Down in the dumps

[Snug_Life]

Any other creators feeling just generally..
down in the dumps like me, I guess? What are your best cures for being stuck in a rut/lacking motivation?? It's been happening quite a bit lately, and I think it's mostly due to my lack of subscribers and general views.

[joannekwan]

I experienced something similar recently. I did something I don't normally do but was still within my comfort level. I basically went on a movie binge, watching like 6 in two days. Watching a piece of work by someone else stoked a small fire in me to work on my stuff again.

[Snug_Life]

Ah, thank you! Maybe I should do something like that or read some more comics to get some inspiration.

[KoreanTacos]

pro tip, ignore sub count. If you have readers already concentrate on them. It's clear they appreciate what you have if they're sticking around with you. If you're worried about sub counts look at the series with large sub counts and just look at the amount of likes/comments compared to the large sub count. Don't let popularity be your only motivation. Looking at your account it looks like you only just started so you can't expect a large influx of followers right away. For anyone on here, it's a long waiting game. Just acknowledge the people who are already taking the time to read your work, and try to enjoy what you already do. Like I said if you keep concentrating on having a large sub count try to ignore it and enjoy what you do. The people who read my work are my favorite people cause not only are they subbed to me, I can interact with them and get feedback.

If you're feeling down in the dumps, take a break. Read some other peoples work see what makes their stuff work and try to implement it in your own work. Remember something prompted you to put yourself out there, perhaps a little self reflecting will help remind you why you stared in the first place and fire a spark in yourself all over again.

Hope things get better for you. Keep up the good fight

[rmdooley]

@joannekwan has some good wisdom there!

When creative output is in a slump, seeking creative input can be a decent way to kick start motivation and mood

That has had personal short term effects for galvanizing verve and enthusiasm for projects

For the long term, it has helped me to remember that this isn't done for attaining a large audience. There is a story in the soul that needs to be told and this is one medium for presenting it

Low views can be discouraging (believe me, I know), but quantity of views is not tantamount to quality of the story, nor is it a reflection of the personal importance it is to you that YOU continue with the project and continue to hold intrinsic worth in it.

The value needs to be in the project, not those who bear witness to it

[Snug_Life]

Thank you so much! I try not to let the count get me down, but sometimes I just can't. Seeing other people take their time to try to help me and others like me does make me feel a bit better, though. It's likely that I'm just new and impatient to be seen.

[IdiotWithPencil]

when I get sad or depressed about my comics I ususally just look at this video-> the video and then I feel so much better knowing I am not soo bad, also drinking some water and just reading dumb things in forums or meme sites relaxe my mind... but that's just me

[KoreanTacos]

It's understandable. We live in a generation in which we can get immediate feedback (for instance I got this notification for this message as I was eating a bowl of ice cream and can reply so quickly). So when we don't get that immediate response for something we work hard on (despite how some people may level that degree of work) it can be a little discouraging, hell it happens to me too. Patience is kind of a pain in the ass to work with on the internet. I wish you the best of luck.

[Snug_Life]

Oh man memes are my ultimate coping mechanism, I have a whole playlist for that purpose. I'm so glad it's not just me

[IdiotWithPencil]

have you seen the Important Videos playlist?

[YangKoete]

Yeah, but I just force myself to work at times. ^_^' Sometimes that's all I need.

[Testaccount]

I used to feel like that, a lot. I don't know if this with help you, but I'll give you some background on my online writing life.

When I first started writing fanfiction, I did it for fun because I loved the characters. On one website, I noticed I wasn't getting much of a following, so I went to a different writing site. On the next writing website, I focused on posting my stories and just one, only one reader encouraged me to keep going. Because of that one reader, I kept posting and posting until one day, somehow, my story got popular.

Looking back now, I lost touch with me as a writer. It all became about the popularity, and then the entitlement came. When I branched off into original stories, I barely got any readers, but I did get a few.

Instead of appreciating those few readers and writing for them, I got pissed because I wasn't "popular" enough compared to other original writers. I got so consumed with the popularity that I treated those few writers who supported me horribly.

At the end of the day, popularity is a good and bad thing, but when I focused on those few readers, I was more myself, not the monster chasing popularity made me become.

Don't worry about followers and popularity, just have fun doing what you love; focus on those few people who support you.

[Snug_Life]

YES that's a great one

[Snug_Life]

Ah, that's actually kinda sad. Thank you for your input, I'll do my best to only focus on the actual story part! :^)

[Testaccount]

It is a sad story, and yes, focus on your work =)

[XzynderVexymous]

I feel like this a lot of the time. I use music as my primary source of getting rid of Artist Block and/or Writers Block. A movie or anime helps too.

[erma]

the Important Videos playlist is my go-to when I'm feeling down.

[erma]

Agreeing with what others have said about viewing media created by other people when you're in a slump. If it's drawing in particular that you're lacking motivation for, maybe that would be the best time to work on the writing side to your comic and plan out anything you haven't already done. It can be hard not to worry about views and subscribers, but there's so many variables as to why the numbers could be lower that may not even have to do with the comic itself. One of the things that helps me when I'm feeling down is just doing some fun, stress-free drawings of my comic characters, whether it's something my friends suggest or a "draw the squad", anything really. I hope you feel better soon!! Lack of motivation can be awful, but once you get it back, you'll feel unstoppable.

[yoda510]

Sometimes I burn myself out trying to get my buffer big if I have a lot going on at either home or work. Usually when this happens I just take a week or two off. I will do some lettering, write out some scripts, or even work on a new idea or series, but I keep the work light and even take a few entire days off and think about something else.

I then do something I really like that is kind of a waste of time like binge a tv show or something. Sometime your creative mind just needs a bit of a break.

[MelancholicOtaku]

Take a break, I usually find it easier to work on my comic when I'm relax.Set small goals for yourself,maybe one to two panels a day,maybe a page a day. Dont worry about the subs, focus on making a good story and the rest will follow.