My friend eyed me inquisically, and I found myself unburdening years of negative experiences trying to connect with hobbyist groups in search of "support and encouragement." It was apparent that I had found precisely the opposite. Not that all these groups were terrible and didn't have support to give. Just that they were too intensely focused on their own agenda to welcome someone who didn't share their cult-like devotion or think outside their formula of success. Sometimes it was just collective limiting beliefs that I chafed at, and when I proved them wrong, I found myself facing suspicion or outright jealousy. Instead of group support, I'd encountered varying levels of sabotage.
