Breakin' the comfort zone

[Marshminator]

Do you ever force yourself out of your comfort zone? What have your experiences been?

This just kind of popped into my head because I've usually been pretty good about tackling my insecurities head-on, in regards to my artwork. Anything I disliked to draw I would practice on until I improved.

But now I'm starting to shift more to my writing/story insecurities. Getting our stories out in the first place is kind of nerve-racking just because we're putting ourselves out there, and we don't know how we'll be received. A couple years ago I finally started to share dramatic and fantasy stories (which has been an interesting roller coaster of trial and error). Now I'm tackling comedy... and boy, do I feel weird and insecure. -____-

I hope the suffering is worth it. It probably is.

[jonno]

You should be fiiine. If it isn't recieved well, you could just forget it ever happened! Just kidding, that scar would never go away. In all seriousness though, comedy in general isn't that hard to pull off, you just need to know what kind of audience your jokes would work on.

Good luck anyway!

[RewindLabs]

You know what they say, you know you'll never give it 100% if you know how you personally feel about it.
As long as you're focusing on how you feel.. you won't be able to improve that much/

[Marshminator]

@jonno Thanks! haha I think my biggest insecurity is just that I'm so used to saying jokes face-to-face, just throwing them into the void seems so... strange. I'm looking forward to my new adventure though!

[UrMom]

Just remember that there will be people who won't receive your comic very well, and keep moving forward. I'm not much of a writer, actually I never write down my stories, and a lot of people would tell you that it shows in my projects; but it's fun and jumping right into something is the best way to improve for me. My comics were actually created to get out of my comfort zone, the first (and main) one is a slice-of-life comic that was created to get a feel for basic comic stuff, and the genre forced me to use proper perspective. My new side project was created to see how well I can pull off certain subjects, improve colouring, and learn to draw cities and more dynamic angles.
So fun!... honestly I hate using rulers, and straight lines, so it's been quite an experience.

But yeah! You're going to suck at some stuff, but you can't get good at something without sucking at it first, keep looking at your work objectively and you'll do great.

[AnnaLandin]

Yes, I do it quite a bit.

Before I started drawing Grassblades regularly, I used to avoid drawing environments, because a.) I was not great at it, and b.) they took SO MUCH TIME. But when I sat down to plan Grassblades, one of the things on my list of stuff to include was "work hard to give a sense of place" - i.e: "draw the dang environments, you lazy-butt!"

... and now, this far into it, I find myself automatically thumbnailing pages full of ruins, bamboo forests, giant castles, foggy forest paths, etc., etc. And I actually do enjoy drawing them, even if I don't think I'll ever fully get along with tiled roofs.

I've dealt with story/writing insecurities too, though mainly in short, non-Grassblades oneshots for now. For example, up until 2-3 years ago, I'd never written a straight up romance story - so I did. And it was kind of awkward and weird, but I did it! And the second time I wrote one, it was STILL awkward and weird, but less so! And I expect that if I write another story that is mainly romance, the awkwardness and weirdness will have diminished a bit more.

The struggle is definitely worth it. You don't learn to overcome anything by not doing it.

[joannekwan]

Yeah, doing comics has forced me to work on backgrounds, particularly cityscapes. Of course how could I ever improve upon those unless I do them? So yeah, comics has helped me develop there.

As for areas in writing, I don't know if I ever could script and choreograph a whole super-hero level fight scene. I mean I could do it, I just don't think it'd be very good. Gunplay and normal ground-based combat I can do, since I play video games.

I say try something for a little while, but if you absolutely hate it, then find a way to work around it.

[J.MORK]

i try to choose interesting/challenging camera angles for my comic panels when i can. this can be tricky with figure and perspective and sometimes even with references it doesn't turn out looking quite right.

however, i know that i tried and my readers probably appreciate the effort and i think that's pretty important. even if i didn't get it right the first time i can always use my experience to do it better the next time.

as for your writing insecurity, i say if you put your work out there and are receptive to critique your confidence and abilities will surely grow stronger over time : D

[Kura]

I do it a lot, but honestly not as much as I really should... actually no.... I mean I did make a full colour comic even though I loath colouring with every possible fibre in my being just because I knew I hated colouring and figured that if I was forced to do it everyday I would not only get better at it but learn to like it.

Now I hate it even more.

Then in the end turned out to be wasted time because arthritis apparently hates colouring more than I do so every time I attempt to it's not long before I'm in excruciating pain.

I still try to push myself when it comes to writing at the least, as well as perspective when it comes to drawing (and backgrounds when my arm is up to it, arthritis sometimes doesn't like spending too much time on a page so those end up getting less attention than I would like so I can keep up with release dates.

On a more literal note, drawing hurts and is not comfortable to do at all, so I'm always breaking that comfort zone... ha... see what I did there with the--- yes you are right, I should stop working right now because pain levels are obviously too high...

