Burnout? Demotivation? Talk about it or share some tips on how to work these out?

[forg]

Hello,

I've just started my comic and I feel like I've grown and learned so much by it forcing me to draw everyday and work to deadlines...however I keep feeling like the work just keeps piling up and I'm incredibly demotivated + mentally exhausted.

Any tips on how to stay strong and push yourself through low energy? I've taken enough breaks I swear haha.

Thanks!

[CarltonIsaac]

Welcome to the Forum.

Try working on multiple side projects of differing interests and levels of application. The change of pace and mood might help in keeping you motivated as you rotate through each project.

[LostSpirit]

I've often read something along the lines of my genre, before Tapas anyway. Now I read a couple of comics, novels, a ton of content here and there to keep me sharp and fresh.

Sometimes just to take my mind off the burden of a deadline, and sometimes, just as a source of inspiration for how a story can move forwards or backwards.

Hope this helps!

[darthmongoose]

A lot of people who give advice like "DRAW EVERY DAY!" and "YOU MUST ALWAYS BE CREATING!" are some combination of: Neurotypical with no executive function issues or depression to deal with, too young to have actually experienced burnout yet, have no particular responsibilities to deal with like kids, a partner, people to look after, a demanding job etc. It's important to practice regularly, but as somebody who's worked in the industry as a pro, forcing yourself to draw every day doesn't always make you better; sometimes a break is really important to unlearn habits that build up and to evaluate your work afresh. I've seen a lot of creators who went pro and while they improved in polish, their drawing quality totally stagnated, with no particular development to their style and losing all sense of adventure or experimentation.

Sometimes you gotta let yourself rest. Staring at an empty page being frustrated with yourself won't make the work happen. It's okay to not be productive for a bit. Personally... I find household chores are a really good solution. They allow you to do something productive, but not mentally taxing and getting them done stops them looming over you. While I'm tidying or washing up, I listen to music and I let my mind wander, and sometimes the inspiration just arrives with me.

[Kelheor]

Hi, hello and welcome!
We always say we had those breaks, but... Have you considered taking a long break? Like at least a week, maybe even two =) Sometimes it's really what you need.
But I agree with @CarltonIsaac, having one major project and taking breaks from it to make something for other projects, or just "to draw for yourself" usually helps a lot. Even the side artworks with the same characters help! The brain is kinda being tricked into "ah, I don't work on comic, so it's a break".
Definitely stay inspired! Read some comics you never touched before, dig into Artstation updates, even new music, find something new and interesting

[Random_Guy]

God, here we go:

I tend to get hit with apathy at least once a month, and I get hit hard, meaning it can be difficult to do or find enjoyment in anything.

I find that usually the best thing to do is slow down, take a step back, and reorganize your priorities:

"Yeah, I've got this big project, but it's dragging me down, and I can get this done quicker."

In order to combat that unmotivated feeling, it can help to find a few, smaller projects you can work on and quickly knock out, to get yourself up and running again.

If that doesn't work, then the best thing to do is re-energize yourself, eat something you enjoy, take a nap, enjoy a nice hot shower, etc. Self care should always be at the top of your priorities, and sometimes just doing some stuff for yourself is the best way to get rid of that feeling of a weight in your stomach.

I know this isn't the best advice, and I don't pretend to be a professional, but I want to help other people struggling with apathy like me.

[Random_Guy]

Oh, yeah, and I should probably mention:

Don't be afraid to shift your deadlines if you feel like you can't keep up. It's your baby and if you feel like you can't keep up, or you feel like you're forcing yourself to work too much on it to meet your deadlines, there's nothing wrong with giving yourself more room to breath.

[forg]

Thank you for your reply! You raise a lot of good points, I never realised the side effect of stagnation when working through burnout. That's a very strong case against forcing it.

I see, I'm in kind of a weird spot where I want to draw when I'm not drawing but when I actually get in front of the canvas, I feel so tired haha.

