Staying motivated and gaining motivation back: share your tricks!

[SandraMJ]

I believe the title is pretty self explicative, but I'll explain my own case regardless to get the ball rolling!

Years back, when I first started making comics, I was a drawing machine: day, night, lessons, homework, nothing could deter me from drawing! I had a story, and gosh -- I was set on telling it! No matter what I did, I always felt motivated to do it, I felt exhilarated to get the job done and share my ideas with the world. I daydreamt all day long, I thought all the time about my characters and how to picture them in each page. My imagination was almost as vivid as real life!

...However, as I grew up, poof! The motivation was lost, along my ability to daydream and feel attached to my characters. The story wasn't finished. No other story ever was. I didn't feel like drawing. Nor writing. In fact, I didn't feel like doing anything I wasn't paid for. Nothing I started lasted more than a page or two. I could barely get up from my chair. And I'm not talking about years ago -- this was the norm until last month.

Eventually, I though "enough is enough!" and decided to declare war against my lack of motivation, and I've been fighting it just like that, imagining that I'm punching the heck outta it with each hour I spend working. Reading as much as I can, drawing in any free moment I have. I'm faaaaaaaaaaaaar from being like I was, but I'm trying, and I won't forgive myself if I give up!

And you? How do each of you battle the little sloth complaining about extra work inside yourself? Has it always been like that?

[getsuart]

Drawing is kind of an addiction for me. When I got some problems and begin to think that what I do is useless, I put drawing and comic aside. It usually takes from 5 to 7 days to start missing drawing. (but for profesional work, I still have to draw, no matter how I feel)
So, between 5 and 7 days, what do I do ? Talking a lot about my problems to friends, playing videogames, doing something other that isn't related to drawings (home made jewelry for example). And it comes back naturally, for paid or not paid work (like my comic) : ) It's been like that since highschool, I guess. So yeah, a lot of time.

But also, something important, is to realize the support people and readers give you. I mean, somestimes I want to throw everything outside the window and hide under my bed, but I remember all the people who are supporting what I do and are waiting for more. And I must say that this IS the biggest thing that will keep the motivation going. Because yes, readers care and are happy to see the next pages and illustrations. Some of them even support by buying the comic in a book version. How can I say "well, I'll procrastinate and wait for motivation" ? It's a kind of betrayal.

... here are my thought and my way to react againt lack of motivation... It's kind of personal, I understand if you don't recognize yourself in XD

[fanyart]

That's an interesting topic, I'll definitely read what tricks others use.

I don't have any trick. I just do something because I'm passionate about it but when the passion disappears, I don't know how to bring it up again. But at the same time, a lost passion for something is usually replaced by another.

Yeah, when one grows up, it becomes pretty hard because you often have to give up your passion for your project when you get a paid project. But that's just how the world goes round.

[Raven_C]

Hmm, I guess seeing my dad draw is one motivation. Ever since I was a kid, my dad's occupation always involved drawing. Even now that he's older, he's still working as an artist and seeing him all the time on his desk, loving what he does really motivates me to do the same. My sister and I also share the same interest in art, so it helps to talk a lot about our passions, the kinds of stories we want to tell, the types of images we want to create. I guess having a circle of trust or even just one person who shares your dreams and aspirations is enough.

Of course, there are days where I feel like my efforts will get me nowhere and my art sucks, etc. But that's where my followers/readers come in. Every little comment they make is enough to get me back on my feet. Sometimes I even re-read comments or messages I receive and their support and enthusiasm really make me want to work harder!

[Oreoma]

one trick that always works for me is unplugging my internet connection xP
but thats more on the productivity problem....

as for motivation,I just watch/read/observe other peep's works
live streams,youtube tutorials,comic updates,D.A posts and such.

challenging,competing with yourself helps a lot,setting up deadlines,beating your own record time on fastest page drawn,how many pages done in a week,those sorts

the ones that I think gives motivation best are the people who support you and your work,family,friends(on and offline),readers/followers/supporters,peeps who leaves comments on your pages...theyre the best motivational speakers you can get,theyre irreplaceable ...
so,I guess if you find those people and just treasure them
thats a pretty awesome way for staying motivated

[ghostnxs]

I can't seem to stay motivated for very long that's why I started doing small works instead of dragging my feet through really long projects. I find that forcing myself to stay motivated makes me care less about drawing. So sometimes I go days without drawing my comics and just draw random images or ideas which I prefer to do than stick with one thing till the end.

