I think one of the biggest differences is the shift in expectations.
When you're younger and just starting out, art is something you do purely for fun. You pick up the pen only when you feel like it, and you draw whatever you want. If you go weeks without drawing, it doesn't really matterāthereās no guilt, no pressure.
But as you get older and decide to post a comic you hope will gain tractionāwhere frequent, consistent updates are importantāyouāre suddenly learning a new skill: how to draw even when you donāt feel like it. That shift can take a toll and start to negatively affect how you see your art.
Itās especially hard when youāre putting in so much effort and getting very little external reward. Thereās no āat least Iām getting paid for thisā like there is with a regular 9-to-5 to help ease the frustration.
But motivation is also discipline a skillāsomething you can build. Learning to draw without motivation, or figuring out how to create your own motivation, is a real and valuable part of the process.
Your right in that it does become a job, which means doing it even when you don't want to. Versus when your younger were it was just a hobby.
