How do you push through things?

[akitsukino]

My creative process is like this

1. I want to make a thing !
2. Wow, I'm making the thing!
3. This is harder than I thought.
4. Oh God. The horror ! Why did I agree to this! This is horrible!
5. Oh hey, it's not that bad

I seem to instinctively know that if i want to make a good version I need to make a crappy version first. But it's still the issue of getting through that part. The planning process is fun because you can explore new ideas, and of course being done is good because you can bask in the glow of completing something. But the middle parts are where it can be grueling. Is there anything you try to remember when your in the middle that helps you get to the end?

[fleohr]

Hmmm my creative process is something like this:

1. I want to draw something
2. Search for references of something
3. Try to draw in my style
4. Doesn't like the results and search for a new pose
5. Start hating it = delete/leave there /Loving it = keep going
6. Finished product after having 3 existential crisis

Sorry, couldn't help myself here lmao, but it's true tho

[Rhonder]

It gets spouted out a lot around here, but honestly I fully subscribe to the school of "Finished, not Perfect". Especially with something like comics that inherently takes a lot of time to complete, I find it helpful to try (to the best of my ability) to maintain momentum. Like even if you find yourself stumbling upon a pose or angle or whatever that looks kind of wonky, just try to get it laid out and soldier on because there are a lot of pages to go xD

Now that said, it's not good to get sloppy/lazy. Ideally you try to maintain overall quality while busting through a project, and hopefully even improve along the way. But stopping to pencil a single panel for hours to just get it exactly right kills momentum and can make the whole project feel like a drag.

Lastly, something that's particularly motivating for me specifically is having a deadline lol. By holding myself to specific dates to push content out by, it forces me to finish things in a timely manner. Right now I update 1-2 pages weekly on Sunday. I have enough buffer to get me through November (and anticipate finishing the project sometime late winter/early spring) but like honestly that's not very much buffer at all xD especially with side things like secret santa and the holiday collab coming up, I'm hauling ass trying to get enough content done the next few weeks to get me through to 2019 xD Inktober is finally over so I have more time to accomplish my goals, but having that deadline in sight is still very motivating to push through the meh parts inbetween

[FantasyBookLover]

I'm not sure if this is exactly what you're talking about, but a major factor and motivation tool for me is my depression. I try to keep myself distracted with my writing, so I'm always planning out, or writing the next scene of a book, because I know if I stop, my depression will make a comeback. That's not a place where I want to be again.

So basically, I'm using my depression to remind me of how awful life is if I'm not distracting myself with doing something like writing. Plus, as others have said, always keep in mind that whatever you publish or post can always be a first draft, and use feedback to learn how you can improve on the first draft.

[amortelito]

-I want to make a thing.
-I work on the thing.
-I finish the thing.
But then...
- I overanalyze with irrational perfectionist filter.
-I go back several times to remake the stuff that was already okay.
-Get anxious about sharing the thing.
- Don't post even though it is ready.
-Panic.
-Feel dumb and demotivated

I'm a goal oriented workaholic and my anxiety plays mind tricks. I think I spend 20% working and 80% worrying obsessively!! LOL.

[LT1986]

I push through to/grind get things done, because I always want to accomplish what I've planned. Another reason why I push through is by reading material that I've written about past mistakes, failures, etc. These things usually come from laziness and giving up. That is why I don't give up and try not to procrastinate too much.

[punkarsenic]

oh i struggle so much with losing momentum in projects

a youtuber i like does this thing where he kicks a random ass project hes not too fussed abt and gives myself say, a week, a month to do it - at the end of that day / week / month hes not allowed to touch it, its Done. its an exercise in completing things and killing your darlings to meet deadlines.

similarly i think its good to do some short projects - short stories or short comics or w/e - to get a chopped down experience of completing a project throughout, and build up in size and length of project. it builds up confidence that you can complete a thing, and experience in keeping up momentum and figuring out where your stopping blocks are. eg for me, i get stuck a lot on 'i cant move forward until i do research piece x, but i cant do that until i do research piece y, which i cant do until ive completed experiment z' - so i have to learn to cut out dead weight to streamline my process and erase all the invisible rules that hold me back.

[ZombieOwl]

I want to make a thing !
Wow, I'm making the thing!
This is harder than I thought.
Oh God. The horror ! Why did I agree to this! This is horrible!
Oh hey, it's not that bad

I'm going through that right now, actually ^^;;;
I'm working on a big episode for my series, and I'm struggling with how big it's going to be, and how little time I actually had to work on it...

