . . or enough room.
In the fourth stage, the uncompleted kits are becoming a real problem. Researcher Brandon Tyde explains the psychology of the fourth stage victim:
"It is now getting out of hand because you are coming to rely on the thrill of the purchase--an easy and explosive feeling of satisfaction that comes from cracking open the red, white and blue “Priority Mail” tape. Now, there’s no denying it. You need a regular fix at this point and it is hard to wait for completion of a kit even if you start one. In fact, you may even be afraid to complete things--what if it still is not enough? You may even start calling yourself 'a collector.'"
"The victim now begins the search for the Grail--the kit that will provide true focus and justify all the other purchases. He feels he has been living in a dream, only preparing to become a modeler. Now, there is no turning back, and like a warrior girding himself for a coming battle, he buys a $300 resin masterwork and a new airbrush (quite possibly his third airbrush). From this point forward, he will never think it absurd to buy models more expensive than his car payment."
At this point, the modeler is in deep, rationalizing every move. The OMAD sufferer will find himself explaining odd behaviors to loved ones like some resin obsessed Dr. Frankenstein. When his wife asks where you want to go for a vacation, you say, “Louisville, Kentucky,” silently rehearsing how to insert Wonderfest into the conversation. Your cramping fingers carry a dozen colors, you mistake the smell of orange juice for spilled glue, and you spend large amounts of money to subscribe to the newspaper merely to get the 40% off coupons from Micheals so that your next can of Dulcote will only cost $2.15.
A house of cards.
Mark X, who wishes to remain anonymous, confessed the following to me in the course of my research
"Dude, I had 2934 kits--and more were coming in every few days. I was insane. I mean, for one thing I knew exactly how many I had, and I had to move twice to get a bigger storage area. I had not bought clothes in three years! My wife left me when she calculated even if I stopped buying and completed one kit a week, it would take 56 years to finish them all!"
Her last words to me were, "'Where the Hell are you going to display them, cowboy? On the $^#@!^& roof?' Unfortunately, I didn't realize she was joking for a week. (I thought it might work.)"
For the most part, there is little treatment and OMADites and their loved ones need to realize that they can still live normal, productive lives.
There is greater hope, however. Even in the darkest moments, a modeler is sometimes on the verge of a psychological break though. Suddenly, you may find yourself working on a project that you left for dead. Without conscious thought of completion or goals of any concrete nature, you “model without modeling” and then suddenly, you find you are done with a kit that you abandoned long ago. When it hits you that you are really finished, that there is nothing left to do, laughter or tears or both may come upon you now.
If an OMAD sufferer can reach this stage, the tide can be turned. For one thing, the emphasis on completion of your kits gives way to the process itself. It is therefore not as important to own everything--or at least, if you own it, you are not tortured by the unfinished projects. In fact, you become more productive, your work improves, and it becomes a healthy routine like regular exercise and it makes you a much happier person.
Sorry, Im too LAZY to read that much :)
While some might argue garage kit builders have more obvious afflictions, none is more pervasive than OMAD--Obsessive Modelers Accumulation Disorder. In simple terms, this refers to problem of purchasing more kits than you can possibly display, let alone complete. In truth, OMAD often demarcates the line between the hobbyist and the addict, for as many of us know, there is very little middle ground.
This begins innocently enough. Many OMADites get their first taste with an Aurora collection as a kid. The one day, you wander into a hobby store, or see a diorama in a museum, or you are watching Jurassic Park and think, “Man, that T-rex is really cool. I'd love to have a model of that, just to put on my shelf.”
At this stage, your focus is on the completed kit--i. e. the model itself. As long as you stay here, you can't enter OMAD because logic dictates that you can only have so much time, energy, space, and resources, and really all you want is one or two objects to add some personality to your environment and offer a little diversion. Logically, there is no reason to own more kits than you can do, and so, there is no reason to see a threat.
Logic, of course, is a paper tiger.
Sometimes, entry into the second stage begins almost immediately, but normally a modeler can get one or two kits a month and still be considered a moderate builder. In fact, among psychologists there is some considerable debate about when the second stage actually begins. Hardliners and graduate students working on dissertations insist that the first time you fail to complete a kit and buy a new one to revive the thril, you are on your way.
This seems a bit draconian, so it is no surprise that others have defined the second stage in a series of indicators. For instance, Professor Maximillian G. Buttkitz writes:
"A modeler fearing he has slipped into OMAD may have a difficult time recognizing the second stage, which is marked by a slow pattern of what we call the '1 to 4 Syndrome.' When a modeler can complete only one kit in a certain period of time but buys four in the same period, he is on the downward spiral."
Dr. Florence Martin says there are other signs.
"Purchasing models with credit cards . . . logging inordinate amounts of time on Ebay . . . packing your lunch to compensate for money spent on 3 varieties of super glue."
Perhaps the best way to recognize the second stage is to think in terms of the modeler's thought process. It is not uncommon to hear stories like this one from P. T. Boyler during therapy sessions:
"After nearing the end of a couple of kits, I felt that there should be more somehow. Like a when you reach the bottom of a Big Gulp and realize, maybe you should have gotten the Super Big Gulp. So, anyway, I thought I could have done a better job or maybe build a whole diorama.
