How do you stay Motivated?

[UzukiCheverie]

You guys!

Seriously, the folks here at Tapastic are the ones that keep me going ^ ^ It's really hard for me to work on stuff when I know no one's waiting for it, so knowing you guys want to read the next Uzuki or Time Gate keeps me going :3 And like, the best part is knowing that you guys have no IDEA what's gonna happen next, especially when it comes to Time Gate. Like I have BIG plans for that one, and the fact that you guys love reading it and I love making it, that's all the motivation I need u w u

[carloswebcomic]

Frankly, I just try to make my next page better than the last one. That's how I keep going. I'm always in competition with myself.

[SpavVy]

If I'm not motivated I watch my favorite artists draw on either YouTube or the ones from Tapastic that do streams. Usually it helps me flip the motivation switch. I tend to think "Oh wow, that's really good! I'm gonna do better than that!" (Even though our styles are completely different) And then I find myself working on the comic till 5 in the morning sometimes xD
80% of the time I'm satisfied afterwards, but I'm usually exhausted, extremely hungry and need to rush to the bathroom.
Yeah I kinda go overboard o.o'

[keii4ii]

Keeping a webcomic going long-term isn't really about motivation. What you really need is discipline.

This is an advice I've seen on a weight loss/ health site, and while I agreed with it (still do) strongly when I first saw it, I'd never thought of applying it to creative endeavors. Makes sense, though!

[Dranif]

Lately, I've been low on motivation, and the closest thing to motivating myself lately is telling myself that if I keep putting it off, the next day the pressure will only get harsher.
I used to work best under pressure, but not anymore....

[KreativeConfusion]

I love my story and I do want to share it, its just some days I just wanna lay on the couch and watch movies all day XD

[KreativeConfusion]

i wish I had buffer but it doesnt always work for me. I end u procrastinating mor then ever XD though I will try th thoughtful comment thing. it seems like a fun way to just relax and explore the community

[KreativeConfusion]

@getsuart Haha, im kind of the same way, however at the moment I dont have much of a following. I remember doing that in high school tho when I would share comics with my friends!

@gateofselidor All that sounds really great and I have to agree. Discipline really just seems to be the answer to my problem. I guess i better just keep trucking through this till my energy is back!

@raziment haha sounds real deep!

@jjfresh that is what ive been doing so far. I guess I'll just have to stick to this method then (untill I somehow get a nicebuffer going anyways XD)

[AnnaLandin]

Being a workaholic helps. XD

But to be serious. I find it easier to keep going if I work on the comic chapter by chapter. Finishing the storyboards/sketches for an entire chapter in one go, and then going back and alternating between inking and colouring helps keep me on track. Also, having scenes/chapters/characters I really want to draw in later chapters helps me keep my steam up, because my readers need to read/know all the stuff that comes before that if they're to enjoy it.

Grassblades updates twice a week, but I've gotten to a point where I have a.) a big enough buffer that I don't need to draw this week's update right before I update, and b.) am familiar enough with characters/setting that the drawing is pretty quick and painless at this point, so the actual work doesn't take up my entire week.

It also helps to have sideprojects going on - shorter comics or illustrations I can switch to and work on whenever I feel like it.

[kitsuneonwheelz]

I am motivated by the memories of everybody I've lost and how they encouraged me:)

[CalimonGraal]

So far I've been keeping myself motivated (or at least enough to get an update up on time) by either listening to music (which sometimes makes me procrastinate even more lol) as I draw, or pretty much forcing myself to draw pages if I'm cutting way too close to the deadline date (which I've basically drilled into my head not to miss said deadline or I'm going to end up swallowed up by laziness lol)

...Plus the want to tell my story and show my characters helps too 8U
//though my lack of confidence in my writing abilities hinders my motivation a bit orz

[TristanJensen]

I've almost never finished anything. It's not that I'm lazy (ok, not a lot at least) I either loose interest or find something else that I think is better (often both).
What motivates me to keep going is knowing that if I finsh it it'll be the first time I made a goal that I stuck with. And I don't think I'll be stopping soon (it's been at least five months now) that's pretty cool.

[thatphilippekid]

Publicly announce an update schedule; e.g. every Wednesday. If you fail to meet it, you're a failure in your fans' eyes. It's surprisingly effective, yet stressful.

[carloswebcomic]

Publicly announce an update schedule; e.g. every Wednesday. If you fail to meet it, you're a failure in your fans' eyes. It's surprisingly effective, yet stressful.

Oh god that's so true! Keeps you from slacking off real good.

[KreativeConfusion]

well good for you! I'm glad you dont let bad things put you down

[KreativeConfusion]

@thatphilippekid thats what I've been doing it's been helping,

@CalimonGraal haha seems like that's everyone motivation XD and hey keep going, I'm sure your story is great!

@annalandin Drawing all that out seems like a good way to go. I gotta try that next time I have a day to myself! Having a buffer would be amazing, I had to skip last week's update cuz I got hit with a cold

[Kagekabuki]

I don't really have an answer but I just wanted to say that this thread is so helpful and I'm glad that I'm not the only one who feels this way I've tried to have a buffer before but I didn't manage to get more pages done before it ran out XD. I'm trying to do clusters of 4-5 pages at a time so that people have a bit to read before the next update, but with uni/work it is hard to update frequently. What keeps me going is the fact that I'm redrawing my comic, and I'm desperate to tell the rest of the story haha!

[Foxjorch]

When I have something fun to tell

[sarahrebecca58]

Similarly to how I do so with writing fiction, that is that I usually keep a permanent notebook around handy to do some drawing off line. Which is no problem if you do traditional, a little trickier if your more of a digital girl.

I happen to be more traditional.

[SeanKPrower]

My biggest tip is that I've recently took to listening to audiobooks while I draw. I only listen to the story if I'm drawing. A good story makes you want to continue listening and as a result, carry on drawing. It's worked really well for me. I also listen to a lot of documentaries on my favourite subjects and the time flies by for me.
I have a couple of different projects on the go too. I do my webcomic here and I'm also working on an illustrated novel so I have the option to jump between projects if the other doesn't fire me up. My workspace is decorated with inspiring quotes and autographs of my heroes and I find that always helps.