Is making comics even worth it?

XiuLyn_12 2023-03-20 04:09:31 UTC #1

This is more of a vent, so please feel free to share if you're feeling the same way. (p.s my English is not that great, but I hope you understand what I'm trying to say)

I've been feeling that making comics is a waste of time. Don't get me wrong; I still love making comics. Yet I keep getting thoughts that I'm not good enough, people dislike my genre/story, and it would be better if I just stopped.
Is this a sign of burnout? Or are my thoughts true?

As a freelancer, I have all the time in the world to make comics.
A story might take over a year to complete, but if it isn't fruitful in some way, is it worth it?
When I see that it took me over a week to finish a short chapter, it makes me think that I should be doing something more productive (which I'm not even sure what).

I may not provide some context as to why I don't seem to have any other hobbies I can do. It's because of personal and family problems that led me to only depend on art. To those who have passed this phase or still working on it, what's your solution to this problem, or how do you cope?

RedLenai 2023-03-20 04:16:15 UTC #2

Why are you making a comic? Like, think carefully about it
Then based on your answer, think about what could you do to either improve the situation or achieve whatever that reason may be.

I have felt that way several times, but mostly back when I was living at my mother's house, the reason was simple, she was the one filling my head, I had money yet she didn't want me to use it on the house, I made money yet she didn't see I could live from this.

I personally believe that you're burnout, your thoughts could be true if you're going nowhere with your work, again based on the reason why you're making comics.

Short chapters take time, yeah I take two weeks for a 20 panel chapter, basically 4 pages but well, I also have commissions to do, fanart from the shows I watch and enjoy and sometimes silly stuff that I want to do for myself or friends.

I believe you should also try to expand the things you depend on, otherwise you're going to oversaturate yourself and then you'll think you're wasting your time just because you had this only thing to rely on but now you can't seem to enjoy it properly.

teacupcatmeow 2023-03-20 04:17:07 UTC #3

I just find friends who are invested so I can feel like I’m not alone. That there is someone else who cares. I think that’s what we all want, someone to find meaning. <3

But yeah, I totally understand your pain. It becomes like a monster whenever you stare at the time. I just start wondering if I should just quit.

Katzalcoatl 2023-03-20 04:23:49 UTC #4

I have a different mentality so it might help you.

I started my stories for myself. As a way to read something I wanted to read but it did not exist yet.

After that I hope my stories help at least 1 person.
If I have 1 fan and the rest of the world hates my work I am fine with that. I think it is worth helping that 1 person by entertaining them or giving them some comfort from the harsh reality we call life.

Like @RedLenai said, you have to ask yourself why are you making the story?
If you have a mentality of making a story only to become famous then you will have a bad time.

You don't need a reason like mine but you can also have a simple reason like wanting to improve your skills. Or just a side hobby. But the main reason has to bring you (the author) some sort of joy.

Another thing I learned from some streamers is... don't get obsessed with likes, followers, and/or comments. Look at them in a casual manner. We all have likes and dislikes. The moment you become obsessed your mental health will take a toll.

cherrystark 2023-03-20 04:42:12 UTC #5

One thing I've learned from online fiction is that if you want to succeed in the long run, you have to think like a business owner. I feel safe in assuming this extends to comics as well. If you weren't prepared for the stress of running a business, it can lead to burn out.

Now, I am not saying give up your comic or even art all together but find something else out of your normal scope that breaks up your day. For example, when it's warm, I go on frequent walks or ride my bike. I know this extends into the "hobby" territory but studies have shown that exercise is a great stress reliever. I also encourage stepping away outside of your bubble because it helps generate new ideas for when you're feeling blocked.

Once you've broken up your regular routine, decide if your main series is worth the energy right now. If you can't keep up the momentum, put it on the back burner. You can decide if you want to start a new idea or just doodle to keep the juices flowing.

After a little while, when your body and mind are in a better place it's easier to determine if what your feeling is burnout or nerves.

Shanny8 2023-03-20 04:46:32 UTC #6

My reason for making comics has always been, that I make comics coz I've always wanted to- even with the fact that you dont make as much money being a professional comic artist unless you hit that zone where you become a really popular artist...not everyone is going to become a Jim Lee, a Rumiko Takahashi, a John Byrne, or a Stuart Immonen but making comics is something that I've always wanted to do nevertheless.

Besides I don't see myself being personally happy doing anything else. I've been working all sorts of jobs since graduating high school, and none of them can match the serenity(or the seratonin) that I get when I'm really dialed in to making a comic. I've been working a day job at a place since 2011; the money is okay now where I can survive, but that's about it...there are more days I loathe going in than not, but I stay working until I can get a better position in my comic endeavors.

I do feel the material I make does entertain readers and I have some weight as a storyteller; the only thing I need to is try to make it grow.

THIS. I guess that is one of the things I try to not be sucked into; not gonna say I'm immune to sit, but from time to time I have to remind myself that all I can do is make the material, appreciate the feedback, and try to not get overly caught up [or too emotionally invested] in it.

Lensing 2023-03-20 06:18:22 UTC #7

I´m a freelancer since a long time and an artist and musician all my life.

