Hi, I'm the Kenilworth Knight, and welcome to my blog! I'm fairly useless at introductions, but to keep things brief: I'm a medieval history graduate living in the beautiful Warwickshire castle town of Kenilworth, and I enjoy collecting and painting medieval 28mm miniatures and terrain. I made this blog to showcase some of my better efforts. I hope you enjoy my posts.
A little more about me and the 'why' of this blog:
I grew up with a love of history nurtured by the fantastic Horrible Histories book series, and was spurred on to study the subject at university by the discovery of Richard III's body in a car park as I was undertaking my A-levels. Between 2014 and 2017 I studied medieval history at Aberystwyth University in Wales, where I made friends with a number of wargaming hobbyists and joined the Historia Normannis 12th century medieval re-enactment society. Since 2018 I have been working on my Masters degree and hope to complete in late 2021.
For the past few years I have suffered with OCD and anxiety. As well as medication and therapy I have found that one of the best remedies for my mind is to work with my hands, so I bought myself some paints and miniatures. Initially this began as something to do infrequently during my more difficult days, but with the advent of COVID-19, lockdowns, furlough, and much more day-to-day anxiety and stress it has evolved into a full-blown hobby. I find the whole act itself soothing - the preparation of my workspace, selecting my paints and brushes, applying block colours and then layers and gradually some detail work. Letting one project dry and moving onto another in the meantime. Researching and browsing online for inspiration inbetween sessions. The stillness and focus required to give life to little lumps of white metal and plastic is a brilliant form of mindfulness - and it provides the head space I need to process my thoughts and emotions, to work through my anxieties. Of course, the satisfaction of a completed project also triggers all kinds of good brain chemicals and gives me a sense of having accomplished something during my day.
I've started this blog so that I have a digital record of my work, to share my thoughts and opinions on the various products I've used and collected, and to hopefully provide anyone who reads this with a little bit of interesting information and inspiration - especially those with similar difficulties to my own who are looking to gain a bit of peace and quiet within their own head.
- The Kenilworth Knight.
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