Howdy!
The largest plastic model competition in Poland, to say the least, as far as the tradition of such events is concerned, took place in mid-March this year, exactly a week ago. Of course, as it is at events of this type, an inseparable element of such events was the marketplace, where local companies come together to present their goods. This year, for example, the Czech Eduard, known for its magnificent aircraft models, showed up.
Honestly, I have never competed at such events in tournaments. It’s not my fable. I think it’s a rather hermetic environment in which I wouldn’t want to mess with my participation, even less so now that I have a business.
However, I do enjoy, from time to time, going to these events. And having the opportunity to look at such events somewhat from the sidelines, having never competed as a participant, I think I can say something quite objectively :D.
So, I observe how the same people, or groups of people, show up at almost every event annually. It reminds me of events such as weddings or other types of circumstances… I wouldn’t want to use the word funeral here because it slightly doesn’t fit :D. Well, but you know what I mean. Certain groups of people are connected to each other more, but they are not necessarily from the same place. They have an ongoing, close relationship, so they sort of stick together, sit together at tables in the bar in the evenings and in the morning, in the same groups plunder the exhibition. However, the different groups of these visitors have known each other very well for many years, forming a kind of family right back to the “wedding.”
And as it happens in a family. Somewhere, someone once quarreled with someone else, and an old friendship collapsed. A cousin with whom you once played in the sandbox today throws only a fake smile, passing you in the hall, throwing only a cold “hello.” There are also those with whom you would like to have more frequent contact, but simply, humanly speaking, you can’t find the time to do so. However, being here simultaneously allows you to high-five, hug, and exchange a few words. Until the next such circumstance. As it is at a wedding.
There are also conflicted uncles; most often, it went about jealousy. Because someone once won a medal, and you think he shouldn’t because you were better. Because he once heard you speak ill of him. Because you once said something somewhere in a Facebook comment. Or after a few glasses of holy water, unthinking words were said. You pass each other in silence, looking away, pretending that a model on display or a product at the stock market caught your attention. It was like you were filling a plate with appetizers at a wedding. That’s just the way it is, simply said. Life itself.
As for me, well. This was probably my fourth event where I had a purchased space at the market to exhibit. This year, however, I didn’t come with the goods. I decided it was too much work for now. It takes a week to pack up all the goods, stay from Friday to Sunday, unpack, inventory, and return to everyday life. While the event only lasts a weekend, you, as an exhibitor, are a week busy. I couldn’t afford to do that now because I’d like to speed up the pace with work on YouTube and Patreon. So, I opted for a simple promotion. I put up a monitor on which the latest YouTube video played in a loop – still pre-premiere. I sat up until 10 pm the day before to prepare it in time, processing it while it was still in the program. It took until midnight to export it from the software, but I already had something to show at the exhibition. I spread flyers and a solid dose of free wash samples on the table. Thanks to this, I could talk freely with friends and strangers who wanted to meet and greet.
Two people in particular will remain in my memory. One, who announced to me that she came especially for me all the way from Szczecin. That’s a long way, almost the entire length of Poland! This flattered me a lot. The second person, although I could say many people, were the kids. Enchanted by the already magnificent models and dioramas from the exhibition itself, they then lined up in front of the monitor on my table, watching on film how such a model is made. They stood like that with their mouths hanging open, often watching the movie from beginning to end, able to stand like that for 20 minutes, which didn’t happen with adults for obvious reasons. I captured one boy in a photo so his face wasn’t visible, as his parents might not have wished it. For me, it was something that touched me and gave me such an influx of motivation as never before….
Each of us, no matter what we do professionally and how much we are involved in it, has such moments of doubt, a drop in strength, and a feeling of being broken. Everyone stops sometimes, wondering if his path is right, if this still makes sense. What impact does it have on his life? Of course, I have to. Especially since my industry is not one of the particularly profitable ones. It is based more on the fact that you combine work with hobbies, and this is the main driving force for you. However, it makes you think about whether what you’re doing is right because you’re not just doing it yourself. Children are waiting at home to be taken care of, and a wife holds bills that must be paid. Dreams that they would all like to realize. So there have been times, more than once, that I’ve wondered if it’s worth it to continue doing business in such a niche and unpopular industry.
Well, the sight of 5-year-old children staring as if at a picture of a video on my own personal channel added warmth to my heart and motivation to my mind. I took another unusual direction inside the industry, where, as a product brand owner, I decided to go against the grain again and create video and journalistic content. For me, however, this job is a blessing, and I would like to work all my life already, so it is a job for pleasure. Creating content is as much fun for me as making models. Being able to combine these two gives me the motivation to work hard to develop and produce chemistry.
Your presence here is a result of the above and another motivation. Being honest is also an idea to provide what I mentioned in the thread about my family. Thank you.
Also, in the photos, you can see the works that I decided to award personally with a gift. I chose two works by juniors and two by seniors. It was not a great judging process; it was just what caught my eye.
