Hobby Horizon Newsletter 001
Hobby Horizon Issue #1 – Your guide to mastering miniature painting and project management!
Hello and welcome fellow hobbyists and future project management masters!
I’m Dan! I’ve spent over a decade in the Armed Forces working in aviation, where I learned a tonne about teamwork, planning, and staying cool under pressure. In my downtime, I love painting miniature models and furthering myself as a hobbyist—it’s a great way to unwind and get creative. I also enjoy the occasional video game when I can squeeze it in.
My interest in becoming a project manager kicked off after I sustained an injury during my time in the forces. It has been a rollercoaster with varying ups and downs, but it has afforded me the chance to think about the future and how I could use the skills I’ve built in a whole new way. This newsletter, is my way of sharing my journey, my love for creativity, and a few insights I’ve picked up along the way.
Each issue of Hobby Horizon will offer practical tips, strategies, and inspiration for those of us who want to excel in managing projects effectively and mastering the art of miniature painting. But don’t worry, everything in this newsletter will apply to your own hobby too! I will just be using my hobby as a conduit for change.
Whether you’re organising your workday, tackling your next big project, or choosing the perfect colour palette for your latest miniature, you’ll find resources and advice here to help you succeed in all realms.
In this first edition, we will explore how blending creativity with structure can transform your hobby experience. Learn how project management principles and Notion can help you set achievable goals and create a personalised project tracker. Let’s dive in and make your hobbies, career and life more organised and rewarding!
Blending creativity with structure: Finding the perfect balance (3 min read)
In any creative pursuit, whether painting miniatures or tackling a project at work, the balance between creativity and structure can make all the difference. It’s about allowing your imagination to flow freely while ensuring there’s a framework to bring those ideas to life.
What does It mean to blend creativity with structure?
Creativity is the spark of innovation—the imaginative force that drives unique ideas and solutions. Structure, on the other hand, is the process that organises ideas, sets goals, and ensures they’re completed efficiently. When these two elements are combined, the result is a harmonious workflow that fosters productivity without stifling creativity.
For example, in miniature painting, creativity fuels your design choices—experimenting with colours, techniques, or themes. Structure comes in when you plan your steps, manage your time, and track your progress to ensure you complete each mini to your satisfaction.
How structure enhances creativity
Some might think structure limits creative freedom, but the opposite is true. Structure supports creativity by:
Turning ideas into reality: A clear plan ensures your brilliant ideas don’t stay in your head. Breaking projects into smaller steps makes them manageable and achievable to reduce decision paralysis.
Reducing overwhelm: Do you have unfinished projects strewn across your hobby space? Creating structure minimises chaos, giving you the mental clarity to focus on creating. Try tracking your projects to see what needs doing.
Encouraging innovation through discipline: Deadlines, checklists, or tools like Notion can push you to finish projects without overthinking or procrastinating.
Applying this balance in your hobby and work
Try combining creative and structured approaches in your projects:
Use a simple Kanban board like the one below (from my Free Simple Miniature Painting Progress Tracker in Notion) or try Trello—a free website to track your projects’ progress. Doing this will allow you to focus more on your creative output rather than worrying about what you need to tackle next.
Set SMART goals for your hobby or career that balance imaginative vision with practical milestones. For example, within the next four weeks, I want to improve my blending technique for two special miniatures I am painting. Let’s break this down.
Specific: Practice blending techniques on five miniatures (practice makes perfect).
Measurable: We have set a parameter above in the Specific element with five minis to practice on.
Achievable: Spend 1 hour daily watching tutorials and practising.
Relevant: My goal is aligned with the output I want to achieve. By practicing on five miniatures we can ensure that our technique has improved for our two special minis.
Time-bound: Achieve noticeable improvement within 4 weeks.
Reflect on what worked and adjust for next time, allowing structure to support continuous growth. We can implement this post our 4-week stint working on our blending technique. Remember to take photos before, during and after the process to contrast and compare how far you have come.
Blending creativity with structure isn’t about compromising one for the other—it’s about using both to fuel your success. When you strike the right balance, you’ll find your projects more rewarding, your work more efficient, and your creative potential truly unleashed.
Let’s talk Notion (3 min read)
Boost your miniature painting productivity with Notion
What the hell is Notion I hear you ask. Well… Notion is a free and powerful all-in-one productivity tool designed to help you organise your personal and professional life. It combines the features of a note-taking app, task manager, and collaboration platform, making it incredibly versatile. With Notion, you can create custom workspaces to suit your needs, whether that’s tracking projects, managing to-do lists, organising ideas, or collaborating with a team. Sounds good right?
Miniature painting is an art form that requires creativity, patience, and organisation. Balancing project planning, skill development, and consistent progress can be a challenge. Enter Notion, a powerful tool that can help you manage your painting workflow and maximise productivity.
Creating a basic painting tracker
A painting tracker in Notion acts as your command centre, keeping tabs on your current projects. As mentioned earlier, we can use a Kanban board to visualise not started, in progress & done/ finished projects. Here is a simple way to create one in Notion.
Set up a table view: Include columns like Project Name, Scale, Stage (assembly, priming, base coating, detailing etc.) or Status (to keep things simple), and Start Date or similar terms for your hobby.
Example table view of projects
Use tags: Try adding different tags for specific techniques like dry brushing or non-metallic metal to track skill growth. Utilising the status parameter we set earlier, we can create a Board view to implement a Kanban view for quick reference.
Example Kanban board Each project or entry into the database can be opened up by clicking on them as they are actually pages. Use these pages to add even more details if you like. Try adding a checklist for each project, progress photos, notes and even lessons learned.
By customising Notion to fit your hobby, you can stay organised, focused, and creative while enjoying every step of the process. Whether you're managing a sprawling army or refining a single centrepiece, Notion is your ultimate productivity ally. Need a To-do list? Notion. Need a recipe book? Notion. Want to get your life organised? Notion!
Not quite sure what you’re doing in Notion? That’s ok! I have added a nifty tutorial to get you started in my template. You can find it here for free!
Community Spotlight
In today’s community spotlight, we have a photo of Commander Dante. This model was a labour of love from myself. I spent ~25 hours1 on this model to submit to a local painting competition. And I WON! It was an amazing feeling and the time investment was worth it. While it was my first attempt at a full NMM miniature and by no means perfect, it signifies the start of bettering myself and painting with more intention. And so, my journey to paint in a more competitive style began. My favourite part of the model isn’t Dante himself but the daring Orc who seems to have got himself into a bit of a mess. Using a lighter to heat a nail, I carefully used the nail to melt away at the Orc’s head to create the effect you see below. If you want to give this a try, make sure to do so in a well-ventilated room!
Find them here: @fiss_paints
We’d love to see what you’re working on! Share your latest painted minis or your most creative time-management hacks by leaving a comment below or tag us on social media with #ProjectPaintBalance.
Resource Roundup
• App recommendation: Notion – Perfect for tracking your hobby progress.
• Tool highlight: Redgrass RGG360 Painting Handle – A game changer for holding your minis.
• Learning tools: @elminiaturista on Instagram for amazing painting guides.
Closing thoughts
Balancing work, life, and hobbies isn’t easy. But it’s possible with a little planning and creativity. Remember, every brushstroke counts, and every project—big or small—matters.
Please leave a comment or share this newsletter with your fellow hobbyists if you found this helpful.
Until next time,
Dan Fissenden
Founder of Hobby Horizon Newsletter
This is a generic ballpark figure. I didn’t time myself, But next time I will!