How often do you think of giving up?

Find how I can make it work, long and short term, for the drawings, dialogues, plot points and events, to get people to know me in social media, my blog, etc.

Also give myself some free time, do other stuff I'm not accustomed to but I'd like to do more often (learn something, read books about certain topic/theme, music genres I didn't listen that much, etc)

Just don't overwhelm yourself, little by little.

I've been fortunate to have mostly avoided coming face to face with 'giving up". Most projects that I've started and dropped have mostly been due to falling out of interest with them (usually in the early stages).

The only time I've put my foot down and officially "gave up" on something was my big 10-year long project that never got off the ground. The idea was initially conceived in 2007 and I continued to dedicate most of my creativity towards it until early 2018. It was a mixture of chasing too big of an idea and being too inexperienced to know any better (it was made in middle school lol). The majority of the time was spent in the re-do loop, I have at least 10 iterations of the first chapter, have rewritten the beginning like 2 or 3 times, and spent way more time thinking about characters or scenarios that would happen dozens of chapters in rather than working on getting it started from the beginning.

Finally on the final reboot, that I started at the end of 2017, I decided "enough is enough" and gave up on it. The realization stemmed from the fact that I was churning out pages at about 1 page per week and the first cool fantasy action scene in my fantasy action comic was, like... 70 pages in. I did some quick math and realized that from where I was at page 8, it would take me over a year to get to that point... and I wasn't willing to spend that much time on a series that a middleschooler wrote just to get to the first cool scene. It put into perspective too that the project was probably like a 20 year endeavor or something and was just completely unfeasible to work on and complete.

So I gave up and started writing my first official webcomic, which was a short 70 page one-shot. That there was a cool fantasy action scene in the first 7 pages rather than 70 pages away made me very happy as a creator and it was a much more enjoyable experience for everyone involved xD

More often during the readership lulls.

I don't think of giving up much. I just give up a lot. I bury myself under my covers and decide not to exist for a little while. Then I crawl out of bed when it's time to deliver the next chapter of my novel, edit it, draw the art, publish, feel proud, try to market, try to be active in the community, run out of energy, give up. Rinse Repeat.
I think it's normal, especially during these awful times, to run out of creative or extrovertive energy. I think it's normal to take breaks but I think it is important to bring yourself back up again. And it's important to talk about these things. You're never alone in this.

Way too often. For so long, I've been inspired by multiple artists and animators on social media thinking, "I want to do that stuff too." Starting in May, it will have been 6 years since I started trying to get a following for my art and animations.

Just about 6 years later, and I barely have gained any traction.

I know it's easy to say "You shouldn't care about numbers! Your value doesn't lie in how many followers you have or how many likes you get!" It's true that you shouldn't let numbers drive you or else you'll lose your passion for your dreams, but when you've been trying so hard, it really starts to bring you down. You put your all into the thing you love, making it just to make it, and when you share it to the world, no one wants it. It makes me question if all the work I do is even worth it, or if what I make is even any good.

Especially now, I am a freshman in an expensive art college, already starting to accumulate a lot of debt which is really scary. My family and friends told me I should follow my dreams, but I have no idea how I'm going to pay it off. That's been a prime factor of me trying to build up my social media presence as of late. I still love doing the thing I love, but I also need to start earning money from it too. But nothing has really done much. My sister keeps telling me, "you need to improve." Which is pretty discouraging since I've been improving or so I thought I have, and I'm pretty happy with how my art style looks. I know I will keep improving, but will it even change anything? Plus, with how a lot of social media algorithms work now, it expects creators to have the time and energy to post consistently, which isn't an option that everyone has. The system itself causes a lot of burn out that I have begun to feel a bit.

I'm a small content creator who has struggled to make their mark anywhere in life really, but what's weird is that I still haven't given up. I've been told that I'm quite a stubborn person, and I'd like to think it's one of my better attributes. Despite feeling like I'm going nowhere, I want to keep trying, after all that's all I can do. If I give up, I'll never know if I could've made it. Of course it's a bit childish (for a lack of a better term) to complain about something like this, but I guess most creators kind of go through that kind of thinking too. And plus, I'm already pretty lucky to have gotten the support I have received thus far. It makes it a bit easier to know that at least some people have your back and know that you're not alone as well. As creators, we all have to stick together and bring each other up

I’m a quitter and I often think about giving up on the project I’m currently working on. But I try to remind myself that if I enjoy working on it, and if more than zero people are reading it, it’s worth to keep working on it. I’ve found that often when I feel down about my work and think that no one cares about it, I’ll suddenly get a nice comment that gives me energy to keep going.

