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Jul 2020

Hi all! I wanted to get some advice on the way I've been feeling towards art lately...

Due to the pandemic, I'm home almost all the time. I've had a little too much time on my hands, which has led to overthinking and picking my comic18 apart. I had already been struggling with confidently making art since 2019, but it's gotten significantly worse since the start of the pandemic shutdown. I've gone from wanting to post my work all over social media, to being afraid of doing it at all. I've yet to even work on my second comic, which was supposed to have started months ago.

I'm anxious about everything! I'll worry about the art not being good enough, whether the plot is interesting, what kind of messages the story could be sending, or whether or not the story contains anything that could be, for lack of a better word, problematic. Even after recieving feedback for things I'm worried about, the anxiety eventually resurfaces.

I'm not even sure what to call this. Lost confidence? Impostor syndrome? A lack of trust in myself as a creator? Have you ever gone through a rough patch where you heavily doubt your abilities like this, and if so, what was something that helped you overcome it? :sweat:

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    Jul '20
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    Aug '20
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I know how you feel, I'm actually going through it right now with my comic. I'd say the best way to "survive" the feeling of anxiety is to just focus on what you love about your comic and to keep writing concepts/ideas down.

I felt all those things before I started my novel. I liked the idea that I had and I wanted to share it but when I actually started typing I put it off so much. I thought what if no one reads it and I did all this hard work for nothing? Will I be able to handle feedback, good or bad? What if people like it too much then I can't consistently perform at the same level? Then I made the mind to illustrate my own cover and thumbnail so that's another entirely!

But I decided to go ahead and put myself out there and just for it. I figured the longer I put it off, the more distance I put between myself and whatever can come from it. And these forums have helped tremendously at building an audience, meeting great people, and getting wonderful advice.

I still struggle a little because I think I number watch too much but I appreciate the feedback I've gotten thus far to improve myself and to create better work.

I have this feeling all the time. I mean after three years worth of drafts and reworking you would think I would be more confident in my ideas and creations and I'm just not. I think though, that I would feel worse if I did all of this just to not share it.

It is scary to put yourself out there and I constantly feel the crunch I place upon myself at the thought of scheduled posts, but I feel so validated when even one or two people are fully invested and leave comments or feedback. The anonymity of posting online really helps me feel a bit freer too.

And its not perfect. I still spiral into those feelings of self doubt, but then I think it also helps to see posts like these and realize that you aren't the only one feeling these things.

As someone who struggles with an anxiety disorder, let me just say, you are not alone :heart:

Maybe try looking at your situation a little differently. We all have friends who are artists (or creators, if you will) of some sort. We wouldn’t EVER tell our photographer friend, “well, your picture looks fine, but I liked this chapter I read today better.” We also don’t go around saying, “that painting looks so cool! It’s too bad someone else has already painted a polar bear before.” Because art is not a comparison game of “good enough” or “not.” You should only ever compare your art to your older art. Creativity is not a competition. You should be making what makes you happy. So try to look at your art as you would if a friend had created it. Give yourself some grace.

Creating is inherently important to us as humans. It fulfills something in us that nothing else can really fill. But it’s also okay to take a break. To say, “this is too much for me to deal with right now.” There is no shame in knowing your own limits.

Oof I totally get this too, but only really before posting a new project? Once the project starts rolling i sometimes get it, but usually scrolling through some positive comments or telling myself that I'm publishing for fun so it would not need to be perfect helps. (And as for anxiety to start, it's not great advice, but I am way easier with publishing/starting new projects when I'm tired or drunk haha.)

My art isn't good, I'm self practicing digital art and it's quite tricky, my relaying of speach not being the best is something I'm aware of and I've never been someone who receives praise or encouragement, so I generally never bother to do the stuff that interest me, yet I just decided to go for it and put it out there without concerning myself with the future, I've maintained this attitude in the past 3 weeks yet only yesterday I saw an active thread with beautiful looking art and lovely feedback, I was way too scared to join in.
I hoped to be 'over it', just by shelving it, yet I knew I wasn't, that worry is still there yet you have made progress, found a load of common ground and helped others by sharing.

I think we all feel that way -- sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. Putting your work out there can feel like putting your neck on a blade, like one push too far and you're going to lose something that you can't bear to. That's why I think all creators are really brave -- always, from the very beginning. We're doing something that doesn't make sense from a profit-and-loss perspective. We're making things because we want to, not because we have to. That's brave and it's beautiful.

The important thing, I think, is to work through that anxiety -- keep making things, keep doing your art. If it matters to you, it will matter to someone else.

“If you hear a voice within you saying, “You are not a painter,” then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” --Vincent van Gogh

My small perspective:
Look outside the window, observe the number of windows and the number of people living behind, Now imagine the life they live, and how influential you are over it. Now you multiply this sample population by the number of cities around the world, and by the number of passing generations these cities witnessed... and embrace your insignificance, because that's a great thing. It means that you start with 0 or near 0, and can only gain from there. Gain from creating whatever you're creating, Gain from sharing your work (even bad feedback is a step toward improving...).
So every time I'm anxious about my art or my work (before important meeting presentation for example), I always look through the window, that always motivate me to get out there, propose my vision, and share it away, stepping over my anxiety...

I have a mantra when I decided to work on my very first webcomic series: Gotta be brave. I use it to remind myself because i'm not brave at all about putting myself out there. I actually am nervous/scared of getting attention, the bigger the attention the worse it gets.

My anthro comic is niche as hell and I know it. I'm not a brave person but I have be brave for my works, at least. I need to be able to get through the whole series to tell my complete story, be confident and not to chicken out the things i want to portray.