I differ between passion projects and money making projects and in my experience/case
the passion projects don´t make any money. For some lucky ones the passion projects
maybe make a lot of money but that´s not the case for me.

Making comics is a passion for me and I don´t care about making money but I use it as stepping
stone to money making projects.
One example: I won a comic book contest, the comic got printed, I got a newspaper article and
job offers, one of the job offers is to work as a comic drawing teacher for kids and that´s what
I´m doing from may on.

Creating comics, writing stories, writing songs etc only works for me when I don´t think about
selling or a target audience. I only create things that I want to create for myself. If someone else
likes it then that´s good.

Making illustrations is something else for me, I illustrate the idea of that person, they pay me.
In most cases I don´t like the idea and wouldn´t come up with that idea. It´s something similiar in
music, the fun jobs happen in a small club where you don´t earn money and then you play on
a huge company party and nobody listens and you earn a lot of money. Worst jobs=most money.
You have to be careful that the money making jobs don´t drain you out, it happened to me once
when I was 25, just finished a show playing in front of 8 grannies in a café and got paid 500 bucks
after the show, I went home and quit the band the next week because I couldn´t do it anymore, but
that´s a different story, sorry for off topic

XiuLyn_12 2023-03-20 06:34:49 UTC #8

@RedLenai

I did other things around art too. I enjoy making fanarts and random short comics. But again, the thought of my not doing enough is still lingering. I'm starting to think that the reason I make art has shifted from the day I start. I appreciate you asking why I'm making comics. I seriously need to think this through.

@teacupcatmeow

Maybe I should too. I wish I had a small community or group that would talk about things we love. I barely have a friend for a while now. Maybe I should try to go out more. Thank you.

@Katzalcoatl

I agree with this 100%, but unfortunately, I may have fall down to this hole. My sister does art too. I think it's the reason I start comparing and hoping I'd be as successful in numbers as her (yes, she has more engagements and views than me). I tried my best not to be jealous, it's just hard sometimes. Thank you for giving me a pov from a different mentality, you're very strong.

@cherrystark

Fortunately, my current comic is almost finished. Then I can try new things. I'm not sure what to do besides art since it's what I do for a long time without trying new things. I really hope I'll find other things I enjoy (that I do, haha). Thank you!

XiuLyn_12 2023-03-20 06:46:01 UTC #9

@Shanny8

Yes, I agree. It's starting to eat me up too much. I wish I don't have to overthink everything. Thank you for telling me your thoughts.

@Lensing
I started doing art as a hobby. Knowing that art is probably the only thing I'm good at, I started to use it as a money-making hobby. It kinda ruined the joy a bit, especially when I realized I wouldn't live if I only made money through what I love. It's extremely frustrating sometimes. I suppose I need to sit and think for a while. I don't want to hate art. Thank you for telling me your story. I'm proud of the things you achieved!

Katzalcoatl 2023-03-20 07:02:45 UTC #10

It's not that I am strong per se but I have been down that rabbit hole. It created an addiction to social media and other apps. I had to take a step back and abandon social media and the other apps. It worked! I started learning from my mistakes and watched advice from famous youtubers.

Hang in there and don't compare yourself to others. You are doing an amazing job. I like your style. Numbers do not define us. We all can take a step and fall down but we need to keep getting up to get to our destination.

Don't let these silly little bumps of life keep you down. Take life by the horns and make it yours.

XiuLyn_12 2023-03-20 07:08:23 UTC #11

I may or may not teared up, lol! Thank you so much for your kind words~

Lensing 2023-03-20 07:31:05 UTC #12

I can relate to that a lot and it´s a constant struggle.

I often find myself hating the illustration jobs, it´s very rare that I have customers who
want me to draw something that I like. Some of the wishes are really horrible and then
they want all colors of the rainbow in the coloring it´s really bad sometimes.

But there are many ways to make money and I hope you will never lose the love and passion for art

jesonrizabal 2023-03-20 07:40:32 UTC #13

I have a story about why I make comics. When I was a freshman, I used to draw comics in my notebook, and one of my classmates would always read them and borrow my notebook. He was my first and only reader.

I was able to finish an entire season using the same method. I realized it's not about how many people read your comics, how much money you can make from them, or how famous you will become.

It's all about how you bring your own story to life. Remember, you have great stories in your head that no one else can tell.

You improve as you write. You write again, and you get better. The same can be said for my first and current webcomic. I started with terrible drawings, but I was determined to tell this story. While telling the story, I can learn as well.

Hope this inspires you.

Here's my comic if you really want to see how terrible I have drawn first then improved along the way:

teacupcatmeow 2023-03-20 07:47:24 UTC #14

I recommend the Tapas discord for making comic friends, or, if you’d like, I can make a gc with my friends and invite you? That’s only if you feel uncomfortable talking to people without help. I promise, we are all very nice

XiuLyn_12 2023-03-20 08:36:20 UTC #15

@Lensing
Thank you! I will not lose my passion for art.

@jesonrizabal
Thank you for telling me how you start making comics! It reminds me of one of the reasons I started as well!