So I think it’s good to be resilient and not get too sad if a post or update gets kinda ignored. Maybe the next one will do better, or maybe there are readers who enjoy it but you don’t know about it (yet).

With that said, I don’t think it’s bad to give up on a project if you want to try another one. But please don’t give up on creating if you enjoy it!

Btw, when I’m down and feel like giving up, this song2 always gives me motivation to keep going.

Yeah. I feel that way all the time.

Look, I know I'm just supposed to tell you not to quit. But that's bullshit. That's a reassuring platitude. Change can be good, and I think the real question you need to ask is what do you actually want? What would your life be like if you actually quit making comics? What would you do instead? Would it be more personally fulfilling than making comics? Would you miss people reading your stories? Sometimes reminding yourself that you really could stop what you're doing and do absolutely anything else helps remind you why you've shaped your life this way in the first place. I could quit my job making video games and go work at McDonalds right now. Some days that sounds like a relief! But I know I would miss parts of my life that are important to me.
Or do you enjoy making comics and you want your comic to be more successful? If that's the case, quitting resets all your progress to that goal. Formulating a roadmap to that goal seems like a better solution. Maybe buy ad space, talk to publishers, get professional feedback, etc.
Getting discouraged sucks. And it's ok to feel that way. But realistically speaking, quitting isn't going to make you feel less discouraged. Remind yourself why you're doing it, and go after your goals like an angry bee.

I totally gave up on comics for a bit--I even gave up on art! I had carpel tunnel so bad that I just didn't draw for an entire year while going through the both physical healing and just the overall recovering from the shame of that whole situation. When you're met with very painful and disappointing feelings every time you post art, with really not much to show from it, eventually you will associate your art with those bad feelings, so it's very good to step away sometimes to break that association. I didn't really expect that I'd go right back to doing art once my hands were better, and I didn't expect I'd fall back into comics and writing during the pandemic. But, enough time had passed that I feel better now, I have a healthier relationship with my art, and a more realistic expectation of my projects. Not to mention, I'm just more experienced now and that helps a lot.

But just know there is no shame in walking away. Every other career is fine if you do that, and I wish art would understand this better. Because you'll have a lot of responsibilities in your life, and maybe you can't make a comic right now because you got a really tough job, or your kid needs special care, or hell knows what reason--life is kinda long, so you can step away, and it'll be here when you're ready to come back, if you even decide to.

@drawnbyyannan

Thank you so much! And I appreciate the advice you left on my YouTube comment as well, it's very helpful.

Haha, when I clicked through to your comic from this thread and recognised that I'd subbed to it the day previous, I really had to do a double take! In the whole vast wilds of the internet, running across the same creator on two different websites within two days is comically unlikely.

Sometimes I have thoughts about nuking my entire art related internet presence, but I don't do it and just keep going, because I don't really have much interests or skills that would replace said presence.

I love doing art and comics, but not going anywhere far with it is just sad. I'm not good at promoting myself so I keep being in the basement on most social media. I guess it do be like that sometimes.

I don't think I'll ever actually give up, but thoughts about it just sit there.

Every now and again I have my doubts about my skills, but I've taught myself to just keep going and not let it bother me. I've realized that after a day or two of questioning myself, the 'block' clears up and I can get back into it at full throttle.

Then again, this is coming from an individual who hasn't published anything serious ever in his life, so perhaps things will change once I too finally upload my first serious story to Tapas (which will probably be in a month or so).

It all depends on the fun factor for me. If making comics begins to be a pain constantly nagging at the back of my head, then more than likely I will stop, if only temporarily. Right now I'm still going strong though.

I wonder how long I'll last. 'Tis a challenge I shall accept!

My mood sadly influences my writing a lot more than I'd like to admit. Heck, I've only just recently started uploading chapters of a story I started back in August last year that I stopped late September due to a dark mental episode and a loss of motivation. Even right now, I'm barely able to put myself in front of the computer and edit those chapters.

