What are you determined to be?

[Testaccount]

I get that. It's better to be realistic about your goals then have stars in your eyes.

[whydocowsfall]

I'm determined to make art while in space. It's 100% going to happen.

[IdiotWithPencil]

can't wait to see your renditions of the moon and mars landscapes =D

[TheThoughtfulBoxful]

Hmm... I'm determined to grow up and see where life takes me, because what you want and what life has in store for you can sometimes differ!

That said, I hope to continue being an illustrator/children's writer and eventually become a seasoned comicker!

[JeanGuillet]

Today, I'm determined to be a blacksmith. For real...comics don't put food on the table for me yet. Anyone want some metal? here's joe making a screwdriver, as blacksmith junior I get to forge some blanks for his magic hammer to turn into cool stuff!

[Testaccount]

What is this event you speak of?

As for the way things work, yeah, I'm tired of it too. I'm trying to correct things and get myself back on track.

We'll get there =)

[ISNEKO]

I'm determined to continue writing stories forever.

Because fuck death.

I'm not really determined to "be" anything tho.

But right now right now, I'm determined to stop eating these Funyuns and do the dishes.

[Heliox14]

I'm really determined to be an author. Like, you know, a New York Times bestseller author, like Gaiman or Riordan.
I'm also determined to be a videogame designer. I've always had a few ideas brewing in my head about these things, and I want to see them come to life, even though in the form of highly-rendered pixels.
More importantly, I want to finish everything I've started.

[Testaccount]

I'm really determined to be an author. Like, you know, a New York Times bestseller author, like Gaiman or Riordan

I have the same goal, so don't give up! The road is long and hard one, but if we stay determined and fight, we can do it. I wish you the best on this venture =)

[okellymx]

I'm going to be a mangaka 私は漫画家になるつもりです。

[joe_galindez]

What is this event you speak of?

Let's say you're one of a dozen artists with subscribers in the low double digits. You'd like to help each other, but guest strips and shoutouts can only do so much. An old-style comic crossover would help you have more fans in common but they're hard to do if you plan on maintaining consistent production values. Or would they be so hard? This is a spinoff topic based on my recent comments: Would anyone be interested in a crossover event? I don't mean with me specifically, but I've got thi…

[mileshonor]

I've been thinking a lot about this lately. For most of highschool, I thought that realism was the best way to go about making goals. This summer though, as I was preparing for my first year of college, I did a lot of rethinking about the kind of artist/person I wanted to be. I've noticed that a lot of people get pigeonholed and boxed into a lane that becomes hard to escape after a while, like when people find something that works so that's all they continue to do. I decided that I wouldn't confine myself to one thing if I have desires to make all sorts of art in all kinds of mediums. And while I'm making a comic now, I shouldn't let that stop me from going in a whole other direction when I'm finished with it. So I guess I don't know any specifics of what I want to be for my career, but I am determined to be the kind of person who stays true to what I want and doesn't buy into the expectations to follow what I've done before.

Speaking to the point of getting discouraged, it's easy to forget why we make stuff when we feel inadequate. It's of great importance to remember what drove us to art in the first place, like the joy of raw creation, or the fun of finishing a piece. I strongly believe that if we move our focus from growing our comics' audience to creating work that we love and truly have fun making, we'll get there.

MUCH LOVE,
HONOR MILES - BIRDBOY

[Testaccount]

That's wise to stay true to yourself, and I agree that many people lose their way as they get older in life. Speaking from experience, that was me at one point, so I'm glad to hear that you don't want that for yourself.

As for discouragement, it's very true we get caught up in reads and likes. We need to just love our craft and not worry about the stats.

[Testaccount]

Oh, I saw that. If you get the event going, let me know =)

[jammythebirb]

There are so many things I'd like to do. Really, I'd love to get my stories read by as many people as I can, and have it mean something to them. I want to finish what I start, and create an entire world out of multiple comics and stories set over a period of many years. Someday, I'd love to get something published properly, and make a living from my art/writing, although I'm not sure how feasible that is. It's good to have dreams, even if it can be disheartening when things don't go as well as you'd like.

[dawgofdawgness]

NOT a starving artist.
Maybe I'll become a janitor instead

[Eleven_MA]

This is actually an interesting question in my case.

I always admired people who shared their work with others free of charge: Artists, webcomic authors, fanart and fanfiction creators, modders, patchers, small-time freeware programmers, free-to-play game developers, content translators for free project, etc. I found it very inspiring that some people would put their time and work into making something valuable and giving it to others. When I began writing, I wanted to do the exact same thing: Put my all into creating the best original story I can, then give it to the readers just for the sake of their enjoyment.

