Passion or Career? I need your advice

[charliesackett]

I have a conundrum that hopefully some of you who do comics kind of seriously can help me with. Sort of a moral dilemma.

I was approached with an offer to illustrate a comic. It pays modestly but well enough that I didn't scoff outright. (I don't need money that badly, it's just a principle thing)The author said specifically that they would want a collaborator that's passionate about the project.

I want to do comics as a dayjob. That is my end goal of my life. It has been since I was 11. I have a dayjob doing design work that pays very well, but it's not what I want to do forever.
As far as I understand comics, this could be a good entry point to start having a portfolio of professional work that could lead to more work that could lead to my dreams coming true.

But I read the script.

It's okay, but I'm not passionate about it. It's not my favourite genre and it's not at all like I would write, personally.

SO, do I just do it because I think it might help me start a comic career, or do I turn it down so he can find someone who is passionate about the story? Do I lie and say I am passionate about it? What would you do?

[Shanny8]

If you feel that you have to "lie" and you're not passionate about it, pass...

[ZombieOwl]

That's tough. Personally, I've never had a decent paying collab with anyone, so that they can pay you more than peanuts is pretty good.

I do remember doing a comic based on someone's fanfic, though. It was a fandom I liked, the writing was okay, but it felt like it dragged on and on because I didn't like it that much. Couldn't wait to have it over with. (for 30 dA points, if you're wondering DX )

In contrast, the stuff I create for myself and with friends was fun; passion was my fuel! I could churn out pages like crazy

If you can find a way to get both,(a personal project as your career) that's awesome! I just know that any time something starts to feel like a job for me, the passion isn't really there. I think that's how it is for most people.(I'm sure there are people who work in studios feel that way working on someone else's story, too.)

[ar-ninetysix]

I personally don't think there's any reason to work on something you don't care about. I know some people might argue that the experience might matter more. I'd argue that the experience can be tainted and to some extent, not worth it if you're just half-heartedly doing the work. You can always find another writer to work with Seriously, just look at the amount of writers here who want an artist (granted, it seems like a majority just want that art for free, but still lol). You should find a balance, proper pay and something you're interested in. There's no reason you should settle for less than what you feel would make you happy

[feardeer]

I honestly don't think it's cool for employers to ask for "passion" as a job requirement. But that's a big ol' tangent I won't linger on.

Perhaps you can ask them if they're willing to accept input on their writing? If a few changes would make you more interested and improve the story overall, it would be win-win.

[LCT_m_a_d]

Passion is often an overly used buzzword nowadays. It's very flexibile, but doesn't say much. When you say you are or aren't passionate lets be more specific.

You could care about the way the story is written?
You could care about the themes included in the story?
You could care about the characters in the story?
The potential outcome of the vision?
The oportunity to experiment with your ability as a creator?
Etc...

Instead of using ambiguous terms like passion, productivity, purpose etc... its more important to become aware of yourself, and challenge yourself. Once you have answers, "What you should do" will become more obvious than you think.

[Pandastrophic]

The author said specifically that they would want a collaborator that's passionate about the project.

I doubt they'd find anyone if passion is a requirement.

I want to know why is this specific project is so important to your portfolio/career? is the client someone who's in the industry? If you're only doing this project to put on your portfolio then it would be so much better to write your own short story, illustrate it as best as you can and put that on your portfolio instead.

[Rhonder]

Hmm, imo I feel like it mostly hinges on whether you think you'll be able to make quality work for your partner/employer despite not being 100% into it or not.

If you think you can come to terms that it's not your favorite thing in the world, but are still dedicated to making a high quality product out of it then it might be a great opportunity! Realistically speaking it'll be a job, and jobs aren't always all fun all the time. Making money off of comics is difficult as I'm sure you're well aware, and the situation as described seems like an awesome opportunity to get some practice in working in a group, and getting a taste of working as a professional comic artist, and making some money in the process~

If you feel as though your lack of passion will get in the way of making a good comic though, I'd turn down the offer. If you half ass it, it'll be a lose-lose situation. You'll turn out a sub-par piece of work for your portfolio and the author will have paid for something that's not your best work.

Consider, though, that if this comic becomes your job, that you may still have time to work on a passion project of your own on the side. That may well cause drawing burn-out, but it's not unreasonable for web-comic artists to work some sort of day job and work on their comic on the side. This would just be double comics xD

I agree about not lying to the client about being passionate about the script though. I think @feardeer is on the right track with trying to come to some sort of compromise with them to get you both fully on board, if you take the offer

[charliesackett]

The project has a small publishing company behind it, so it's a bit more legitimate looking than just another webcomic. I don't know how the industry works, but I thought having my work backed by a publisher would give it more weight in the future than if my only experience was my webcomic.

[c0ldw1nter]

I want to do comics as a dayjob.

"Job" being the keyword here. I guess that means you're a professional artist. From my point of view, finding a well paid job that you love is a pie in the sky. You should evaluate your choices and take the best job within your reach, as in the best compromise between money and your passion towards it.

If you don't really hate the script, I guess it is a good entry point of a comic artist's career, but I'd still consider a backup plan of another designer job or whatever, should things go wrong. I guess you'll have to lie about being passionate though.

