True and before buying hardware, I used only a laptop and plugins with a midi keyboard controller. It was more productive working ITB. Hardware is more fun. I only bought hardware synths at first to play out live and leave the laptop at home. But the pandemic killed live jam events here in Northern California and few folks here want to jam together. So I’m at a gear saturation point where I’m happy with my setup and don’t need anything else. Besides, I need to fund a new larger vehicle and home repairs will take my free cash up for a long time.
For instance you could book one to one lessons either irl or remotely. There are tons of options available with internet
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Oh yeah, doing 1:1 on bass! If it wasn’t for that it’d probably be piano just to get that functional perspective and see how much i can focus it to ends.
I suppose I could always find a local to commission elements (drums, vox) from as well, but mostly I’m trying to develop collaborative relationships and i figure that’d be a better option for adding on a session flourish or singer.
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That’s cool! I almost never collab but when I did it it was very rewarding (creativity wise)
It seems quite a few of the electronic artists I like the most have a (very) small focused selection of equipment. (Jon Hopkins, Kelly Lee Owens, Four Tet, Burial etc).
I think the reason we buy gear is that we fall in love with the possibilities we see, the ideas and dreams that we get. Once we get the the gear, dreaming is over and work begins. Because as others have said, it takes time to get deep and to build skills that are idiosyncratic. If we’re just gear-hopping we just skim the surface of what a box can do.
But doing the work is what makes the art interesting, I believe.
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As early as 1896 we see people studying the psychology of marketing, advertising and consumerism.
Marketing psychology, applies neuropsychology to content, marketing, and sales as a way to influence purchasing decisions.
As far as consumer behavior, there are 4 general types: complex-buying behavior, dissonance-reducing buying behavior, habitual buying behavior, and variety-seeking buying behavior.
Look around this forum and you can find examples of all this stuff, stuff i’m definitely not well versed enough to discuss further lol.
Just know what ever reason it is we buy the next piece of gear, someone, some where is partially responsible for said purchase, with great intention.
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Here’s an alternative for y’all: The restrictive consuming behavior.
Choose life.
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It’s just easier.
dopamine.
buying new gear requires zero effort to trigger dopamine system in human brain.
it’s the highest level of efficiency – when (near) zero action causes desired effect.
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because I’m an addict and that’s just how my brain works. However, I have started trying to sell some of this gear lying around not being used. I think back on when I made the most music and was the most inspired: it was when I knew nothing about hardware, barely anything about computers, and had FL Studio 4, a microphone, and a guitar.
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If you’re staring frustratedly at 10+ machines lamenting what they can’t do, the problem may not be the machines,
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I think it’s quite simply that for many of us here we get more of an audience discussing gear than we get for any music we might make with it…. 
Sometimes it’s hard getting started on a piece of music. Thinking about the setup and what can be added to it is much easier.
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As so many have said already (you guys are quick!) - it’s easier. Grass is greener, instant gratification, etc: it’s far easier getting new shiny things than having to come up with something which is your true, naked and exposed self expression. Putting yourself out there isn’t always that easy. Even when you don’t! We can be highly self critical when we create something and that doesn’t make it any easier.
How do you deal with it? Maybe don’t buy new stuff right away? Put it off for a few months until you’ve gotten over the initial excitement.
Discipline is hard to earn but easy to keep if you cultivate it. After a while it doesn’t even feel like discipline any more. It’s also easy to blame something outside of yourself, like advertizing, forums, the internet in general and so on. You are resposible for how you feel - it’s time to take charge of yourself. 
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What most music companies benefit from is that this is an area of natural enthusiasm (like films, sport and other stuff.) They have a captive audience already and so a lot of the drive to buy is from within, not entirely because of the effectiveness of their marketing tactics.
To answer the OP properly, I think this is all relative. I love the quote about music that you are either sewing seeds or harvesting the crops. Nobody harvests 100% of the time, because you’ve not had time to grow anything otherwise. All this is to say that a big part of the creative process is about not actually creating things; it’s more about creating the conditions for you to create things.
That “sewing” phase can involve lots of things. It could be making drum loops, designing synth patches or just organising a samples folder. It can of course also be about exploring and learning about new gear or sounds. Aka shopping. That said, if the theory of growing and harvesting is correct, then at some point you’re going to want to go back to harvesting the crops at some stage, and too much of either thing doesn’t make for a happy musician.
For me, I experience this like an on/off switch. I go through phases (sometimes extended) of “building” my suite of tools. I worry about spending money when I do this as some of the numbers can be a bit high. But I tend to remind myself that within reason I have a day job and it’s not like that money sits unused (I do actually use the plugins I buy). Let’s be fair, if the spending isn’t destructive and/or pointless, then there are a lot worse things to be spending that money on. As I mentioned, once the off switch is hit, I shut the door and go off and create something. When this happens I find myself actively disinterested in buying new things, (like @Jeanne I find it exhausting to compare multiple options) and by this point I’m usually too focused on that to be thinking about the gear itself, the spending stops and it’s just about making stuff.
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btw, this is another interesting hobby – blaming gear for its imperfection.
very typical for gear communities/forums.
since blaming for imperfection requires certain dominant attitude, i guess this is sort of dopamine/serotonin cocktail.
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For many of us making music means to face our mediocrity.
You can find a way to embrace it and make it liberating, but on the other hand it can be very disheartening.
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That NGNY23 thread is a gem of a place to be!
I also think participating in Jamuaries is another huge boost towards productivity.
All my purchases this year have been ergonomics, utility and even STO fits this. For me Its been about usability and access to what I already have.
I have seen the same threads here. I don’t want to judge… this journey means something different to us all. I just hope it’s fulfilling in the right way, and if not, please check out that NGNY23 thread or look for challenges to participate in.
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To me, buying (and selling… because space, time and money are limited) music gear is a hobby in itself. I like to open new boxes, try new toys, discover their strengths and weaknesses… it’s very interesting in itself to compare technologies, features and all. At this point, whether I actually use the gear in my music or not is a secondary concern. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t and it’s fine.
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Great thread… Similar to the NGNY, which I’m a part of. Personally been quite a journey for me. Been producing for a long time, but got heavy into synths in about 2017. I’ve bought and sold a TON of synths over this time. Always searching for the next great thing that will give me that “sound”.
That “sound” has more to do with us and how we function creatively than it does the actual gear we use…
Last year I think if finally dawned on me, less is truly more. And when I thought back to my first setup as a producer, Cubase, a MIDI controller, and the Motif, I realized I was super productive with that.
So my new journey has been getting rid of everything I don’t need! This year I I’ve sold off most of my synths.
I have a Voyager and an OB6. I don’t NEED any more synths.
I’ve gone through EVERY Elektron box but I’ve settled on the DT - it works for ME.
All the gear I have I absolutely love. It inspires me to create. I think that’s the place we all aspire to be.
I think part of the journey is just finding the right mix for how you like to work and sticking with that setup. For me, it took a while to get to that place but now that I’m there I don’t feel compelled to implement anything new into my setup. In fact I’m still looking to get rid of anything that I don’t use on a regular basis.
Just my 2 cents…
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