Career vs Comics

[alaingrey]

Here's a bummer of a topic for you guys-- when have you had to choose between your FT job and your webcomic? Does making the choice mean you're a 'lazy' creator?

I've 'abandoned' my comic for a few months, which really sucks, but out of the blue my day job has become way more profitable/higher profile than it was before. When I come home I feel drained from making art all day, and don't want to sit down to a repetitive, time consuming, not-really-portfolio quality comic. Bleh.

Anyways, tell me I'm not alone. Have you ever had to choose between advancing your job vs your comic? Or has your comic lead to opportunities that your day job hasn't? Is it 'lazy' to pick one over the other? : P And if you've come up with fun solutions for a work/fun personal work balance let me in on the secret please.

[joannekwan]

I have sort of an opposite problem perhaps? I only started webcomics because I couldn't find a job in my field. Sometimes I feel guilty for not having a "real" job and contributing to the household income in any meaningful way. At least my comics and freelance work give me some extra cash that I can spend on luxuries like an impromptu Amazon purchase or commission every now and then. I mean I could go get a retail job at Target or something if we were really desperate … but we're not so I just keep carrying on.

[Kayke]

Ooooh man this is me right now. I got a really big, time consuming freelance gig and haven't had much of a chance to work on my webcomic. For me it's a physical limitation. I am draw myself to the point of exhaustion to make deadlines for my freelance so I can't really draw my webcomic after without straining my wrist.

I feel like I'm letting my readers down by not updating and it really bums be out, but I don't feel guilty because it's not like I'm just kicking back eating oreos by the pool or something. Financial stability and my health come first. Plus my main day job right now is just making another comic soooo hopefully some of my web comic readers will be interested in reading that when it's published?

[alaingrey]

@joannekwan If I didn't live by myself that is the Ideal Life you've got ; ) But yeah, my job pays for me, my rent, health insurance, transportation, my cat and also those impromptu amazon purchases, so sadly it just has to come first. Ugh

@Kaykedrawsthings OK SAME!!! This isn't freelance, I'm starting my third year at this company, but when I started I was making video games that no one cared about basically. There was no pressure, to the point the company was willing to hire a no-experience 22 year old like me. Then somehow people started a cult following of these games and so we're the same 15 person team making bigger and bigger video games. And the more I work the more I end up in an almost leadership role. I used to just be production but now I do all the concept art and do art lead work where I have to do presentations.... ew.
Sadly unlike doing a comic for a day job, I can imagine there's about 0 crossover between the people who would like my comic and the people who want to play my games. Siiiigh.
... Also sometimes I want to eat oreos by a pool. And not be drawing a comic while doing it B(

[elixiadragmire]

I can relate. I moved from an uninspiring day job when it demanded little from to a good job when overtime is common, my comic suffered a little, my hand has developed issues but ... I can't stop my comic. I took a long holiday to deal with my hand (still hurts) a new house and overtime but I m going back in. It's taking longer to plan a chapter out and regular breaks might be needed in but, i can't stop. At least for now anyway

[revisionstudios]

Having worked in a game studio myself, I've come to find there are two kinds of artists: Those whose side projects flourish with a creative job, and those who it sucks dry. Neither one is wrong, it just varies from person to person! (and sometimes it varies from art job to art job...)

I am personally in the former camp. If I'm working on art all day, I can come home and immediately start working on my comic because I'm already in the "flow" of things. On the flipside, when I was a manager at a pizza place full time, I couldn't draw at all at home and fell into depression pretty quickly over it.

Plenty of my peers just draw at work and that's it, and that's okay. I don't think you're being lazy, especially if the comic isn't something you feel pride in or is too repetitive for you. You shouldn't force yourself to do something you're not getting anything out of.

I haven't nailed work/life balance yet, but something that helps me and some other friends is getting together and having a "coworking" day at a coffee shop. We'll help each other with our projects, talk about where we're at, and work while we're there. If we just want time away from comics, we'll go paint/sketch some nature, go to an art museum, or go to life drawing events. Having a variety of things to do always help me in general,. I hate getting stuck doing the same exact thing every day!

P.S.: if your studio and responsibilities have expanded so much, maybe you should push them to hire some people. :'D

[Shanny8]

Well as seeing how my FT job is not as glam as drawing comics- but I know where the bread & butter come from. My FT gig when I tweak it as much as I can gets me extra stuff outside of my bills paid, gas for my ride, and food, so I'm grateful for having it(my PS4 thanks my job for the OT- lol).

If I could squeeze more out of the online aspects of comics, I would be good. I go to conventions and come home happy coz I sold books and feel like a bonafide comic book artist...but then I sit for a month and watch online revenue slowly generate; it's madness, I tell ya! Lol...