Every day I feel like giving up. Since 2015, its been this way.

Hey, you're not alone. I think every creative has gone through this at some point. No matter what we make, we're all still united just through the fact that we are creators and as such, love when people enjoy our work. For me, I never gave up because working on my series just simply... makes my brain feel good. When I started work on "Red Shift" years ago, literally no one knew who I was. And I did feel pretty alone. I remember sitting in my university library at night after classes and working my butt off on world building and painting. Before I even completed chapter one, I had 100 (literally) paintings of my main boyo. I had basically zero social media presence and didn't really know many online. (Most of my friends were from uni.) I ended up joining the DCEU sub-reddit and made a lot of lasting friends who still cheer me on today. I have a reader-base now and that makes me insanely happy. I would have continued whether I had readers or not however, since as I said, the simple act of creating makes me feel content. I love working on my stuff.

Not enough.

With my health I absolutely should not be working on a comic.

Only in those fleeting glimpses of moments where I wonder, gosh, maybe I should spend a year studying popular/classic media to increase my skills and understanding of storytelling. Then thirty seconds later I realize that that year would most likely be spent just playing video games and working a job I don't enjoy that much, so actually no way would I ever give up.

Big up to everyone o9

I usually feel like giving up after aroung 60 panels of a comic (so around 15 pages by my standards) I'm slowly getting more tenacious with time (Mire aux Oisels passed the 20 pages bar and Vesna the 150 panels bar before I felt useless) but really I struggle everytime I have to go past the inciding incident I care about because I see my flaws as a writer.
I love drawing my story but I'm not good at organizing my story. And I'm never really doing anything when I have a scenarist. Struggles !

I keep working to try and finish tho xD I want to finish something so I can print or rewrite from the begining with what I learned. Also sometimes I'm wondering if I shouldn't just quit drawing to go sewing but it's really my biggest comfort zone to draw after a day of work. Sewing is hard, mates !

Whenever I give up or take a hiatus, I kind of feel like I'm disappointing my readers, but at the same time, who is there to disappoint? My comic occasionally gains a few subs here and there and then it plateaus for a while, and looking at all the comics that have skyrocketed makes me lose hope. Sometimes it's hard to work because I feel like no one will care about it, but this comic is my passion, and has helped get me through the pandemic and keep me sane.

But honestly, @ButterflyEmpress summed it up perfectly. My "fanbase" is currently made up of 44-ish people but only like 3 different people ever comment, and no one really tells me how I can improve (well except TamakiLeon who's the only one who gave me constructive criticism on my story, props to you ) .

But, if you're feeling down and want to quit, remember that you've made something that no one else came up with before, and you deserve more for that.
To quote a youtube post I read the other day cause I can't come up with anything better, "You have so much more potential than anyone says you do. Prove them wrong, because when they come crawling back to you, it's an amazing feeling."

I gave up on making comics when I was a teenager and put my focus on making music and living and I picked it up
again around 6 years ago. I never think about giving up, it´s just a natural process, you spend less time doing this
and spend more time doing that. But I never have thoughts like "this is too hard and I will never be good and give up"

I don't think about giving up. I do think about whether this is worth the effort. I think about whether maybe I should step back and not stop doing it but stop doing it with the intent of building an audience or trying and failing to get people over to my patreon. I think about whether or not I would be better off spending the time I put into this relaxing or doing other things. Even in those circumstances I wouldn't quit. I just wouldn't be trying to make this as active a goal in my life. I wouldn't be concerned about finishing the comic or hitting my own deadlines. I'd just post when I post and so be it. I still enjoy doing this but is the return worth the hustle? Probably not tbh. But I'm still going to hustle.

Not having the best day today, so I am considering it. But I don't want to completely give up so I won't.

Well, I think a lot has already been said, but I'm going to add on to what everyone else has already said anyway - yes, of course I feel like giving up. Like, at least once a week. Sometimes more. And sure, sometimes less.

To add with my own personal experiences --

I will be 30 years old in just a few short months, so that's got me really thinking about life a lot more lately, especially with my writing.

