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Mar 2023

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?

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    Mar '23
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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

@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. :slight_smile:

@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. :slight_smile:

@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!

@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. :slight_smile:

@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! :slight_smile:

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.

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

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 :smiley: 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

Hi

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:

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 :blush:

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

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

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

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

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. :disappointed_relieved: 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). :smile:

You need to be kind to yourself. :coffee_love:

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.

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)

Luck is all about being in the right place at the right time. Luck is only one factor. You need to work hard as well. Success is about having both. I am a firm believer of creating my own luck. :wink:

If i can't get super lucky then I will work fifty times as much to compensate the lack of luck.
Does that mean working 24/7? No!!! Many people don't know this but that is highly inefficient. In order to work harder you have to work less.

Wait what?! Yup, you have to take breaks every 45 minutes. You can't work 5 or 6 times a week on the same thing. You shouldn't work 8 hours straight per day.

What should I do then? Work smart. Create a grantt chart. Think of ways to promote yourself. Grantt charts will help you work on multiple things at the same time while preventing your brain from getting a burnout. The charts will also help you plan your breaks.

What happens if I am behind my own schedule? Grantt charts help you plan that by having a buffer zone for each of your activities.

What happens if I am ahead of schedule? Relax for a few days. Don't start working again. Don't be a work addict it will only hinder the quality of your work.

I have studied your series. Roughly 1 out of 9 views leave a like. That is way above average! :hype_01: It is competing with some of the best series tapas has, on a view/like ratio. You started posting without a regular schedule and each time you finished a chapter you posted it instead of waiting to release it.
As time went on this affected your schedule and now you roughly post every 10 days. I will say that those looks like signs of a burnout. And there is nothing wrong with that. My suggestion is to finish this next story and take a break for yourself. Forget about drawing on a schedule for at least a week or two. Just announce a seasonal break or something. You have the advantage of how your series is divided into stories.

I will also suggest you keep each story shorter than 22 chapters. It seems the last story which is lobger than the previous ones is already burning you out.

P.S. Your ko-fi and patreon are not really visible unlike how you promote your instagram.

P.S.S. I saw 0 explanation of the perks on your ko-fi. You might want to add them so people know what they are. Your patreon perks don't create a good incentive for your fans to use it. You need to create a tier that really wants to make them feel like they will get a clear advantage by buying it. (For more info I can dm you what I mean if you want).

Forgot to mention this. But sometimes when we lose our spark/inspiration it is good to go back to our origins. Go back to what made you want to start your comic. What did innocent XiuLyn want by starting their series?

Don't forget, if you feel like it is time to finish your project and start a new one then go ahead and do it. Nothing ties us to continue working on a single series for life. But be sure to do it on your own terms. Not just because your brain starts doubting itself (scumbag brains at 3 am amiright?).

And hey you have a fan in me of your art style. Can't judge your stories as I haven't given myself the time to read them. But your art is one of the things I like seeing. Even if the world one day hates it, I will still like it. :hype_01: Keep in touch love I may one day need your art. :smug_01: :supicious_stache: :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Hey dont worry friend, making comics its a great journey that take time, in my case I cant even do a chapter per week cause now Im working fully on my translations on an English version, what ypu need to do its promote your comic in everyplace that you can! Create a Twitter, Instagram or even a Tiktok account and start from that! You will see how people will come eventually! Trust the process and make contacts here, do some collabs when you want and, this will helps a lot!! Trust in yourself! :green_heart::blush: and take breaks if you need too!

I also feel this a lot of the time. I basically gave up my gamedev hobby completely for comics, and although I still feel the urge to make a game every once and a while I recognize that I'm WAY worse at gamedev, and I like the real version of making comics, as opposed to the idealized version of gamedev. Anyways, this isn't about that.

I made my first comic a few months ago, and it took me about a year to finish the whole thing. My friends and one or two people enjoyed it, which I cherish, and then it completely dropped off the face of the earth. That's expected.

The moral of the story isn't that I should've just made something popular, divested most of my time into marketing, or that I shouldn't have made a comic if it was going to take that long. The moral of the story is, even knowing this, I would never want to have that time back. I had made something that was mine, something that I wanted to make for a very long time, and I finally got to going and made it, and now the story is out in the world and isn't just thoughts inside my head. My art improved, my writing improved, and I had fun making it.

So maybe making comics is a waste of time, and maybe people don't like your genre/story, but so what? You made something, and you're bringing your ideas to something physical. That's a lot better than a lot of people can say. I believe that comics are a really fast way to improve, because you're making tons of little drawings of unique situations and figures. When I started, I had no idea how to draw pigs and other animals. ..I still kind of don't, but I'm way better than when I started, and if it wasn't for this comic I would've never even attempted to draw anything other than humans. No matter how bad you think your story is, or how your art looks to your eyes, you're trying something, which means it's fruitful.

