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Is buying art supplies a hobby?

 Some people say - only half jokingly, I'm sure - buying art supplies and using them are two different hobbies. They end up collecting supplies they rarely use. A lot of them were bought impulsively. Someone else used them to great effect in a YouTube video or they showed up new and shiny in the art shop of choice. And you react like a kid in a candy store. 

Well, money is limited and it's a pity if art supplies are not used. So we should only buy what serves the real hobby - being creative. First of all, don't put those seductive items directly into the cart. Before you look twice that email confirming your order arrives. Put them on your wishlist and let them settle there for a while. Come back when that first urge is gone. Then let reason take over. Do you really need this? Can you afford it? Why do you even want it? Does it provide added value? Will it improve your creative work? Does it fit your process? Will you actually use it? 

If not only your heart, but also your brain says yes to it, you can buy it with a good conscience. And maybe add a small pan of that pretty colour you could mix yourself, but will put a smile on your face when you open your pallette. 

P.S.: All this may not sound very exciting, but nothing is more boring than something that collects dust on the shelf. 

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