Sure, I can sit here and tell you I've been writing stories since I picked up a pencil. But taking my writing seriously as a career really came around in high school. And I went to college for writing. Twice. Got my Master's. A lot of money in debt and no end in sight.

I wrote my first serious novel when I was around... 18? Plus or minus a couple years. It started as a screenplay, which in a few years, I turned into a short story, then a novella, which I then had published through an indie publisher. Which would have been exciting - woo, accomplishing my dreams! - but the only people who bought it were my parents. A few months later, the publisher broke off their contract with Amazon or something and the book was removed.

I took the opportunity to rewrite it, turning it into a novel at almost 100k words. I wrote a sequel. A prequel. A spin off series taking place in the future. And two other books that would make it a full series. I approached publishing companies, then agents, and got rejection after rejection after rejection. I started to post it anywhere I could, trying all the different platforms. Fictionate, Fictionpress, WattPad, and yup, now, for some unholy reason, I decided to try here on Tapas, too. I even started to reach out to book stores in my area for exposure.

I made business cards, promo materials, and I found a local group that promotes indie authors. They hosted events all over, so I purchased tables, attend events, walked around and talked to other authors (as an introvert, this was huge for me!! Wouldn't have been able to do it without my family and my husband at my side). I attended readings, expos, even presentations by other local authors who have talked about their experiences and shared their expertise. I sold a few books - barely enough to cover my costs. I met some great people who I still talk to, and we pass our books around amongst each other, write each other reviews, etc.

I got serious into social media - created a website, a newsletter, even purchased advertising. I tried Patreon. I even tried to create an indie blog that focused on helping out indie authors promote their books.

Then I decided to rewrite the entire novel, because in those 10 years, my voice has changed a lot, and I no longer feel that it accurately shows my ability as a writer. I cringe when I read it.

Takes a deep breath Now my novel is sitting, half rewritten, in my folders on my computer collecting dust because I'm just tired.

All that being said... Is it because I wasn't extroverted enough? No, I don't think so. I put myself out there in every way I could think of. Is it because I'm not good at marketing? Shrug. I made some really cool posters, business cards, advertised anywhere I could. Is my story not as good as I think it is? Eh. Of all the reasons as to why it's not working out, I don't necessarily feel this last one is a real reason. I mean, with all the people in this world, there's something for everyone. I just haven't been able to connect with those people yet. Or, that's what I tell myself, anyway.

Is it happening as fast as I want it to? God, no. I really thought by 30, I would have my novel published. I never expected to be the next JK Rowling. But a damn ISBN would be nice. (Okay, I know it's easy enough to get that these days on Amazon or Lulu lol). The point is, I didn't want to go the self published route. I wanted the 'legitimacy' of a publisher and an agent. I thought, if I could at the very least nail down an agent, I would look legit. If I could just get that one person to notice me, everything else would fall into place. An agent meant publishers would take me seriously. A publisher meant the world would take me seriously. I wouldn't be just another nobody who put their book on Amazon because anyone can these days.

That was an older opinion of mine. One that has changed over the years. I mean, it's freaking 2021. Websites like Tapas and Webtoons - websites I used to stick my nose up at because I thought they were beneath me - they've offered more for their artists than I ever thought possible. And we're really in a golden age of media. I mean, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc - all these places are creating their own shows and movies, and they're even making deals with some of these websites!

Okay, yeah, shut up, that's all well and good, but it's still not happening for me, or you, or any of us here in this thread. And my reply here has turned into a huge rambling tangent. I guess what I'm trying to say is a few things.

1 -- you're not alone!
2 -- it's okay to feel like giving up
3 -- but that being said, if this is truly the life you choose, you have to come to terms that nothing in this line of work is going to happen the way you want it to, at the speed you want it to.

To add a small light at the end of the tunnel that is my story - its been a long time. I've tried a lot of different things. But the thing is, I kept trying. I gave myself the days I needed to feel defeated, and then I picked myself up again and got back on the horse. Even if I just needed to take a break and work on something new or different to get excited again. I kept looking online, I kept searching for events, I kept reaching out to people. Yes, it's tedious. It's heart breaking. It's exhausting.

But one of these days, something will come out of your efforts. Maybe, just maybe, that has happened for me. It's still too early to tell... but things are promising. And I never would have found the lead I found if I didn't keep trying.