P.S. I know I'm strange

[punkarsenic]

Most weeks, when it gets to the first day of drawing, ill lose all motivation and quit. but the next day i manage to pick myself up and think 'when i get this bit done, i can do the next bit, and then im closer to really cool bits'

if i get bored or lose motivation, i think its really good to take a break to just work on story, to write stuff in the vaguest of forms and let ideas fly about in your head. thatll give you the motivation to write it fully, which will give you the motivation to draw.

[Strontium]

On the topic of motivation, it seems like just the only time my anxiety is any use to me. All my activities in a day are highly structured, especially comic making, where I've pre-planned times in the week that I can work on art, and I'm usually always working on comics in those instances. And whenever I'm feeling a bit lazy, whether it's working on comics or doing homework, my anxiety puts me down and makes me feel bad for slacking off.

I guess another way I stay motivated is that my drawing time is extremely limited, between the activities I do in the day and the amount of work I can get out of my chronic tendonitis-suffering wrists. Not being able to draw whenever I want makes the times I do get to work on art rewarding and something to look forward to.

So Um, I guess, I turned the problems I have into tools for motivation, and I think that's a pretty good summary of the kind of person I am

[SandraMJ]

@getsuart @punkarsenic @ghostnxs I've tried that, but to me, it does the exact opposite: the less I draw outside my job, the less I feel like drawing! Support was super important to me early on, but as I began getting "haters" as well I realized that if I allowed readers to be my motivation, I could be hurt my bad critiques.

I get the same "feeling bad" thing, like you and @Strontium said, but, it just makes me lack MORE motivation, as I'm wallowing in "gosh I'm terrible" instead of getting anything done (a statement to that, haha)

@fanyart Yeah, that's the problem with passion, in comics, love, and anywhere, it's an impulse and it eventually ends, leaving a "what now?" which is where we have to try to find new motivation to continue My main problem is that I have a looooooooot of free time outside my job, and yet, I feel like devoting even one hour a day to my comics is next to impossible. I just lost my motivation as I grew up, even before I got my first job >.<

@raintowns That's so cool! That's what got me drawing too, my dad liked to draw from time to time (actually, more like tracing drawings he liked, haha). Having a person who shares your passion sounds definitely awesome. I've tried to get my boyfriend to help me, he loves comics too and we write them together buuuuut... when the time to actually work on them comes, he just starts playing videogames instead of putting any effort, so it doesn't help much.

@oreoma Comments and any kind of recognition are definitely awesome, all the time, any time! (but I need to actually work on the comic to get them, hahaha!). It's also easy to get addicted to positive feedback -- back when I wrote fanfiction, I used to live EXCLUSIVELY to see reviews as I had nothing else going on in my life, andthat was pretty stressful.

Does any of you ever hear a song and feel suddenly like "dude, I HAVE to work"? It only works for very specific page moods for me, but when it does it's great!

[ToonDoctor]

Very easy, stop watching television. I started doing so in 2008 and gained hours of free productive time to work on all kinds of things like comics.

[SandraMJ]

I DON'T watch TV, it's all trash

[Oreoma]

absolutely,music is great like that ^___^
its mostly songs I listened to at time when Im highly motivated
I associate the song with the emotion,I think

got songs you'd like to recommend?

[UzukiCheverie]

You guys keep me motivated.

Not even lying, seeing all those comments on my comics just makes me think, "Wow, this is worth all the script-writing and sketching and inking and toning and everything else in between". It really does. I see people guessing and theorizing and I feel so excited about it because I KNOW what's going to happen in my stories, and I want to be there when I reveal those things and see everyone's reactions. It's a really great feeling

[scythe]

Wow, you don't watch ANY TV? We're literally living through the television renaissance. I'm not talking about free to air rubbish, or so-called 'reality' television, but the myriad of incredible series being made by Netflix, HBo, Showtime, BBC etc.. As a writer of a graphic novel, I find these shows to be an invaluable source of inspiration for everything from character development, to cinematography, to pacing and dialogue.

Plus they're my primary source of entertainment and excellent way to release stress and wind down after a long day of drawing.

Anyway...

I find getting into a steady rhythm helps with motivational problems, simply because it takes away the sense that what you're doing is a choice rather than an obligation. Start and finish at regular times, and don't allow yourself to make excuses to break that appointment.

It's kind of cheesy, but I also find watching/listening to motivational speeches on youtube from time to time. It's kind of a band-aid fix, and it's nothing you don't already instinctively know or understand, but sometimes it just helpful to see passion and determination in others. It's a good way to recharge those batteries.