[punkarsenic]

id say turn it down. you want the jobs you take on to reflect your interests as an artist - taking on this job could get you more offers in other jobs you dont really like, and you could end up having a whole career drawing things you wouldnt read if they paid you. which would be ironic.

lots more opportunities will arise, and lots of people now are establishing poetry careers on stuff they write and draw themselves - never feel boxed into an illustration job you dont want to do unless you really need the money, which is a boxing-in situation in general innit

[deltastic]

Extremely tough call. I have a day job, but for a number of years I did artwork freelance full-time professionally, and I still take on projects consistently. Having a day job affords me to only take on projects that I want to. When I did not have that and freelanced entirely, I could not afford to ever be picky.

I think this is less about "passion" and more about what you personally can handle. Will you be okay working on art that you don't want to, that is truly a job, without the "fun" aspects of it? Have you done some small freelance projects to see how you fare? Some people have a very hard time treating art like a job, and can only draw when they are inspired or in the mood. That's important to know who you are and where you fall on that scale.

I've worked on projects I've loved, and projects I've been very so-so about. All of them still turn into jobs that I have to force myself to put in hours on every day. Even if you do love art, you will probably not love every project every moment. A job is still a job.

I'd say that companies look for someone "passionate" about their project just like a job application says "passionate" about their business... like they want you to put in extra work for no extra pay because you're so into it! Hah! So I'd just smile and nod through that. You don't have to love every second for the job to be a good fit. If there are interesting things in the script or subject matter you feel you'll be well suited for, or things you'd like to learn to do, that's important, even if it's something you'd not choose for yourself personally.

Do you want to work on any project, just to be a fulltime artist? Or do you really only want to work on things you truly enjoy? There's no one right way to do it or right answer. Just whatever is the best fit for you. If you want your portfolio going forward to only reflect what you like, then work on only projects that really speak to you. If you want your foot in the door and to prove you can work professionally, go for it! Just be sure they're legitimate and get a contract up front for how payment and possible early cancelation will go.

Best of luck, and congratulations on the job offer, whether you take it or not, that's a great sign even if you turn this one down, I'm sure more will come your way!

[joannekwan]

SO firstly it's nice that it's a paid gig! But now that money is not the issue, do you think you can stick with this project for the extent of its life? Comics are usually a very huge investment for artists. Will you be doing a single issue, book, or the whole series for its foreseeable future? If it's a long-haul, consider having your contract be up for renewal in a year or two of the project's life. Then you can choose to leave it, or stay depending on how you feel about the whole thing.

And you say doing comics as a day job is your dream. Do you mean your own personal stories or like in this case, just providing the art for a writer? Because if you are open to doing art for others, you aren't going to like it all of the time. Unless your are super talented, in high-demand, and can afford to pick and choose each project that comes your way, concepts that are up your alley are hard to come by.

It's hard to find passion in something unless you yourself create it. I think a lot of people who are looking for artists who are passionate about their project (coughlikehereontheforumscough) are disillusioned. Unless they already have a successful IP, it will be a tough road finding a collaborator who is chomping at the bit to start making art for them.

So if I were you, I would consider taking the job if the project isn't too big so as to leave time for my own passion projects, and if I could suggest making the script better as @feardeer mentioned.

[shazzbaa]

Don't lie, but I think it depends on how long it is. Like others have said, it can be hard to put in the amount of effort that comics require if you don't love it, and while that's fine for a 50-100 page story, for something that's gonna go on for five chapters you might regret it.

So I'd be up-front. You don't have to say "no I'm not passionate" but you don't have to say "suuuuure I'm definitely passionate!" either. You can just say you'd be excited for the experience of working with a writer, that you're interested in knowing how much the two of you will be able to collaborate on this work / if you would get to offer any feedback in the creation process if that's something that's important to you, ask to see the contract and how long the project is projected to be, and see how the writer feels.

If you just say "well, I'm interested in the project and interested in working with a writer on something!!" and the writer goes "NO THATS NOT PASSIONATE ENOUGH FOR ME, YOU MUST TRULY LOVE MY WORK, IT MUST BE MORE THAN A JOB" then you have dodged a bullet, my friend.

[IM17MI]

I would pass to be honest.... the best way to develop a comic with someone is if you and the writer can sit, discuss and build the story together. If it is already built then you have no liberty or vote in the matter...I wouldn't do it. I worked on a
manga project once and it was great cuz me , my colleague and the writter would all sit together and build the story together. We pointed mistakes at each other which makes the whole thing a lot better. It was fun.
If you do this and you don't enjoy it then it's going to be a pain for you drawing is hard is if you don't love what you're doing...

[shazzbaa]

the best way to develop a comic with someone is if you and the writer can sit, discuss and build the story together.

I think this is a matter of personal preference! If I want to have a part in building a story, then I would....... just draw my own story. If a writer is hiring me, then a writer that says "I want you to be able to have input in this story!" is a red flag for me, because that means they're expecting me to do a lot more work than just art. They want me as a story consultant, too, but it's very unlikely they're paying me extra for that. I want them to have a good story already, so I can just interpret and illustrate it!!

For a lot of other people, that's a positive and not a red flag at all, because both artist and writer are looking for a partner to build something together that they can both be excited about!! But it depends on what you're looking for.

[IM17MI]

True that. It's a personal preference.