Okay, I know this is a comic thread and I'm a writer but this honestly resonates with me, so I'll go ahead and add my two cents as well. I can't say I've ever really considered giving up writing before. But that's mostly because writing is as much a form of relaxation for me as it is a passionate hobby. I write for the same reason others read. To escape into a fantasy world of my own creation. And while I can't speak for artwork, considering I buy all my art and don't have a single bone in my body that can draw, I don't see that going away any time soon.
That said, I have absolutely one hundred percent thought about quitting when it comes to promoting my work.
It can be incredibly frustrating to work so hard on something and then see it not pay off the way you hope it will. Or you seem to have hit a peak as far as people who are actually interested in reading your material. It can really sap your energy and make you wonder why you bother editing, doing revisions, making social media posts, paying for concept art, all while continuing to write a series no one seems interested in.
Worse than that is when someone comes along and tears your work apart. Either because they don't like the subject matter, or they have an agenda they're trying to push. Don't get me wrong, if someone tells me I need to change something because it's offensive, or demeaning to someone else, I listen. I don't take those kinds of remarks lightly. And if I feel changes need to be made, I make them. That doesn't stop some people from telling me that my work has no business being here, or making other unhelpful comments. And those can really get under your skin after a while.
There were several moments I really did just consider giving up and going back to writing just for fun. But then I'd see a post like this one on the forums, reminding people that nothing good is going to happen overnight. I can't remember where I saw it, but there was one post someone made about how the writers and artists who are the most successful on Tapas and on other sites are the people who genuinely enjoy writing and art. If you believe in your work enough, and put the effort to make it the absolute best work you can, whilst remembering to be grateful to the few fans you have, then I genuinely believe you can make it.
I didn't quit, and I'm not going to any time soon. As it stands right now, I'm only eight subscribers from reaching the one hundred subscriber milestone, and I now have over a thousand likes on my work. It's felt like a very long, bumpy road getting to this point, but I can say wholeheartedly it's been worth it. At the end of the day, I think the ones who will be the most successful here, are the ones who can ignore that voice in their head telling them they're not good enough and continue to believe in their work even when they don't feel like they believe in themselves.
If nothing else, at least take pride in the fact that you're doing something most people only ever think about doing. The fact that you've made it as far as posting your work, regardless of how many subscribers or likes you have, is in itself something to be really proud of. At least, that's what I tell myself when I'm feeling low.