@teacupcatmeow
Awee, thank you so much for considering me to join your gc! I will definitely consider it!

moontokkym 2023-03-20 09:31:09 UTC #16

Short answer: If you're making a comic for anything other than your own pleasure, no, it's not worth it.

It's not worth it for the money (even successful comic artists in traditional publication need second jobs to survive, never mind online folks), it's not worth it for the recognition because the only guarantee is that people will look at your drawing for about 2 seconds when it took you hours to draw, it's not worth it for the fame because that takes a huge amount of luck as well as your effort and no one is guaranteed luck...

Not only that, it's one of the most time consuming forms of art after 2D animation, the average person and even artist rarely recognises how time consuming it is (hence why you're so surprised at the time it takes to produce a short chapter, it really does take that long for most people with similar styles). It has to be worth it to you to be able to tell your story and reread it back and strive to improve your art and storytelling before it's worth anything to anyone else.

The feeling you're describing does seem a little like the start of a burnout, if you're also:
- feeling exhausted to the extreme with little to no reason for that feeling
- having difficulty focusing on tasks
- irritable, or with frequent mood swings
- thinking/worrying about a task when you're not doing it, but once you get the opportunity to do it you can't
- want to do a lot of things but have no energy to do them
- feeling worthless, or like you are failing because you are resting while everyone else is productive

It might be burnout or a symptom of a wider problem.

Unfortunately for burnout the only real solution is to force yourself to rest and also force yourself to not feel guilty for resting. If you don't have other hobbies than art, you can try doing different type of art that has nothing to do with any project and never will. Like if you're a mainly digital artist, get a notebook, go outside and draw some of the flowers or vegetation you can see there. If it's ugly, good, that's what it's there for. Just take your mental foot off the gas pedal for a bit

XiuLyn_12 2023-03-20 10:21:08 UTC #17

This is a fact that's very difficult for me to accept. It's funny how people around me with similar interests somehow got more luck than me, and it's shitty to compare myself with my family and friends because I have no intention of hating them.

I hope it isn't a symptom worse than burnout. Thank you for your suggestions, you're very helpful! I do need some time to breathe and away from my schedule (Though not feeling guilty will be another challenge).

darthmongoose 2023-03-20 10:28:45 UTC #18

You need to be kind to yourself.

We've all been there, with launching a comic, hoping everyone's going to love it, feeling like this is the one, this one's gonna go places, and then seeing the numbers and going "...Oh... Oh no... is... is my comic actually bad? Am I just wasting my time?"
I had to get over the fact that Errant, while it's a side earner, isn't a massive hit of a comic. It's got a small, dedicated readership, but it's probably never going to have the sort of mass appeal where making it is my job... and that can suck to think about, because ah man... I love making Errant, I really do think it's my best work. I still remember the time I asked some people with a big Tapas following about it, and somebody was like "Ah, no, yeah that type of thing isn't fashionable, it's probably not going to get a big audience Tapas" my vision blurred for a second and I felt like I was going to faint or throw up. It was that hard a thing to hear after all the work I put in.
...But I chose to continue anyway and to see what I could do with a comic like this. It's made me some money, it gets me a bit on the side on Patreon, and the kickstarter went okay so... even if it's not going to get a Netflix series any time soon, or pay my rent... you know, it's okay!

No comic is ever a waste of time. Every comic you make will teach you something, and every comic, as part of your portfolio, has the potential to lead to bigger things.

You have a pretty good looking comic, and you've gained over a hundred subs and a thousand likes. That's a solid start.

Consider doing a review of your progress so far. Sit down and write on some notes or paper, or in a document a list of things that you really like about your comic and feel proud of, things that went down well with the audience or that people commented on, and then things you feel like you could improve on.
If you're feeling up for it, you could ask for reviews on the forums or discord (but I know this can be scary, so no pressure!).
Then you'll have a better overview of where to go from here, and what might be involved in making a comic to build a bigger audience and making money, so you can decide if that's what you want to aim at, or if you want to just do comics for fun, or try something else for a while.

It might be that all you really need is a little holiday for personal development. Just some time to read some art and comics books, try some different drawing techniques and to brainstorm fresh stories or approaches to promotion.

RedLenai 2023-03-20 11:27:35 UTC #19

Welcome to the bandwagon then, still, it'll be important to ask yourself...
"Why do you need to do enough" "What is enough?" "Who is saying what is enough?"

If you can do something just because you do enjoy it then that's enough of a reason.

Truth to be told, you're going to be enough for a lot of people but sadly those are the ones that would least say it, but you will never be enough for yourself.
Take your time to reconnect with your webcomic or story in general, give yourself some time from it, distancing a bit is still healthy.

Maybe is because you're almost finishing with your story you're actually dealing with the duel of it finishing. You're closing a stage in life, even if you think it's actually... something way smaller than a break up, losing a friend, etc. So it's only logical to be approached by the realization of coming back "to the real world" and thinking about that time spent or finally being able to see who is around you during that event (from readers, to friends to colleages, etc)

TroyVSTheWorld 2023-03-20 11:35:55 UTC #20

I'm a punk rocker and this mindset stands for everything I'm against