How do people react to knowing you do this as a hobby/for a living?

[KSlinger]

I'm just curious, really. I don't know if this is an issue with me or the area I live in or what, but whenever I even partly mention or bring up this to other people-- drawing, art, comics, forums, story telling, writing-- I always get the same weird reaction. It's the kind of reaction I'd expect from telling someone my hobby was collecting used chewing gum or cutting out pictures of the Queen for my scrapbook. They look at me like I'm a little bit lost and strange and either close the conversation down altogether or laugh kind of awkwardly and change the subject, and I'm always curious after that, like 'what's wrong?', but no one ever, ever contributes further to the subject. It's like I've let them in on some terrible secret they wanted no part in.

Edit: That isn't to say that I pursue the subject once it's come up or ask people why they aren't interested, I'd never force someone into the topic. But it's not about that, it's about the weird initial reaction. I don't go into these conversations expecting excitement or praise, believe me. Usually the topic only comes up when people ask what I'm doing later that night, but my family and friends also do this and I just find it so sad.

I don't tell anyone about it any more. How do people react when you talk about what you do here? What the hell is going on?

[AnnaLandin]

... I have no idea what's going on in your area, but when I mention that I'm an artist (whether that is "I'm a freelance illustrator" or "I draw comics"), people tend to go "Oooh, that's cool! So what kind of stuff do you draw?" and/or "You can make a living on that?"

.. To which the answer is "All kinds of things" and "Hahahahaha not really (please give me a job)". ^_^;

But to be serious, most people either think it's cool, or ask specific questions. When I mention that I draw comics, they ask what kind of comics ("So, like, Donald Duck, or what?") and I tell them it's mostly adventure and scifi and fantasy, ("it's more like Tintin, but less racism, more swords"), and then their eyes kind of glaze over, but they do still think it's cool.

And then they ask me to draw something. XD

(note: examples of comics used here are/may be specific to Sweden - Donald Duck-comics are and always have been very popular, as is Tintin, so those are my go-to examples)

[bouncyegg]

Hmmm, when I tell people, they immediately want to see something I've done. And then usually they want me to draw a picture of their pet.

http://tapastic.com/series/thebouncyegg

[RewindLabs]

Well, when I was younger, i was quite impractical.
The second thing I wanted to be was a comic book artist so I spent around 6 years working on my skills as an artist. I was told it was a waste of my time, and I slowly stopped.

I had an existential crisis and decided to deal with it logically. I looked ahead at multiple possibilities and futures, and concluded that based on where I am, I would not be able to earn a living or anything close to that by being a comic book artist. I used up the money I saved for art school, spent it on a diploma, then now, currently a degree in biomedical engineering. Art then became my hobby and I dont let anyone in to my personal life so if they ask what I'm doing currently, I just tell them Im studying biomed.

I figured that with perfect planning and a few compromises, i could still do what I want and survive. It was easy for me as I only draw when I find a purpose for it, a goal. I just cant draw simply because I want to, it makes no sense to me.

The first thing i wanted to be was a scientist. I wanted to study the stars and at the same time, find a way to solve autism. Impractical? Well, dont judge me till I actually start working on it.

[SandraMJ]

"So what do you work as?"

"I work coloring comic books for American editorials."

"No, no, I mean your REAL job."

"That is MY job."

"Haha, right."

:I

[Doubtcent]

Well, my dad is a professional web designer/illustrator, so it's sort of in the family.

A lot of people are often surprised that I can draw stuffs. So they end up asking what I do and I show it to them through Tapastic. If they're amused, they might end up asking what Tapastic is and it goes on from there. I've never found a real problem in saying "I make comics during my free time." because I work for most of the day.

I do get a lot of "Oh do you get paid for it?" And I often reply "That's the dream."

I'll just have to keep working at it I suppose before I can start boasting that I have a "job" in creating art.
"Don't quit your day job" is usually what I tell myself.

[shazzbaa]

"Ooooo you should work for Disney!"

I generally describe myself as a cartoonist, and if someone asks what that means I say that I draw comic books and self-publish them. If the other person was just trying to make conversation, that's the end of it, usually -- it's not the kind of job they have any familiarity with, so what can they do with that information??? -- but if they seem genuinely curious or interested I'll go more into what exactly webcomics are.

[SirHellsir]

I just started, so I'm not making money yet. But when I mention publishing on the internet, they inmediatelly get confused.
I'm not from merica, so making money on the internet is still perceived as a scam and worst if I mention things like tapastic or patreon, they think I'm trying to live on charity.

[mappypaint]

People in my area know that i'm an artist so there's no reaction. But for people that I don't know, they can tell that i'm some form of artist because of my appearance (like long haired guy wearing customized shirts and stuff) and most of them asks what musical instrument I play. I think they are intrigued that I draw comics as a for fun hobby and I do airbrush custom painting and fabrication as a hobby that earns money.

[Kayke]

It depends on who I'm telling.