I have some advice for the feeling you're currently having, and I think your burnout hunch may be correct. Taking breaks is really good for dealing with that, and even big authors take breaks sometimes. I wish you all the best on your comic journey :pray:

Best of luck! I seriously recommend taking walks. It can be tedious at first but it's a great way to get outside and explore your city.

THIS. I think that is partially one of the reasons why I havent started doing commissions or opened myself to taking illustration gigs. I want to work on something that gives me life, not "draw my pet" or "draw a Black man in [slave] chains"(YES I used to get asked to do this back in the late 90s- and "not my thing" was the answer)- basically surmising that I don't care to work on things that don't spark a creative interest or passion in me, coz I know I'll hate it and I won't put my best energy into it.

It's the same with comics, where some person might've asked me to be their artist on an idea they had and it be like some old 1930s-1950s type superhero-ish material where everything makes me cringe, and I'm just like "I'm a little busy right now"

I do want to eventually work with someone on a collaborative thing, but AFTER I finish the ton of stuff I have and can devote that free time to a thing like that; of course I'm gonna picky as hell about it as well. :joy:

The nail on the head. I've gone through this(or been going through this) since 2017; I've taken breaks(currently on a hiatus since 2019) and I can say it has helped(I've remastered my print only comic and drawn/created stuffs for print)...I'm not at full power, but the rest has allowed me to focus and tackle smaller projects.

I hope everyone who feels the symptoms I've listed can take time to rest and demystify the idea of productivity as a requirement to do... anything, really. You're still a fine human being even if you don't churn out stuff.

I also mentionned that they may be symptoms of a wider problem because a couple of them are also found in ADHD and depression. I was also listing the symptoms from memory from what I had while I was in burnout, but I was specifically in what's called autistic burnout, so some symptoms may not apply (or be less noticeable) to neurotypical people. It means that if you only have some of the symptoms on the list and other symptoms that are not, it might be a good idea to do some research or even contact a psychiatric healthcare provider to talk about it if that's an option for you. Everyone deserves peace of mind.

Basically my solution was to rest and get a bunny so that I can always remember that real life and my and my rabbit's wellbeing is way more important than any productivity quota.

I just write the outline then sketch for a couple months whenever I can and release the episodes in digital. I don’t know if this is healthy is this healthy?

I mean I’m not really worried about building an audience yet I’m just wanting to just finish my stuff and get it done, have it be ready. It’s a slow process for me but writing comics and drawing is such a joy to me!

You can't really judge what's healthy just by that but a good barometer is:
- Is this rythm sustainable (i.e. would you feel generally ok keeping this rythm up for a very long time, years for example)?
- Are you feeling any type of dread, worry, fear, or guilt about your comic/your worth as a comic creator when you are not working on it?
- Are you experiencing physical symptoms such as joint pain in your writing hand, wrist, or arm?

Basically if you answer "yes, no, no" likelyhood is you have a healthy relationship with your work. It's not guaranteed, there's only three questions, but basically with those 3 answers it's likely that you're not overworking yourself, you body can physically take the strain of the work at your current pace and mentally it's not affecting your mental well-being outside of when you're working on it, so if you ever do get overwhelmed, you can just take a break and be ok.

I know I was dealing with depression between late September 2020 and March 2021(right after my dad died). In fact I only did ONE art project in 2021(a logo design that I was commissioned to do). I didnt start really getting back into my art stuffs until last year...some of that wasn't the depression; there was still some remnants/cobwebs from the small episodes of burnout that I had in 2017 and 2019(the reason why I'm on hiatus).

I haven’t necessarily found a solution to this problem. But I think I found a way to cope.

I’ll never forget, when I posted my first webcomic online back in 2017, I thought to myself, “my comic is gonna take the world of webcomics by storm”. Despite the fact that they were hand drawn and traditional, I was expecting quite a decent following. Well, my bubble got burst real fast. When I reached out to other artists, I was slammed with criticisms left and right. It led me to be discouraged, but it also gave me knowledge that I needed to be aware of: to actually try and make something worthwhile telling not only through writing, but by art as well. So I spent the next several years plotting and slowly developing better art skills and writing. So then, when the time came to release my first digital comic back in 2020, I thought, “this is going to be the one that really takes off”. That wasn’t the case either.

A part of me is so passionate about my work that even when I do better in my storytelling, I sometimes get upset that it’s not gaining enough traction. I also get tempted to ask the same people who give me criticisms that I fix why they don’t come back to the story for a second time. Or even when I post a new picture here on the forums or social media, why it doesn’t gain a lot of interest. At times it seems as if people are avoiding me at all costs which makes me feel like I’m being singled out by people who I thought wanted to at least help me and watch me succeed in anticipation for my next great project.

