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Dizwikz
Jun '20

I've been finding it difficult to create under these circumstances and I'm just wondering if it's being felt by anyone else. I post a relatively upbeat story, but it kind of feels weird writing for this really whacky world while the world is being affected by this virus, which is very much being felt in America with the poor leadership for it. On top of that, we are now seeing most civil unrest in this country since the 60s along with many countries all over the world protesting. It's something that as a minority feels very uplifting to see people come together and make a stand against a system that has negatively impacted me and much of my friends and family. It's something that gives me hope but also feels kind of draining. I've been trying to take in as much information as possible so I can have discussions with people and raise awareness, and through that, I'm learning a lot too. I've been so honed into that, that other projects on the backburner just don't feel right to put energy into. Just wondering what people are feeling.

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    Jun '20

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    Jul '20
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k5rakitan
Jun '20

Yes. I started writing my story well before the pandemic, and I'm having difficulty drafting new content. Thankfully, I have a huge stash of content I have already drafted that is just sitting in my paper notebooks waiting to be typed and edited.

I find that what little new stuff I have written is super sentimental and involves

Summary

dinner with my family and shopping with my best friend

sigh the spoiler function on this site is broken. I don't think that's too much of a spoiler, but there you have it. It's a real change of pace from the action scenes I finished before all this went down.

Iris-Grimoire
Jun '20

Constant struggle. Having only the comic to do and other art projects, and zero hopes to get a job while everything is closed down (can't even take retail because I'm risk group living with people in another risk group), REALLY makes it hard to stay motivated as it's "all" that I do. Doesn't help I have a rough estimate of 8 pages until the chapter end and I'm not sure we'll even be out of the woods until then...

sushy00
Jun '20

Yes I find it difficult. I keep reminding myself that people will want to read/view comics and art that is not about all the bad issues, but sometimes I just feel like what I do is completely useless.
I am also scared of the future regarding my personal situation. I don't have a stable job so it is pretty scary at times.

Kura
Jun '20

Yes, both the pandemic and the civil unrest is not only affecting me but the people I care about.

People I know and love are in danger, and people and knew and loved are dead.

And this follows me already struggling to work while people in my family and have been dying around me for the last 5 years, my family just never gets a break, every time we think it'll be okay we have to say goodbye to someone else, this pain hurting even more when that relative was younger than me. Then add my shit health due to chronic illnesses and there is no rest. I have no idea how I managed to keep going but this year is the breaking point for me, I can't not break down.

Sometimes I'm able to work and it's gives me some escape from everything that's happening, most of the time, I can't take a break from the real world. There's too much I care about on the verge of being lost.

I try to work, really I do. I think it's important that I give my readers something to look forward to during all of this. But it's just so very VERY hard.

gempompadour
Jun '20

Yes, the pandemic is making me anxious and restless. Anxiety is such an energy drain on me physically and mentally that sometimes I can't do anything creative because I can't sit down and relax. And it's not this pandemic alone that's unnerving me. Everything from overconsumption, pollution, the 6th mass extinction, climate change, and ever worsening working and living conditions are on my mind now more than ever. This pandemic has shown the gulf between the rich and poor. Essential workers - usually the poorest - risk their lives while the better well off can weather the storm in safety. Only the rich and powerful matter, the rest of us are just expendaple and interchangeable cogs in a rotten, dying machine.

This pandemic is just the first taste of what is to come in the next decades/ century and I hate it. I'm young so I'll get to witness the sudden or slow collapse of the ecosystem and advanced human civilization. The selfish part in me is angry because what is happening now wasn't supposed to happen in my lifetime. Wars for fresh water and arable land, hell just for livable land when the earth develops wet-bulb areas, will be fought while I'm still alive. Feels bad.

pilot-obvious
Jun '20

It has been incredibly difficult for me. I've been emotionally drained every time I go on any kind of social media. I worry for our future daily. Seeing so many people stand up for what they believe in has been inspiring but I worry about our safety. I'm happy to hear that you've been getting involved with discussions and raising awareness. I'm glad I've been experiencing that too. I hope I can help make a difference.

But because of all this going on, my webcomic and art has really taken a back burner. I'm way behind on updating, but I do remind myself that I do this for fun! So if I'm not having fun, I shouldn't force myself to work on it, right? Somedays I just need to sit down and do nothing or catch up on sleep!

Freemints30
Jun '20

Well I'm stuck in a foreign country due to my own country's borders being still close down, in covid hot spot. Just a few days ago I was about to be homeless because I lack finance of staying anywhere. Now my loan I used to have live on is quickly being drained and I can't get a job because I'm an international student on a student visa. So Im in an extremely fuck position and so are my family.