When I was single, this thing kept happening where if I was talking to a guy and he asked what I did and I said illustration he'd say "Oh! I draw too!" and then show me some doodle he did and then my friend Will would come in as my hype man and say "You should check out Kayla's website!" and pull it up on his phone which would usually be followed by the I'm-an-artist-too guy saying "Oh... you meant you're an ACTUAL artist."

tldr: people usually don't take me seriously when I say I'm an illustrator or cartoonist until they see my work

[blop]

Most of the people I know now are also artists, so when I go to a party with some new people it's always like "sooo, you're working in animation too?" "yep" "good, good...do you know if there's still beer in the fridge?"
As for making webcomics as a hobby, they always ask me if I tried to be publish "for real" because except for some gag a day blogs, webcomics are still less popular than printed comics where I live, and people usually see webcomics as a starter but not the real thing.

[Kura]

I just tell people I work on sequential art as my answer if the question comes up. Usually it's enough for them to go on to the next topic and not pry further. If they persist and ask further then I explain that I draw comics.

First reactions are "So you draw Spidermans and Batmans?" and "You must be making all kinds of money off that." (honestly not sure why so many people think the ability to draw = endless streams of money, especially when shortly after they usually ask you to draw them/their pet/something FOR FREE)

The conversation just goes straight down hill from there. When I explain that no, I work and publish my own original series, and that though I make money doing it it's not enough to even come close to living off of.

[UzukiCheverie]

I get mixed reactions, depending on who I talk to. Some people give me the kind of awe-struck reaction of "Wow, that's cool! That would be fun to have for a job!", but others give me the "When are you going to get a real job?" reaction. The former are usually family members who don't know me or my passion very well and thus think they're "helping" lol

[Zannen00]

"Oh." Was their reaction, after which they go back to checking their social media.

......

I need new friends.

[Runiix]

Coming from a culture where anything that isn't STEM related is seen as a complete and utter waste of time, I sometimes encounter people/family friends that not-so-subtlety express their views. For example:

"Oh, you want to study art in college? That's a great idea! You'll sell one piece and become a billionaire!" dripping with sarcasm

(ಠ_ಠ)

[zetina]

somehow, it doesn't really come up much. but im p sure everyone who knows me also knows i draw at least. there are some overly optimistic reactions in terms of how easy it is to publish a comic and earn a living with that.
one time in high-school a classmate who sat next to me in Lit finally discovered my dA gallery. it was pretty amusing when she said to me "i knew you could draw but i didn't know you could DRAW" or smth to that effect.

It was easy for me as I only draw when I find a purpose for it, a goal. I just cant draw simply because I want to, it makes no sense to me.

i can just feel it oozing where your upbringing of "stop drawing" just killed the sense in drawing just cuz you want to.
biomedical engineering sounds amazing? i hope you really can solve autism

[joannekwan]

"Oh," : )

next topic.

People don't seem to care all that much, haha.

[Shanny8]

Aside from my family knowing- and support me in my endevors and my friends being artists as well, I dont really make it a point to tell people that I'm an artist, or I draw comics. It's usually because I get a pretty good read on some people and the minute I mention that I draw, then the first thing that goes through their mind is "What can you draw for me, for free?"

That irritates me, so when I get a vibe that I'm talking with "one of those" type people, I dont even make mention that I do art. I only do what I want to do- I dont care to draw tattoos, I dont want to draw portraits of people's kids or pets, I dont want to draw half-naked muscular dudes in slavery chains, I dont want to do "Sunday newspaper funnies' comic strips like Garfield, or Boondocks...I just want to draw comic books. MY comic books...

[Shanny8]

GAAAH! That was the one I USED to hear a LOT...considering that I'm not a very big proponent of Disney at all.

[jessicasurline]

Looks like everyone on here has pretty much the same kind of experiences I have had. People initially tell you it's cool to be doing what you are doing but they have no faith in your ability to keep doing it. My friends think I will be some famous person someday so they get hyped but my family thinks of it like a hobby and that I should get a job from a 9-5pm employer. I always get such surprised faces when I tell people how long it takes to do 1 page of a traditional comic. They think I'm just sitting at home lounging around all day and it magically appears. The most common disbelief is in how much I get paid. All artists know that you will never get paid for the amount of time or effort you put into a piece. I should be charging $500 a day to make a living off the work I do, but the sad truth is no one pays that. When I called to adjust my payment for my student loans, the woman asked me how much I make monthly. I told her about $400 and she laughed and asked again for the real amount. One thing I find the hardest to explain to people who disregard comic art as a profession is the emotional satisfaction of the work. I have done contract work for Google Maps for 2 years, so I know what its like to be fully employed and paid by a big company. I can tell you if I was there or not, it didn't make one difference. There is nothing human about working in something that large. As an artist, I need to have my work mean something. I want to have social commentary, or teach the unwitting public something about themselves they never realized before. I need to express emotions or go crazy from a slow death of creeping depression from the mental box we are put in by our society and culture. As an artist I need substance, not facade. That is why I work endless hours for pennies to do art from me and those I resonate with. Most people don't understand that level of emotional complexity so they assume I'm a comic artist because I'm a bum who is too lazy to get a real job. But hey, its ok because I can draw your dog...