I think though the biggest motivator is positive feedback. People saying they like this or that about your comic. It's a great feedback loop. You work hard on something and get a great response, which pushes you to work harder next time, which in turn means more positive responses. That's what's so great about this medium as oppose to say, novels, which is more of a sink or swim situation.

Lastly, I think just accepting that you're human and you're not always going to want to draw another panel (especially when you know in the back of your mind there are thousands left before your story is done). There are times when I'd rather be doing just about anything than drawing, but they're usually after long stretches of just that. In fact, I can scarcely think of a single thing I feel motivated to do at all times. Learn to take the good with the bad, get into a good, steady rhythm, and just roll with it.

[scythe]

I don't have a specific song, but whenever I go to a movie or a gig, I get that feeling pretty intensely. I interpret it as I'm seeing a bunch of people who are creatively expressing themselves to a willing audience... emotions are felt, feelings are stirred, all because a group of people got together for the purpose of 'telling a story'. I think that's an instinct that I wholeheartedly share.

[scullpanda]

I just think its go time put up my hair spin around in my chair, fall out of chair, put on pandora and work
This is my motivation trick for my comic Forsaken

[AnnaLandin]

Honestly? Self-imposed deadlines.

Taking breaks, being nice to yourself, allowing yourself to work on other things than your main project, etc., etc. - all of that is well and good, and will keep you from burning out completely - but if we're talking about how to focus intently on one project and not quitting?

Then it's deadlines. If I set myself a deadline, I have to keep it. The only acceptable excuses are physical obstacles (illnesses, aching hands, my computer not working, I'm out of town, etc., etc.) or if some external crisis (sudden illness in the family, for example) stops me. Sticking to deadlines keeps me working even when I really don't feel like grabbing that pen, and it gets stuff done. That stuff isn't always brilliant, but it's done, and that's what matters.

... It also kind of helps that I'm a workaholic, who always feels kind of weird when I'm not drawing.

[fanyart]

Yeah, the support of readers is priceless! It's one of the basic human need to be acknowledged and feel that they aren't completely worthless to the world. It's simply great to put effort into something and then see that people enjoy it and feel something from it!

At the same time, I feel I'm kind of relying too much on the feedback, as @SandraMJ mentioned though a bit differently. When something doesn't get as much feedback as your previous page / episode / work, you search for a reason why. Right now I keep on trying to find the reason why my latest episode on capybaras wasn't as popular as the previous ones. I know it could have been just because people went on holidays or something that I really couldn't affect but in the striving to improve the next episode, I just can't stop thinking about it...

[Ayumi]

Once I made a... ahm tutorial (I'm not sure I can call it a tutorial) about it. Actually just wrote down my tricks. Sadly I have it only in hungarian. So... my mode for how to get some motivation is:
1. Listen music! It helps you to get inspirations.
2. Make deadlines for yourself. Sometimes I find myself just too lazy for do anything. These times I try to set up a deadline, for making my next chapter or pages to.
3. Think at the scenes what you're waiting so much. It can be an exciting action scene, a romantic scene, or anything what you really wanted to draw a long time ago. If you keep doing nothing, you can never be able to reach that chapter you have that scene in.
4. If you have other comic too, try to draw that other one for a while! Sooner or later you gonna miss the one you worked before.
5. Read comics from others! Reading others works helps you notice again how fantastic is to create something.
6. Look at the feedbacks you've got from your readers! That's the best motivator. Thank them with continueing what you've started!
7. If none of these helped you: Don't touch it! Just have some free time without being frustrated of unmotivation. After a pause your hands gonna itching for a pencil!

If you're interested in the original tutorial I made, you can watch it, but it's hungarian ^^;
Tutorial

[hedgehogtier]

Shia LaBeouf

lmao but seriously, when I come on tapastic or smackjeeves and read other people's comics I'm usually wired with motivation to work on my own stuff (not that I have anything to show right now but I'm getting there...!!). It's like "wow these people really put themselves out there and have gotten all this support, imagine what'll be like once my story gets up!!" It helps a lot more when the story I'm reading is very similar to the kind I'm trying to make or like to come up with.

Music helps me focus but so does just putting up random videos from YouTube and just listening like an impromptu podcast. Right now my fix has been GameGrumps.

Also just thinking of my story helps too. Thinking about what I want to tell and how I'll do it really gets me going. Also my characters. Love em.

...Unfortunately most of my motivation hits me when I'm actually unable to work on my comic (like when I'm at work or just generally away from my computer orz ).