I draw mostly to distract myself from this 2020 nightmare but having difficulties writing anything because of it. Yeah I kinda hope everything after January was a collective nightmare and everyone just wake up from it. Yikes

AxeWinston
Jun '20

Hello there, well I started writing almost a decade ago. Way before the pandemic started. When tides get rough the best thing to do is remain positive regardless. When things get tough I normally shut myself away from the world in order to get material made. I find myself able to keep busy whether its listening to music or anything upbeat. When I started writing I normally write for myself. I learn there is always room for improvement since no story is ever perfect. Perfection doesn't exist. For me I tend to avoid anything related to politics or propaganda. I like story's that take me to another place or time to just forget about the world even if its just for a minute.

For drawing I like to sketch monsters during my free time. It helps clear my mind when coming up with new material. The fun part is figuring how the design could interact with the characters for my story.

Shanny8
Jun '20

I've been creating small standalone projects/pieces, but I hadnt returned to working on my comic yet. I've taken on a task at my RL job and it has been a challenge trying to learn it(I only took it on for the potential of being paid more $$$), so it's time consuming...I've also been trying to pay off this final piece of debt, but other financial obstacles keep getting in the way(like getting another car coz my old one finally kicked the bucket & now getting the A/C in the new-ish car fixed)- also not to mention I'm "supposed" to be moving by the end of the summer, but COVID has made a 2nd surge and now that is starting to look difficult to happen.

I dont have an issue creating, but I cant get any consistency with the extremities of current events; I hit zones where I'm just mentally or physically exhausted and I just wanna get back to times where I can get a lot of things done and feel productive.

DokiDokiTsuna
Jun '20

I was before, but honestly since all the "civil unrest" started I've felt much better. ^^

I agree with those who say the BLM resurgence and related protests shouldn't be thought of as "another 2020 tragedy". It's not a tragedy; it's the first real sign of hope and possible change that I've seen in a long time. A lot of things have been accomplished, a lot of mindsets have changed, a lot of new conversations are being had. This is history being made, and I think that's amazing.

However, when you do start to get tired of trying to stay on top of everything, I think it's important to remember that you are not required to keep going at full speed. You're not required to spread every message, like every post, read every book...and you are not required to let anyone know how much you are or aren't doing.

Set your own goals and limits for what you want to do, and stick to those. Manage your mental energy. And don't forget to take breaks and relax every once in a while, even if people tell you that's "wrong". It's not wrong, it's human.
Even the people experiencing the worst of these tragedies can't live in that mental space 24/7. Either they eventually go numb, or the pain eats them alive and destroys them. You have to have something to live for besides fighting, whether it's art or music or anything else.

VibrantFoxRegular
Jun '20

Short answer: yes.

Long answer absolutely. Last summer had been a breaking point struggling financially and barely making ends meet and it had literally been the same for summers past (I pretty much hate the season). Then I'd managed to get work and felt like I had some hope. Finally a stable income, no having to stress about where to get money next or trying to see who'd be willing to help if at all. Then the virus hit. So one last check comes and goes to cover bills and other expenses and now it's this looming anxiety that it'll all go back to before. With the BLM protests sure it's hopeful to see action being taken but frustrating as heck that it took more black lives being lost to incite change in the first place. Then seeing folks around the globe and their struggles and it all feels overwhelming.

I've tried to be consistent in drawing something, currently I'm focusing on advertising commissions now that all my samples are done and sheets are out, but I've yet to have the willingness or motivation or energy to even try and touch any of my comics especially since I don't want any of my negative emotions seeping into the work (it shows).

What's painfully ironic is my birthday's in a few days and I'm not even enthusiastic about it, just kinda meh.

Some days are a bit easier than others and sure I've gotten some design work done but were not even seeing profit from that yet so everything is just tiring.

Dizwikz
Jun '20
DokiDokiTsuna

Reading this made me tear up ngl. It honestly makes me really happy that people have started caring about these issues and are taking a stand. Like when the government announced they were sending trillions of dollars to the banks while people were losing their jobs and wouldn't be able to pay rent, it broke me up inside. Just how a fraction of that could've stopped people from dying in flint, or end homelessness, or go towards healthcare, but they'd rather let people die than let a CEO miss a payday. It felt like nobody cared or just accepted the abuses they face from this system, but now that's changed and that's amazing.
It's not even that I'm worried that someone will think I'm not doing much or anything like that. I put it on myself to try and do at least a little in adding perspective for things to people. I wanna do my best to lift things up, not condemn people, just cuz they haven't been exposed to the amount of history or injustice that I've seen, felt or read about.
The world is heavy.
So thanks for this. It was really sobering to hear this.

Shanny8
Jul '20

THIS. It's gonna take years to get from under this mess of the last 4 years...