What field did you work in? Did you deal with burnout in the same way? I imagine it must be difficult not to constantly force yourself to draw if it's a full time job.

[forg]

Hello and thank you for the welcome!

I'm still in the very first 'arcs' or setup in my comic so I'd like to get as much work (and pre-made episodes) done. Unfortunately, I don't think a week break is feasible at the moment (I should have done more prep haha)

I do have some books I want to read so maybe that will help! Thanks for your advice!

[forg]

Thanks for your response! @Slimy_Boi_Enigma @CarltonIsaac @LostSpirit

@slimy_boi:
are the smaller projects you mention related to the big one or are they completely new, fresh ones?
I hope it isn't too rough with your apathy, we can do this!

[darthmongoose]

What field did you work in? Did you deal with burnout in the same way? I imagine it must be difficult not to constantly force yourself to draw if it's a full time job.

I was a freelance illustrator for about ten years, occasionally with gaps of full and part time work. I did well enough at it, with some big clients like the BBC and Nintendo, plus a fair bit of workshop work for libraries, events and schools. I had to take a break due to burnout from how hard I had to work to afford to live in London as a freelance illustrator. I never had any time to draw anything for myself and I felt like a lot of my work had no passion to it any more.
I generally dealt with burnout in the same way (take breaks), but sometimes I just had to sit and draw, and I dealt with it by sort of... disconnecting from the art. Just going through the motions like making a sandwich. I'm able to draw really fast if I'm not agonising over every line being good, so that's just what I did; drew like a passionless robot who replicates poses or objects in a set art style. ...Some people are really good at spending all their time doing that, others will become really sad after a while; it's a matter of how you feel about making art, really.

[Random_Guy]

Totally unrelated, they're just little projects I do on the side for fun.

[Rhonder]

I want to really stress, unless this is a job and you have a hard deadline that you're contractually obligated to meet, it's always feasible to take a week-long break. This loops back to the thread topic nicely- overworking yourself and feeling like you can't take a break when you need one is an almost surefire way to get burned out My mantra as a fellow newbie creator is to take a break whenever I think I need one, without fail.

I just got done with my first 70 page comic a few months ago and although I started strong, there were points in the middle and especially toward the end where I was starting to feel a little burned out and felt my motivation to continue waning and quality dropping somewhat. I took a number of breaks, even up to a week and a half long, during those periods which were a useful opportunity to take a step back, refresh, and come back with newfound vigor!

Sometimes those breaks would just be spending more time than usual with my friends, other times I'd have deadlines looming at work and not feel like forcing myself to draw after getting home late, sometimes I would just veg on tv and games, and for a few of them I took time off to work on other art projects. No matter what it was, though, it was easier to buckle down and push the comic forward afterwards~

[TenguHarley]

Usually when burnout comes, I try to remind myself that in the future, its ok to have a day or two when you're not constantly drawing and etc. At least do some exercises, spend time with dog or eat. (eating is important rip) So even during my work days, I try to take small breaks to reduce physical stress with my body so I won't burn myself out to the point I can't physically/mentally draw.

I do have my days of not doing comics or sketching(since I tend to think too much for that) so I work on side things that may ask for inking/coloring. Doodling nonsensical stuff helps too or maybe something you don't usually draw

Most artists I come across give this sort of advice so its pretty helpful, especially for myself since I work professionally in the art field rip

[pilot-obvious]

I felt some major burnout just a few weeks ago and it was so frustrating! So I laid everything out and tried to figure out why I felt so terrible. I came to the conclusion that I was simply working beyond my means and trying to pump out too much content... my body and mind just weren't agreeing. I knew if I continued to practice that, it would get a lot worse.

So I decided to switch my webcomic from a weekly release to a biweekly release. And everything got so much better! It allowed me time to myself or to do other things. I also gave myself time to doodle random things not related to my comic. It's okay to do things other than create art. We're all humans and need other forms of enrichment too!