[Sanz]

I'm breaking my comfort zone with my next series...it's a romantic/drama. And i get lost and kinda bored and frustrated and want to hit the wall and tear my hair out when im writing it because im use to action and adventure...haha sometimes even when i draw in my comfort zone i want to end my life because i see it in my head and i cant get it right but when i do...all that pays off when i finish it i think, i made this, this is mine and when i see people enjoy it makes it worth it too. Moral of the story just do it nothing is impossible. XD

[R.n.P]

i normally force myself out so I've gotten used to the feeling but if I ever feel off when doing it I juz think positively of my surrounding n smile a little

[TrustyShamrock]

i think with funny stuff the main trick is tryin to make things that you think is funny. cuz if ya dont think its funny its pretty hard to figure out if someone else will

i used to be super opposite with my writing that everythin had to be funny. and i felt really shy about takin anythin seriously. and i still do funny stuff but im ok with doing serious stuff now too

[hushicho]

It's good to challenge yourself regularly. I think it's great to know your strengths though, which can be something easy to forget when challenging oneself. It's good to make sure to both work on development outside of the familiar and easy, and also cultivate greater skills in the things you feel you do well!

[Mane]

Yeah, doing comics has forced me to work on backgrounds, particularly cityscapes. Of course how could I ever improve upon those unless I do them? So yeah, comics has helped me develop there.

This. One of the best things regarding drawing comics is that you are more or less forced to draw outside your comfort zone. I used to choose stories based on where they took place or I would specifically think up stories that where somewhere in the wild so I didn't have to draw cities and buildings...until I got fed up with it those limitations and started to have the plot decide what has to be drawn not my drawing abilities. And even though it might not look so great in the beginning you will definitely notice an improvement over time.

[demthorshie]

One thing i've started doing more that previously took me out of my comfort zone was drawing action scenes. I used to be pretty crumby at drawing a fight/action scene but since the birth of Cosmos Song, i've been forced to draw these scenes a bit more than usual.

[donathinfrye]

I'm dealing with this in real life right now, and on here. I've written a lot of plays and stage theatre, so I feel most at home with writing dialogue and dramatic conflict. Writing comics, though? It's something I've been studying for about a year, but it's something that I'm very new to. With Atonement, I purposefully started the story off without dialogue, taking an entirely different approach to the introduction of its world than I would have if I'd written it to be theatre.

Meanwhile, in real life, the theatre that I work for has been having me write a lot of Sketch Comedy. Comedy's hard! It's absolutely nerve-wracking. Waiting and watching an audience's reaction to see if something I've written lands, if it makes them laugh, if it makes them groan -- definitely not easy. I imagine it's even harder, in some ways, when you're writing a gag comic ... gauging whether or not it makes people laugh must be tough since there's the barrier of the interweb between you.

But it's important to stretch yourself, to write in different styles and with different voices, to different audiences. That's how you grow, I think. : )

[miseryhunting]

I think we all go through phases regarding this. When I was at school, I used to hate drawing or painting in colour, I even managed to convince my teacher to let me only draw out assignments in graphic. I also hated drawing backgrounds/environment.

What I loved to draw was the human figure. I also enjoyed realistic drawing.

But after drawing this for a while I became satisfied with my skill and I wanted to learn something new, I wanted to be good at something different. I started on an animated drawing style, I learned exaggeration, motion, basic colouring, colour blending.

Nowadays, I'm working on my environmental design and I really enjoy it, I think because I genuinely wanted to learn how to do it and be good at it.

[KSlinger]

The whole of West threw me out my comfort zone. Before starting it I'd never draw boats or mountains or fire or even men because I never had a reason too. You're going to go through a period of adjustment and it may not be elegant or pretty (you can spot the pages in West where I was learning to draw fire), but it's like wearing in a new pair of shoes or getting to know a knew pet. No amount of wishing will make it happen faster and no one else can do it for you instead. If you want it, you'll do it, and you'll change and grow because of it. Eventually you'll look back and recognise your struggles and see where you were going wrong-- everyone does-- but being able to do that shows how much you've learned, it's nothing to be ashamed of.

The anxiety and stress is normal but they will pass with time. Keep working hard and look back only to review, not to judge. Right now you can't trust your own judgement, just deliver what feels right and good. Leave the criticism to trusted sources, and listen to them when it makes sense. We're all just trying to be better. There's nothing wrong with that.

[Marshminator]

Thanks for kind and encouraging words everyone!! I forget how different this forum is from the other ones I've frequented in the past. Everyone is always really supportive and professional. Really, I was just being a bit dramatic in the moment and I'm dandy to be churning out my comics.

It's interesting to hear what people have struggled with in the past, and encouraging to know that so many people have been able to break through their different obstacles.

You guys make me proud to be part of this community.