There's a post I saw recently, and I think it's worth sharing here (you know, just to make my ridiculously long reply even longer...)

Whatever your dream is, it is not too late to achieve it. You aren’t a failure because you haven’t found fame and fortune by the age of 21. Hell, it’s okay if you don’t even know what your dream is yet. Even if you’re flipping burgers, waiting tables or answering phones today, you never know where you’ll end up tomorrow.

Never tell yourself you’re too old to make it.

Never tell yourself you missed your chance.

Never tell yourself that you aren’t good enough.

You can do it. Whatever it is.

How are you feeling these days? Anything you can do to sort of refresh yourself? I find a hot, fragrant shower helps me out of a bad funk sometimes.

Meanwhile, I think about giving up a lot because I'm soooooo slowwwwwww, and my art isn't that great yet. I'm hoping a miracle is going to befall me where my backgrounds and anatomy suddenly improve, but the main thing that holds me up is more to do with the fact that finishing a page feels like a MASSIVE accomplishment, and sometimes I wonder, "that's not fair to my viewers".

I'm also getting really worried about not even realizing something I write about needed a sensitivity reader and coming up with something problematic. It's something that holds back a lot of plot points in my story - this fear of hecking up and unknowingly writing about something I shouldn't. :< Makes me wanna just quit while I'm ahead and haven't written about it lol.

More so than giving up, I constantly wanna start over because I'm never satisfied with how a chapter turns out and feel guilty somehow

It's difficult for me to keep up long running plot threads, everytime I think of including one there is strange sense of guilt that's towering over me saying "why aren't you working on it right now? The thread is still going, you're going to leave people confused if you don't explain it already! Write more you lazy dickhole!"

The anxiety struggle is real yo, but this is the path I've chosen and I promised myself to make it worth the ride

To all of you who thought about giving up, kudos for not

About once or twice a day when I am stressed. And a good week about once or twice a week. XD
Writing is hard.

Greetings!

To be honest with you... There are a lot of days I think that. When I lose followers on my art account, when I don't see much traffic or subs on my comic, when I don't get replies on my instagram posts... I guess that the success of others sometimes gets to me. In the other hand, however, I gave up once, and that was horrible.

A few years ago, a had an art block and I was only able to draw and design on demand, because I had to graduate on college. I felt worthless, below average. I even told myself that I was no artist. Then... One day, on one of my bellydance classes, in the middle of a dance workshop, I drew myself in costume. A regalia that I am still going to sew. Bit by bit, I regained confidence.

Being independant is hard, and most of the times we will collect rejections rather than approval; overnight successes are inspiring, but they can be deceitful; our career is a difficult one, we must do everything we can every single day. It's massacrating. However, it is part of the process. Believe in your artwork --- it is good enough! Our career is hard, but you'll manage to get a place for your work. And sometimes it's not on the first try --- some stories, even when they are great, are not what mainstream culture is looking for. Sometimes it is. It's out of our hands, mostly.

But do not give up. Your art is unique and it has its value, its worth and definitely has the attention of people. Keep doing what you are doing in your pace. =)

lately a lot, depression is giving me massive writers block and my art tablet died
And it really feels like no one's interested in my story sometimes. I know it's niche and still new but gosh its still going slower than others comparatively which is really demotivating.

I'm just glad I have a 6 chapter backlog so I'll be able to get back on my feet without a haitus or anything.

Very, very often.
I suffer from pretty severe chronic depression so it's almost a daily thing.

In fact, I've given up a few times, but whenever I do, I end up even more miserable.
Making comics is the 1 thing that keeps me from tipping over the edge.

I still get overwhelmed and want to disappear off the the face of the Earth.
When that happens, I use the 3 day rule.
I give myself 3 days before making any major decision.
I also get help from readers, fans and friends. This has helped a lot too.
I've been running my current project for six years now, my longest project ever.

For drawing and producing my comic? Usually I don't; do I get demotivated or feel a little imposter syndrome here and there yeah but giving up entirely? No just because I use art as a escape from just everyday life so it acts sort of a reliever and not a stressor.

Of course everyone sees it different and I'm sorry you feel that way, It's alright to take a break now and again