I can’t make anything original enough for my comics! What can I do?

[thetrivyadeabhb2]

How can I get help, when I get jealous of all the people out there who do better drawings, artworks and comics than me? And how can I draw and write comics or animate, but I don’t have the time to do anything before making it to the deadline? I have drawn and made a person happy despite my terrible drawing but I made something and unleashed it out there to a friend to see (a birthday comic zine). But on the other hand everything’s becoming really strict and I can’t monetize or copyright my stuff because I have to know the date, year, and person, I have to know everything about my work before I do copyright and make everyone happy so that it can be monetized to me. Nothing is original enough with my works and whenever I make something and try to finish it, someone else does my work better than me and I reject it and toss it away in the garbage so that I can change up the work and do it better! To make everything even more worse, animation companies are doing unfair things to the creators that started it all (Vailskibum videos, life of animators/creators/funding getting even more worse, exaggeration and bias!, etc). All I just want is to be a better creator but what can I do?

[skullforceagents]

How do you define original?

[thetrivyadeabhb2]

Original, as in everything about the plot characters story is one hundred percent original (nothing copied or copyrighted artwork)! everything has to be perfect, why?!?
Too many people as me this question and I know it why well enough! Also A.I. I can’t deal it anymore I can’t try using it, but ai is everywhere and it’s out of my control! Now people can’t travel as much via immigration status via social media/SNS and people and the news are always going to be crazy negative and skyrocket out of my control! What can I do?!

[Oriflamme]

Why are you worried about copyright and originality? You might believe there is nothing new under the sun, but you're wrong, a version made by you does not exist yet. Sometimes when it comes to art, copying something exactly is harder than it looks. During the creation process, you will inevitably leave your own unique fingerprint.

Also, if you steal from 1 source, it’s plagiarism, but if you steal from multiple varied sources and mix them all together, nobody will notice.

[annuskabriar]

Nothing is truly original, as other people have said. If you're making your own comics and publishing them online, YOU choose the deadlines. some people go on hiatuses for months! its their call, if they need it. and you don't need to be good at art to make a comic - and I don't know if you are or aren't good at art - its enough of a reason to make one because you want to. but if you want to get better at art, just practice! practice a lot. practice the same things over and over again. etc

also, its worth mentioning that people will even make like, warrior cat fan comics and stuff (with their own characters) and post them places like tapas. you wouldnt be able to monetize that without making it original, of course, but my point is even if want to do something like that you can absolutely still make and post it places

[kyupol]

Lol everything has already been done by now. Originality no longer exists. It's all about mixing and matching different ideas now

[dan_thepainter]

(post withdrawn by author, will be automatically deleted in 24 hours unless flagged)

[jwabeasley]

If you want to be able to make stories or art that are more unique, you have to find a current outside of the mainstream - yes even further than standard alt culture. Really get out there where you can think an original thought, or at least a rare one. That space is different for everyone, but for me I look at a work of media that I like, then research the author to find out what inspired them, read that work, find out what inspired that author until you find the true origin of many ideas and creative currents, which have almost always proven to be far more unique than their derivatives. I also recommend getting into weird esoteric philosophy and alt-alt-religion for some genuine weirdness.

To improve your skills, you just need to deliberately and diligently practice them. Anyone can reach proficiency in most skills just by putting in the hours.

To improve your art (as separate from skills) I recommend doing something hard, that brings you suffering, but that is worthwhile.

If you achieve all three pillars, you will be an original and capable artist with something worth saying. The rest will fall into place.

[moontokkym]

Hey friend
I'm late but it looks like you're in a panic spiral and catastrophising, like it seems like everything that has ever worried you is coming at you all at once.

Take some time to breathe and remind yourself you're ok.

You don't have to be good at everything right now and you don't have to be perfect, ever.

Don't pick up AI, that's the one thing along with giving up that will guarantee you never get good. As long as you draw and write yourself, you will improve.

Copyright is afforded to you and your human-made artwork at point of creation by default, you don't need any legal papers. If you are self-publishing a physical copy of a book all you need is an ISBN number, but if you're not yet, that's not a now problem.

Drawing and writing should be fun, not nerve racking. You need to take some pressure off yourself.

If you aren't making the deadlines you set yourself: try making longer deadlines. Judging by these posts there's a good chance you're not giving yourself adequate time to make good art.

Don't expect monetisation. Earning a living off of art is difficult and takes a long time to get off the ground. You can work part time jobs alongside art while you find your art legs.

TLDR: To be a better creator, take the pressure off yourself, allow yourself time and space to create, and don't expect results overnight. There will always be someone you think is better than you, and that's a blessing, because there will always be someone to inspire you and show you new ways of creating. You're going to be ok if you just breathe.

[Lensing]

The only thing you have to change is your negative mental attitude.
Get off the internet and stop reading about AI and stop the envy towards
other creators. Start training your craft seriously and with passion

[thepenmonster]

I get jealous of all the people out there who do better drawings, artworks and comics than me?

There's always going to be someone better than you at everything you do in life. You will also be that person who is better than someone else.

But on the other hand everything’s becoming really strict and I can’t monetize or copyright my stuff because I have to know the date, year, and person, I have to know everything about my work before I do copyright and make everyone happy so that it can be monetized to me

Whu?

Nothing is original enough with my works

People don't want original. They want a slight variation on whatever they like already.

So if you make a Tapas Princess Comic, turn the prince into a furry. They get what they want and you will get praised for being "original".

To make everything even more worse, animation companies are doing unfair things to the creators that started it all

Businessmen are all shitbags. They'll never become good people so what can ya do beyond wheeling out the guillotines? Engage with them or don't.

All I just want is to be a better creator but what can I do?

Create. Then create again.

REMEMBER: Life is shit, but the only alternative is death. So say, "Fek it!" and live the best way you can.

[Leyelle]

If you just want to be a better creator, don't start by thinking about monetizing, start by figuring out what story you want to tell and what skills you need to tell it, then focus on that. the best way to deal with your stress about your work not being "good enough" is to remember that you created works for yourself, not for anyone else. and keep in mind that no one can express your ideas better than you can, so that's not really a risk. Yes, there will be similar stories in the world, and if you feel your story isn't original, you may want to develop the plot more. The thought I keep in mind is that you should feel like you HAVE to share a story. That's what will help you stay dedicated to writing the story no matter how difficult it is and how little attention it gets. Chances are if you improve and are consistent you'll find readers eventually, but if you write only with getting money from your writing in mind you probably will be disappointed for a long time and that will make it hard to stay motivated. I've been writing professionally for 4 years, and I can tell you from experience that successes (getting pieces professionally published) is difficult and these successes are generally far between, but I still love writing so I keep going.

Write because it makes you happy, write because it's how you express yourself, write because you want to make people smile, and your motivation will never peter out.

Also, be patient with yourself, there's no need to stress about deadlines for non-professional work when you're just starting out. Give yourself time and build a buffer for your story before you start releasing it so you can feel less stressed.