I was really in my own world at that point, but if I had just looked around I could have seen how ridiculous this was getting. I mean I had actually subscribed to Fine Scale Modeler, for heaven sakes. Fine Scale!!!"
If the truth be told, Mr. Boyler was already on his way into the third stage, which is marked by a "I think it is time to get serious" mentality. Modelers in the third stage begin to feel that in order to get the true satisfaction they crave, they need better tools and more practice, and most importantly better kits.
At this point, the victim typically moves from gateway modeling publications to something more enabling. One day, he is just passing time in a big bookstore when a very different modeling magazine catches his eye—a garage kit magazine. Boyler describes this discovery:
"You’re amazed. You can’t believe it. Your eyes grow wider. Holy moly, look at all that cool stuff and . . . they have conventions! A subscription, that’s what you need . . . a subscription will make everything okay again."
Psychologically, you are opening the door to not only another kit, of course--and another, and another--but to more expensive kits. Suddenly, you notice something special in an ad, perhaps on sale, and even though you have sworn and determined that you will definitely finish the other kits first, you can't pass up the bargain.
Tragically, modelers often begin cutting deals with themselves, with God, or if things are really bad, with the spouse. "I swear," you may hear yourself saying, "if I get this one kit, I won't buy another kit until they are all done." Sadly, however, he is invariably still checking EBAY compulsively, spending work hours at on line modeler's boards and buying plastic storage crates to hold unopened boxes and half completed kits.
But he won't really stop buying. Soon, he will enter the world of lies and self-deception. "Oh, no honey, I bought that a long time ago," you find yourself saying . . . saying and perhaps believing!
He also begins to tell himself that if he could just get control, everything would be fine. This leads to a sub-stage that Dr. Carlton Reynard calls the "Cosmic Organization Phase." In order to demonstrate that he has things under control, he sets out to organize. In the worst cases, the modeler will buy a label gun and actually plan to alphabetize unfinished kits and make completion schedules that he will sign as contracts with himself!
Most of the fantasies are relatively harmless, but by the time the modeler is envisioning a work room, he is probably in the fourth stage. Since he can't spend money on models any more, he starts to talk about "home improvement." Like some teenager's version of perfection, he mentally designs a space in the basement or the garage, planning for a TV and DVD player and fridge and, sadly, a cot. And shelves, shelves, shelves. But, there will never be enough shelves . . . or enough room.
In the fourth stage, the uncompleted kits are becoming a real problem. Researcher Brandon Tyde explains the psychology of the fourth stage victim:
"It is now getting out of hand because you are coming to rely on the thrill of the purchase--an easy and explosive feeling of satisfaction that comes from cracking open the red, white and blue “Priority Mail” tape. Now, there’s no denying it. You need a regular fix at this point and it is hard to wait for completion of a kit even if you start one. In fact, you may even be afraid to complete things--what if it still is not enough? You may even start calling yourself 'a collector.'"
"The victim now begins the search for the Grail--the kit that will provide true focus and justify all the other purchases. He feels he has been living in a dream, only preparing to become a modeler. Now, there is no turning back, and like a warrior girding himself for a coming battle, he buys a $300 resin masterwork and a new airbrush (quite possibly his third airbrush). From this point forward, he will never think it absurd to buy models more expensive than his car payment."
At this point, the modeler is in deep, rationalizing every move. The OMAD sufferer will find himself explaining odd behaviors to loved ones like some resin obsessed Dr. Frankenstein. When his wife asks where you want to go for a vacation, you say, “Louisville, Kentucky,” silently rehearsing how to insert Wonderfest into the conversation. Your cramping fingers carry a dozen colors, you mistake the smell of orange juice for spilled glue, and you spend large amounts of money to subscribe to the newspaper merely to get the 40% off coupons from Micheals so that your next can of Dulcote will only cost $2.15.
A house of cards.
Mark X, who wishes to remain anonymous, confessed the following to me in the course of my research
"Dude, I had 2934 kits--and more were coming in every few days. I was insane. I mean, for one thing I knew exactly how many I had, and I had to move twice to get a bigger storage area. I had not bought clothes in three years! My wife left me when she calculated even if I stopped buying and completed one kit a week, it would take 56 years to finish them all!"
Her last words to me were, "'Where the Hell are you going to display them, cowboy? On the $^#@!^& roof?' Unfortunately, I didn't realize she was joking for a week. (I thought it might work.)"
For the most part, there is little treatment and OMADites and their loved ones need to realize that they can still live normal, productive lives.
There is greater hope, however. Even in the darkest moments, a modeler is sometimes on the verge of a psychological break though. Suddenly, you may find yourself working on a project that you left for dead. Without conscious thought of completion or goals of any concrete nature, you “model without modeling” and then suddenly, you find you are done with a kit that you abandoned long ago. When it hits you that you are really finished, that there is nothing left to do, laughter or tears or both may come upon you now.
If an OMAD sufferer can reach this stage, the tide can be turned. For one thing, the emphasis on completion of your kits gives way to the process itself. It is therefore not as important to own everything--or at least, if you own it, you are not tortured by the unfinished projects. In fact, you become more productive, your work improves, and it becomes a healthy routine like regular exercise and it makes you a much happier person.
Sorry, Im too LAZY to read that much :)
customminatures
03-29-2004, 02:27 PM
Lol----its Me!!!---- :screwy: :banghead: :screwy:
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