[phen]

The driving force for me is,"Everyone's working hard, everyone's trying to share what's inside of them, and they need to refuel, we need to gather strength for our projects from each other."

Just sitting there in front of your workstation, wherever that may be -- desk at the home office, table in the kitchen, sofa with a cushion on your lap, metro headed north -- can become this daunting, isolated chamber. But it's the connection to humanity that gets a bit lost in translation because the grind is filling your vision. For me, pushing through is just a matter of re-establishing that connection.

I grab a friend, call a sibling/cousin/mom/dad/flatmate, and get a chat going about whatever. Suddenly oh! My project's angle is refreshed, I can do it 'cause we're all doing things big, small, and awesome.

[woah-man]

I used to be really bad at quitting in the middle of things if I didn't like how it was turning out. Nowadays I'm a lot better at realizing "of course it doesn't look good right now, it's only half finished!" A good example of this lesson I saw recently was watching my mom repaint an ugly old dresser. Honestly, it was looking awful until she added the final coat of paint and put all of the hardware back on. Now it looks great!

For me, I think a lot of it chalks up to having a lot of drawing experience and knowing how to fix things. The more you practice, the more you know what works for you and what doesn't, and that will save you from a lot of "uuuggggh this drawing is so terrible I hate this" moments.

When it comes to comics specifically, I think it always starts out slow - especially if you're using a different style or method than you're used to. But the more you do it, the more you memorize your process and the quicker and easier things get!

So yeah, practice practice practice. Continue to build up your skills and you'll build up your confidence too! Of course, there are always exceptions. Even the best artists run into a peice that just does NOT want to be made!

Also, one more thing: Rebecca Sugar wrote in the Steven Universe art book that she was once terrified of sketching because it made her miserable when something didn't turn out how she wanted, but in art school she was forced to sketch and it made her be a lot more accepting when things turn out bad.

The thing is, to most artists, the majority of their work isn't how they want it to be. Rarely does something turn out EXACTLY how you hoped or imagined. Not every peice of artwork is going to be a masterpiece or be super popular, and it's okay to mess up and it's okay to drop a peice entirely if you're not feeling it. Artists are constantly improving and there's nothing saying you can't revisit a concept later on when you've got more experience under your belt!

Hopefully that makes sense and helps, I'm super tired so I'm sorry if I'm just rambling! XD <3

[Rhonder]

"Everyone's working hard, everyone's trying to share what's inside of them, and they need to refuel, we need to gather strength for our projects from each other."

On a slightly different, yet absolutely related note, something that's been a big motivator for me the last few years has been starting to follow some "younger" (as in, closer to my age, 20's) folks in various industries (mostly music and art) and just like... watching them find success and chase their dreams, as cheesy as that sounds xD Watching some of these people start out as youtube musicians and working their way up to selling CDs and having live performances, or watching young artists work their butt off to produce awesome comics and illustrations - is really inspiring.

The one that hit closest to home was I met a new friend last year through a mutual friend (they were coworkers in the same phys. therapy clinic) who is also the lead singer in a local band on the side. I've gotten to see him perform live a few times this last year and it's just like "wow, that's freaking awesome! These guys had a dream, put in the work, and now they're playing live shows and making people happy~"

The caveat is that it takes a loooooooot of work to get there though, in any field. Putting in that much effort isn't for everyone. But if you're someone who sees the hard work and process as an opportunity or motivator rather than a slog or a burden, that can be a powerful force.

[Shanny8]

When I'm at the point where I'm "pushing through stuff"- it's more of me forcing myself to go through the motions to get the job done. I usually can accomplish it when I kill distractions like TV and force myself to listen to music as I work. Listening to music can stimulate me a bit and allow me to work at the pace that I need to while ignoring other distractions- like time.

There are some distractions that I cant ignore- like when my arms/elbows/wrists/hands are killing me; I then have to try to work smartly as to not make the conditions even worse. I'm about to invest in some compression sleeves & copper lined gloves(for arthritis- my hands are killing me today), so that I can get some degree of work done- even when I'm not 100%

[ble]

This post was flagged by the community and is temporarily hidden.

[baasinsimple]

1. Let's make a thing
2. health issues
3. Work on the thing
4. remember I have school
5. Get back to work
6. I'm bored
7. Work again
8. Get done
9. Watch the three consistent viewers I have say "Oh it's ok...ish"
10. dance intensely from joy

repeat...

..On second thought, fml.

[DasIstWunderblyat]

Exactly like this