Very conflicted right now

[ZAPPI]

So I've been working on my comic CrimiNET for a little bit now, and have been working on it relentlessly making and posting 2 whole pages weekly. Since I work on the comic so much, it has drawn me away from other stuff art related that I wanna work on like single art pieces and studying animation.

I'm gonna be real, as much as I love working on my comic and how i'm (mostly) satisfied with how it's turning out so far, I really don't see really myself working on it for the next 5-10 years of my life, because I want to draw and make art for a LIVING, and a webcomic like this is really not going to pay the bills, at all, no matter how popular it is. It's staring to make me question if I should really keep it going as a long term webcomic. I've even been thinking about ending the comic after chapter 3 and putting it off as a "Test Pilot Comic" for a potential future animated series based on it.

My dream has always been to be an animator and since i'm constantly working on my comic to get my story and characters out there, I find it hard to find the time to really study animation, on top of also working and other college classes.

I would say that I should start doing only a single page per week, but these pages only consist of 4-6 panels, so having readers wait for just a few breadcrumbs of story progression a week does not sound ideal to me at all.

It's kind of the same deal with monthly bulk updates. The longer I keep readers waiting, the more likley they would loose interest in the story.

Any advice on how to deal with this? Should I just cut back on the updates, or should I keep on going with the normal schedule?

[Calculus_Homework]

Heya. Sounds like you are overloaded!

You're saying you're in college classes right now? And you work a job? Yeah, I'd reel it in and take a step back.

If a single page per week is doable, and that's what you know you can handle with other things, then do it. There are plenty of comics that do that with readers who don't complain about it. (You'll just probably see an increase in views every 3-4 months. Readers tend to wait till there's more out to read from a creator, and then they binge after a while. So your engagement will be down, and then it'll spike once in a while.)

imho... Prioritize, then focus on what is important at this point in your life. Studies are important, and it sounds like you'd much rather be learning a skillset in animation right now. You probably feel a little bit trapped in this webcomic thing, and feel pressured to keep it consistent. I say take a hiatus! And you don't need to say when you'll be back from it. Put this comic of yours on pause and live your life.

The only way I've been able to maintain consistency is because I'm not in school, and I have a partner who is financially secure enough for both of us. That's literally the only way I'm keeping my head above water with making page work every week for my comic. I hope to be making more from my Patreon soon, but right now it doesn't pay the bills. And this comic is a huge goal of mine, and it's what I prioritize. Webcomics are unsustainable. lol

[jwabeasley]

Webcomics aren't a very good way to make money - life and bills have to take priority over this time-consuming hobby. Find a way to wrap things up, inform your readers, and move on!