I have a stack of unread comics at least four inches tall. I have 12 trade paperbacks and graphic novels I’m yet to read. I have several football cards on my bookcase waiting to be encased in plastic and placed next to their brothers in my closet. I have three unanswered emails from artists interested in doing a commission for me. On top of that, I’ve spent less than 10 minutes on eBay in the last week, haven’t stepped inside a bookstore in two weeks, and my visits to comic news sites have dwindled to one a day in which I read nothing more than headlines.
Ladies and gentlemen, consider this collector burned out.
It’s a new feeling for me. With so many different things to collect, it’s hard to imagine a time when I’d be equally uninterested in all of them. Yet here I am. Right now I’m completely indifferent about my collections. I’m not motivated to buy, sell, or enjoy. As far as I’m concerned, as of right now I’m no longer a collector.
Don’t get me wrong, I know I’ll be back in the game in no time. And if the past is any indication, when I’m back into it, I’ll be back into it hard. But for now, it’s hard to imagine that time. And just like I have no idea what triggered this mood, I have no way of telling what will trigger the change that I know is coming.
So for now, I’m just going to sit back and…and I don’t know what else. What do most normal people do when they’re not buying something for their collection, selling something from their collection, or thinking about buying or selling? I guess I’m about to find out.
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5 comments:
Hey! Welcome to the club. All membership dues are in when you get back interested in comics again. LOL.
I know I'll be back in time for that Cho Red Sonja. haha.
Burn outs come and go. But the addiction...that can come back at any moment!
Seriously, use this burn out period as a chance to take stock of what you really enjoy and what you collect from habit. It's good for the soul.
EXACTLY! If there's one thing I've learned over the years, pick up and read what you enjoy. Don't get something just to get it. I did that for years. I finally stopped reading X-Men because I realized I was picking it up for a few years just because I had always read it.
Funny thing. I have no desire to go to the comic shop today, but guess where I'll be after work. Yep, the comic shop. I don't need the drug. Don't even want the drug. But I know that I will next week or next month, and if I don't go today, I'll kick myself later. So it's almost as if I'm trying to please my future self.
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