It took me much too long to realise that free-of-charge content is usually rooted in an established market. Fanart, fanfiction and mods are based on popular titles and their fanbase; freeware software is usually utility tools that help dealing with common issues (usually caused by the sloppy work of the big-time developers); free-to-play games are often a part of a marketing campaign for the studio. The grand majority of the free-of-charge creators I admired so much didn't have to build their audience from the scratch. It was already there, they only had to carve a niche.

This made me realise my goal was simply unrealistic. While it's certainly possible to break through with original content, it's a teeth-and-nail fight for every pageview. That, in turn, went against what I wished for. Having to beg others to accept something meant as a gift made that 'gift' feel worthless.

Admittably, I was also stuck in the past. The environment changed a lot in the last decade or so. Back in the day, offering your work for free was admired more. "They didn't have to do this. They could have used that time and effort for themselves. Yet here they are, giving something and demanding nothing in return. That's something to appreciate." Things changed a lot since then. Free-of-charge content became much more common, the market got saturated and the creators have to fight to get noticed. That's not something I could conquer with determination and persistence. The world moved on. I got left behind.

Right now, I'm not sure what I want to be when it comes to writing. I had to scrap my initial goals, but I don't really feel passionate about anything else. I don't want to become published, famous, admired, praised or anything like that, and pursuing it would only drain me. In a way I have nothing to feel determined about, writing-wise. I guess I'll just write into a drawer for now?

Sorry for the wall of text. I just felt it gives a bit of a different perspective to the topic.

[joe_galindez]

Stay strong, buddy. You'll find your passion again.

[Shanny8]

For example I'm being to understand that a webcomic doesn't need to turn over revenue month after month but instead represents an opportunity to develop a social media following that you may be able to monetize at a later date.

THIS. That's why I'm trying to be patient as hell...

You're supposed to be thankful that you even have a job and just quietly grin and bear it until retirement: in my experience, rarely do people entertain the idea that, if you don't like your job, you should go ahead and find a new one. But I don't see myself living like that. I don't want to waste my life doing something that brings me no personal fullfillment and gives me no sense of value and contribution. I'm not saying that I can't do it - I just feel my potentials would be better utilized elsewhere.

This too. I AM one of those who work another job, but I feel I've come to an understanding of practicality- the job that I work but I'm not fond of pays the bills, provides benefits(like health/medical ins- which I def NEED at this point & time in my life), and provides me with extra wherewithal to pursue my comics ambitions(buy digital/traditional supplies, print books, go to/table at conventions, throw money at comic kickstarter projects that I like- even throw money at other creators' printed comics that I like). Not the best situation, but I try to make the best of it.

[Eleven_MA]

You're supposed to be thankful that you even have a job and just quietly grin and bear it until retirement: in my experience, rarely do people entertain the idea that, if you don't like your job, you should go ahead and find a new one. But I don't see myself living like that. I don't want to waste my life doing something that brings me no personal fullfillment and gives me no sense of value and contribution.

This so much. Coming from East Europe, I think I know exactly what you're talking about. All that's missing is parents and grandparents asking 'why don't you have a (stable) job?' as though it was something you simply pick in a store. Like it was back in their days.

Anyway, it also brings something that my mother tells me to mind: "What you do for a living and what you do for personal fulfilment may or may not be the same thing". There is a story of a certain famous poet from my country. He had a tremendous impact on our literature, both in his life and after death.

He was a banking clerk for a living.

He published under a pseudonym. None of his poet colleagues knew his true name or indentity, and no one in his small town realised that he was a poet. He spent his life living in a small flat, going to work then returning home and writing. No one ever gave him a second glance... Until he died and his landlady had to clear out his flat. To her surprise, she found an astounding collection of never-published poems, some of them very emotional and private. The kind of stuff he'd never share with an audience when he was alive.

He didn't earn a living through his art. In fact, he picked a boring, unengaging job just so he could concentrate on doing what he truly loved. I don't know if he was happy with this arrangement, but he never changed it. Looking at the results of his work I'd say it did pay off, too.

I find that story is all more relevant in our times, when being an amateur artist is easier than ever. The tools of trade and supplies are no longer prohibitively expensive, it's possible to earn a living and still devote yourself to something else and given the amount of sources available, an amateur can maintain a very high level of art. I think it boils down to what @shazzbaa mentioned. We don't have to be professional artists to make art anymore. We're in an unique position to eat the cake and have the cake