I really don’t know where I was going with this, but whenever I have these intrusive thoughts of not being worthy of pursuing my stories on this platform, I remind myself of this: if your creativity is driven by a desire to get attention, you are never going to be creatively fulfilled. Forget what others think, if you enjoy it, great! I’ve found that so many people create art for for the sole purpose of getting likes, algorithm and followers on Instagram, to be a people pleaser. It’s intoxicating!

If you're insecure about your comics, I might suggest not posting online for a while. Enjoy it because that’s what art is for. If you hate it too, find better inspirations and “borrow” them so no one catches you did. Find 10-20 good inspirations for your type of storytelling. Just keep going. That’s all any of us can do.

If you're thinking about it as a source of income, no, it's not worth it for the 90% of authors, who either don't get paid for making comics or get very little money out of it.
As a way to improve your art skills however, I'd say yes, you'll be "forced" to improve when drawing a comic:

Drawing the same character over and over consistently,
making backgrounds,
applying perspective, shadow and light,
creating character design's,
planning the writting and dialogue of your stories.

These are some of the many aspects you'll need to work on to get your comic done, if you just drew whatever you wanted, there's a chance to neglect some of these aspects, for example: "I'm not good at drawing backgrounds, so I'll avoid drawing them". When making a comic, you can't avoid certain aspects of art, that'll make your skills better and more well rounded than just drawing whatever.

@darthmongoose

Thank you for saying this. I should be more appreciative of my progress! :smile: I may have dwelled in my negative thoughts to realize the solid start you mentioned. Thank you for reminding me. :slight_smile:

@Katzalcoatl

It surprised me because I thought if I worked on my comic non-stop, I could work faster when in reality, I got slower! I'll keep this in mind and will take some time to rest.

Regarding my Ko-fi and Patreon, I understand that I didn't provide enough perks for people to subscribe to me. I planned to close it and create a better offer in the future! :smiley:

This is so sweet! :sob::yellow_heart: I'm glad you like my art style, I've been a bit insecure about it, but you helped me a lot! Thank you! :yellow_heart:

Having a relaxed brain can do so many wonders. The brain is like a muscle in that sense. If you go to the gym and workout your whole body everyday it will eventually give out. There are times you need to take a whole week to fully recover. And it does wonders. The brain is the same in that sense it needs time to rest.

And yes your art is awesome. I will say it as many times as I need to. :triumph:

@SargentAlchemist

Thank you so much! I've been planning on doing collabs if I have the opportunity! It sounds fun :smile:

@JaveCraze

This made me feel a lot better! :sob: I shouldn't have been too focused on doing what other people like.

Thank you so much! I wish you the best in your work as well! :yellow_heart:

@AmazementComics

Thank you for reminding me of this! I need to get out of this mindset asap! :sob:

This topic is so very relate-able.

I also am going through a very shitty phase, it makes me feel really bipolar lately, I cried myself to sleep last night lol I'm a very emotional person and I do suffer inferiority complex since childhood. It's like an endless circle when you fall and then you get up again in hope the things are going to work better for you if you keep on trying.

Before I decided to make my own comic I haven't had the burnout phases so often the way I do now. It's really hard to overcome the feel like you're an utter failure. I have never dedicated myself to a course so passionately the way I do about my comic, what burns me the most I also feel like no one cares about my comic and I seem to be the only one who cares about it.

How to cope? It's hard to say, it's like a rollercoaster you fall down and then you get up again. I love creating my time, it's like the time is used well and I feel proud of it but the lack of interaction of readers is literally burning me alive :joy:

I make my comic because it's years I want to tell this story. I practiced making sketches, studied the lore of the setting, I'm also learning some social marketing skills to better promote it! If I can't be published because editors in my country aren't good, I want at least to gain some cents and get readers on my own.

It's difficult to keep me motivated sometimes, especially when I have to prepare the pages in the free time from my job. I try to cheer up looking to the results I get, not focusing too much on the dashboard data

It took me a long time to learn and come to terms with this, but if you go in with the expectation that your story is going to take off or if you're too focused on numbers you're only going to get frustrated and feel dissatisfied. This is easier said than done of course, something you have to come to terms with yourself. It took me starting a project that I loved so much that I don't care nearly as much about numbers as I did with SPIRE. Of course I want people to read it, but at the same time working on it is also fulfilling in its own way. SPIRE wasn't, unfortunately.

I don't write for the tens of thousands of people not reading.
I write for the (currently) twenty-five people who are.
It's not even all on one series.
I just want to bring these stories to life.