I find my struggles with confidence stem from comparing myself with other artists so every now and then I do a social media detox. There is something funny about having too much time that causes one to overthink things :confused: Whenever this happens to me I busy myself with more projects or find a show to get invested in and give myself head space to not think about things.

I'm more the type of person to get excited and post things though and then get sad if I don't get any response ^^"

I have had these kind of rough patches with my work. (Other things too. Not just my comic)
You're not alone! I'm sure a lot of people go through it.

I always worry about making each update. I say things like Is it going to look worse than the previous update? Will it look good? Will people like it? Are they going to get angry at the lazyness?

But I still push through and make my comic. It is something that I love : )

I always feel happy after posting and I know that.

Well, for starters I'd look at your subscriber count on The Flipside. 1.9k people liked what they saw, think about that for a while. That all those people, those that know absolutely nothing about you saw what you'd posted and thought 'damn, I like this'. That is very important and something to be proud of.

Also, what I'm going to say next is from my MANY years of receiving therapy for Anxiety. Some of this you may already know but I'm just putting it all down here.

First off, Anxiety is like a fire and all of ones negative thoughts a feeling are akin to oxygen and fuel.

Second, don't fight the Anxiety. Try to listen to its saying and counter what it is saying. Essentially have a conversation with it. Overactive Anxiety is most oftern illogical. Apply logic to what it's saying.

Third, it's not a monster, of a terrible beast. Even if it feels like one. Anxiety/Fear comes from a very primal place and is there to help you. But sometimes it gets out of control and just goes nuts. YOU ARE IN CONTROL. You work together, like all your emotions as one.

Forth, seriously, talk to it. Really get to know why it is scared. It's possible that (it was in my case) that the fear is the 'child' part of you. Comfort it and talk to it.

That's my advice. It may sound like I'm talking down to you and I promise you I'm not. I just thought I'd break it all down into clear advice, that always helped/helps me. It's always good to remember that you're not alone.

Just breathe, hun. Take a step back, you're overwhelming yourself. Stop. Eat. Shower. Meditate. Sleep. What you are producing is of sound quality. If your quality is lessening in your eyes, it is because you are doing something to negatively impact your productivity, such as overworking yourself.

Let's take a moment to think logically about this without panicking. Think gently, think calmly. Think about where you'd like to be, think about staying healthy so you can get there. Take a moment to put yourself in a positive headspace.

Every artists panics over these things love it's just what we do. You are human, you are imperfect, and you are striving for greatness in your craft. Sometimes the road to get there is slow or maybe even bumpy, but it doesn't mean the car isn't moving. You have this in the bag. You are doing well. You just have to remember not to let the paranoia get the better of you.

So you take that paranoia by the tail and you make him serve you. When that little imp says, "That's not good enough!" You say, "Oh yeah, where?" And when he says, "This part looks off!" You laugh at him and you say "Ha! Watch me draw it better."

Flip that self-consciousness on its head and use it as a motivator. You've got this, we're all cheering you on.

Everyone feels that way especially at the beginning. Just take a breathe and try posting a little bit take in some constructive criticism and improve on what you think needs improving. Take it slowly if your overthinking things and take everything one step at a time.
It might take a while but eventually you'll get better and you'll feel better about it.

It is reassuring to hear that this is something many artists go through. Anxiety can be so overpowering. Hearing your own experiences with it, and how you respond to it, has been really eye opening. Putting a drawing or story out into the world is tough. :disappointed_relieved:

@kmlangleyauthor That's a great way of looking at things. I feel I've gotten so caught up in what everyone else is going to think of my work, rather than whether or not I like my work. And it's definitely okay to take a step back from it when needed.

@WOSTR I'm really glad you've been trying to put your work out there, even if you were nervous about it. Taking the first step to share your art is a big deal, and these forums tend to be a really supportive place!

This!! I've come to realize how brave creators are, especially when there's no way of telling what the response will be.

@Hutch-Comics This is true. I'm incredibly thankful that I've found an audience and that people are enjoying the story. I feel like part of the anxiety is coming from a fear of letting anyone down if the story doesn't go in a way it was expected, or if I make a mistake. Countering anxiety with something logical is really solid advice, and I'm gonna try to remember to do that.

@Kiweevil Thank you ;-; I'm realizing how easy it is to be critical of our own art, even when we may be moving forward. It's so important to prioritize our physical and mental health, which is something I'm gonna start putting more effort into.

I've been quite emotional over the past couple of days, both from reflecting on things and from reading the advice in this thread. I'm going to try to spend more time outdoors, and a little less time at the computer. Thank you all for your responses!

I would definitely call it imposter syndrome and that has 100% been my state of mind for well over a year now. The best advice I can give is also the hardest to listen to and that's just to push through as much as possible. You will be your worst critic. You aren't going to know how to improve, or if you even need to, if you don't share it. Though sharing it also is not a requirement. If you decide you want to just do it for yourself, there's nothing wrong with that. There is no rule that work must be shared with anyone. But if you do want to share it, share it in small spurts. So just pick one place, be it Tapas or somewhere else, and put it out there.

Even if you just share it with one person you trust to be honest with you, do that. Honesty is the key on that one because you will more than likely second guess anything positive they have to say and think they're just being nice. So if they're someone you know won't mince words and will tell you the truth, that will help a little bit. Part of you will probably still feel like they're just being nice (lord knows I do every time someone gives me a compliment on my writing) but in that case it'll be on you to try to find a way to over come that.