[Kayke]

I'm sure there has gotta be some cross over! I know there's a few cartoonists I follow that switched to other kinds of art (games, kids books, clothing design) that held my interest through the shift!

Also, your job sounds pretty cool even if there's no poolside oreos

[alaingrey]

totally- I think that's any studio in general- games or otherwise. Games studios just have a massive burnout rate. To be fair, I probably draw the most outside of work out of our art team, it just hasn't been comics. Mostly I've been trying to build up a super generic 'game art' portfolio in case I ever want to expand my career somewhere else. When I look at my comic it's hard to justify sinking the hours in because it's not a very game-y setting, and the art style I chose isn't the realism that's industry standard for games. I'd love to be able to go home and work on a comic, but the standalone art I've been making is just more useful. Bleh.

@Kaykedrawsthings yeah I cant lie I have a pretty awesome job B) I draw, drink beers at my desk, make jokes, animate, get to go to conventions and skip all the lines... sometimes we have oreos in the office, even.

The more Im thinking about 'what do' it occurs to me that short stories exist and can satisfy that updating need and also be good Game Portfolio work 9 - 9 There's always a happy medium.

[indagold]

I balanced out comics and having a job by making a large buffer so I don't have to deal with running behind on comics. I make some comics during the work week, giving an hour a day to work on parts of it and save some more time for the weekend. I work fast and do multiple pages at once so I'm not slogging along at barely one page a week.

[sarrowsmith10]

My day job can be exhausting and now that I have a little toddler I have to chase around when I get home, I'm constantly too tired to even lift a stylus. But when its something you love and are devoted to, I guess you sorta just figure it out. For my readers who complain about uploads being too slow, my thoughts are always well that's just too bad. It will happen when it will happen. I just do my best to balance my life and that's all any one can ask for I think.

[DMBrigman]

I don't think it is lazy pick a day job over comic work. After all for most the comic isn't bringing in any income. I guess you have to ask yourself, why are you making the comic, and what is it doing for you?

For me, I was only drawing at work, in a style that wasn't my "natural style". I also suffered from some serious burnout at work and decided it was time to look for a new job. The problem was, I didn't have much I could put in a portfolio, and since I neglected personal art, I didn't have an online presence or industry contacts. So, I decided to start doing personal work, and a webcomic. So, for me, I have achieved what I wanted. I have increased my web presence, have new portfolio pieces, gained industry contacts, have people looking at my stuff. All of that stuff helped me get a new job that is better than my old one. I could decide to drop my webcomic, but I find it rewarding and I am able to produce a page per week while still leaving myself personal time. If my work/life balance started to suffer then a hiatus would be a definite possibility.

[sainity]

So now getting a job is desperate. Lmao you should be happy that there are jobs in your place.

[Heck]

I think I would rather gouge out my own eyes with my thumbs than work at Target.

[sainity]

Say that when you move out of your parents' house.

[azureXtwilight]

Here's a bummer of a topic for you guys-- when have you had to choose between your FT job and your webcomic? Does making the choice mean you're a 'lazy' creator?

Not really, I would probably choose my full-time job as a doctor over webcomics when the choice arises... In order to balance it, I have to take a hiatus every once in a while to build a buffer. Nobody pays you to do this so you have to choose your well-being over anything else.

[solhawthorne]

I decided just a little while ago to forgo taking an extra semester to work on creative projects and instead jump right into a full-time position at my current internship. I work in a super serious programming position dealing with criminals and hackers and the like which I love and I throw my heart and soul into it but that doesn't leave a whole lot of room for comics. After working in such a field for awhile I can't help but feel something like disdain for "frivolities" like comics when it feels like I could be making a difference by spending more time at work or using my free time to study, etc. I know it's a fast-track to burnout but the calling is real.

I hope to finish the comic that I'm currently working on and aim to publish starting this fall but unfortunately I don't know if I could dedicate the necessary time and commitment to do creative work afterwards while full-time. It's a shame my personality gets in the way of making comics an "easy and relaxing" hobby. I have massive respect to those who try to do it anyway!

[Heck]

k
"I think I would rather gouge out my own eyes with my thumbs than work at Target."

[alaingrey]

Damn that's totally the same way I feel. Its like working on a comic with a small following just out of passion is 'frivolous' when I could be working on the 'big deal' jobs out there. It totally sucks feeling that way, because it does mean nothing is fun, and I'm on that burnout path too : P

Good luck with that programming job though, those are great to have ^_^

And guys, can we not criticize each others choices to work or not work? :"D This shouldn't be a Thread of Shame

[Shanny8]

And guys, can we not criticize each others choices to work or not work? :"D This shouldn't be a Thread of Shame

A job is a job. It may not be the sweetest thing in the world, but if it pays bills, puts food in your mouth, and allows you to buy art stuffs & pay internet so you can be on tapastic, then there's nothing bad about it.