Dizwikz
Jul '20

it's been more than the last four years. All these problems have been present and neoliberalism has only made them worse. It's been present with everyone from Reagan to Obama. Like Biden is someone who worked with segregationists against bussing integration and said how he didn't want his kids growing up in a racial jungle. He voted against gay marriage, supported legislation against abortion, help pass bills that got rid of bankruptcy protections for student loan debt, supported nafta which lost many americans their jobs, supported and fought for mass incarceration, drafted up the police bill of rights right after rodney king was brutalized by police, and passed legislation that has essentially left us in the current mess we are in with police brutality and militarized police.
These problems have been around for decades, and our capitalistic obsession of wealth helped pave the way for someone like trump to take the helm of our broken system. If our Government was able to actually function properly the democrats would actually make some push back against things like the space force or every military budget increase, but has instead signed off everything, while failing to make any legislation to actually help people, because it wouldn't please their corporate donors. The whole system is a mess right now.

Snickerdoodles
Jul '20
gempompadour

That's one way of putting it. But another one is that ours is the generation that gets to make a stand. Our is the generation that gets a chance to fix things.

Inspector_Spinda
Jul '20

I’ve kept myself as distant from all the mess as possible. I struggle but it’s with my own lack of skill and tendency to take several weeks off if I get stuck on a panel I don’t know how to compose

Anihime
Jul '20

Yes, the current situation with the pandemic and civil unrest happening is stressing me out so much that I'm feeling less motivated to write. That alongside self-confidence issues and work related stress have made it difficult for me to be creative in general. It's slow going, but I'm trying my best to get motivated again... :sweat:

gempompadour
Jul '20
Snickerdoodles

Yeah... I wish I was that optimistic. For starters our generation would have to change the entire world's economic system. Infinite growth on finite resources is destroying this planet but it's also the only model of success we have. Can for example americans even mention the word socialism, or god forbid communism, and win elections? To stop climate change and the 6th extinction wave we'd have to end overconsumption, invent alternative and efficient means of energy production, redistribute wealth on a global scale and learn how to capture carbon already released into the atmosphere. 2 degree warming is like inevitable at this point and it's going to wreck havoc on the poor, and those already suffering. 3-4 degree rise means even the wealthier countries are going to feel the burn.

I'm not so sure we have the power to do all this in time. Scientists have been warning us for a century now and I know a few climate scientists that have basically said we're done. It's already too late. And even if it weren't it's not going to be peaceful and bloodless when the demand for change and equity really starts to take hold on the younger generations.

I wish we were living in the post scarcity world of Star Trek where racism, inequality and other shit that we're currently dealing with are a thing in the past... Ugh, sorry for the depressing post. This pandemic has been really stressful and sad to me.

Dizwikz
Jul '20

I've been having more hope. I'm seeing people I know around me becoming more radical in their views and ideas when it comes to wealth inequality and our financial systems. I'm seeing white moderate liberals starting to read the works of Marks, Lenin, and Trotsky.
Capitalism is collapsing more and more with people being crushed by debt, unable to make rent or work during a pandemic. What we do now to face this will be very important. Trotsky discussed how when Capitalism failed in Europe, Fascism was able to take hold of Germany and Italy with both the support of the proletariat and the bourgeois and the appeal Mussolini had as a "self-made man". He also discussed how leftist communists and anarchists were attacked and killed by Mussolini's black shirts and how they did very little to fight back in hopes of not alienating the establishment(which ended up backing up fascism anyway) and by the time they began fighting back, it was too little too late.
This pandemic has already exposed many problems within our current society, similar to how the Spanish flu exposed many problems within the colonial system within India. The mishandling of the pandemic ended up worsening many people's lives, by burning down people's homes in order to try and stop the spread of the disease which only caused people to migrate more and spread the disease further. The healthcare system in India was also unable to take care of the multitudes of sick and it was mostly poor people that suffered. This ended up giving a lot of strength towards the Indian independence movement, and in turn, we can see how many holes our system has with the handling of COVID.
While this is most definitely a stressful time to be living in, but history has shown that times like these produce massive amounts of social change. It's up to us to make sure that change is as positive for as many people as possible. It does make me hopeful that the human collective consciousness is bringing conversations to the table that we just haven't been having on such a large scale before such as the defunding and abolishment of the police and the prison industrial complex. Confronting our whitewashed history that glorifies racists such as Winston Churchill. People are relearning an unwatered down socialist MLK who sought to unite all peoples against capitalism through things such as the poor person's party. Learning how Hellen Keller was also a staunch socialist, along with many other leaders.
We must educate ourselves and each other and be able to have nuanced conversations without jumping to condemn people. We must overcome the concept of race which was a modern construct that came about in the 1600s which was twisted in order to propel white supremacy on the globe. We must learn the true nuanced history of the past without capitalist propaganda. We must mobilize and demand change on the terms of the people, instead of the terms of a few wealthy individuals. We have the power to do that.
I'm sure people thousands of years ago never dreamed that there would be a day where their lives weren't dictated by a monarch, just how many Americans probably don't think they will one day have universal healthcare benefits, a guarantee to home and shelter, democratized workplaces where they aren't exploited by a few in the ruling class, to invest more in education and infrastructure.
And ending the military-industrial complex will be a good way to slow down climate change.