Van Gogh might have something to say about this.
It can't be any other way. The recognizement might or not come, but that is not why people express through art. It is just because it is.
I'm a Zebra... invisible incurable illness + try hard type A personality= worthless to society .... if I don't make something, give something back i feel like a waist... I know that's mostly not true but having illness slowly take away all that you were and all the fun things one by one, you ether give up or find something to devote yourself to... like I said I'm a "try hard" so I'm trying hard to make this a thing I can do, no matter how small how slow how painful i'm still doing something. I still count for something....I'm still alive...
Well, while I'm a professional artist, I am more of a hobbyist comic artist, so that makes it worth doing. It's where I can be less than perfect, where I control my own deadlines, where I can give myself a little bit of a break. I have always had the urge to tell stories, and this is just one of the formats I tried it out in, so it's not comics or die. Don't get me wrong, I still want to be seen and acknowledged--that's why I'm putting this online, and I think having that reality of "this probably won't make it" is a pretty healthy mentality, since often these websites to really, really push a pipe dream of getting famous overnight (which is improbable.)
However, the dream of my hobby making a little income, while that isn't award worthy, would be really nice in situations where my day job has less freelancing available. Also, we all need to gain followers as freelance artists and always have something available to sell to people looking in my direction, and so the comic does help to show that I'm constantly working and creating content, even if other things I do may be NDA or may just be...not happening ( a lot of illustration never gets published) and so it gives me something to post every other week--when sometimes with illustration, you can be hit with the reality that creating constant original content at the level of polish that illustration needs to be is really draining. A personal portfolio piece can take like over a month if it's really good. But, with a comic...you always have the framework for an update.
That and down the road I would like to be hired for more story stuff, so doing comics, while that will probably not be my endgame, people notice that I have an eye for worldbuilding and characters, and hopefully that will give me more illustration jobs that are actually narrative, and less about like...boring business stuff.
to be confronted by the very thing your're grappling with...what do you call that...fate?
ha...honestly i'm still trying to find that out myself. on one hand i would love to get recognition now but at the same time i'm reminded by myself and others that nothing in life comes easy, even those things you enjoy. i always used to say it was just for myself to bring these stories and characters who occupy my brain to life in the real world but i realize that i also want to inspire people even if it's only a small handful and the numbers don't grow or change til years or decades or however long in the future.
when i think about...all of these ancient stories that we read now and their influences i like to think that there's possibility that my own stories could do the same...if not similar. we read lots of stories of folks long past so whose to say someone one find mine.
i don't know if any of what i write will be life changing but i think most of all i just want to entertain folks and give them a happy break from reality like they've granted me. small little escapes for lonely people like myself. cozy little fictional refuge to visit before returning to face the world in whatever shape it's taken on
plus i like to think about this thing maya angelou said once to oprah about legacies and how we never really know what our legacy will be so the least we can do is try to have a positive impact on people or something like that. like who knows what impact it'll have who knows how it'll be regarded but dammit the least i can do is finish it, take power or strength from knowing i completed it and managed to put it out into the world. beyond that it's up to whomever consumes it.
I don't care about being famous or getting credit for influencing people's lives. I don't even want to be remembered after my death. So my answer would be: Because I know what I'm doing, I know why I'm doing it, and I enjoy doing it. Those things that only please the ego are of no interest to me.
My only objective is to share a different perspective, hoping it'd improve people's lives. And I don't need, or want, them to remember me and credit me for their change. If I can plant that new idea, that's more than enough.
I wouldn't mind that, as long as they let me know from time to time.
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Like many people, I don't necessarily want to be famous; just acknowledged. It's enough for me to know that people care, and that I've brought a little good into their lives.
1) It's just what I do. Telling stories, drawing, making things...it's what I've always done my whole life. It's more fun to share them with people, but even if I couldn't; even if no one was interested in my work...I'd still continue.
2) Not to be a smartass, but I have to wonder why a heavenly judge would ask this. Is there some kind of morally incorrect answer that someone could reasonably give? "I continued working because acknowledgement of my work directly contributes to the murder of puppies, and no matter what I had to hold out hope that someday more puppies might be murdered"??
Pretty much all the explanations I've ever heard from artists for why they do what they do-- "I just love the art", "I have a statement I need to make", "My life sucks and it makes me feel better", "I want people to pay attention to me"-- there's nothing inherently wrong with any of them. =/
The content of the art is one thing, and the values of the person behind it are yet another thing...but I think the simple act of creating is a neutral one.
Let me tell you...this isn't nearly the hypothetical question you're talking about when you're in your 50's with multiple health issues. Lol.
So like I think this is an interesting observation and I realize that maybe not everyone knows the context of referencing a judge after you die. Long story short, in christian religions at least, it means you are judging yourself. The judge is there and present, but it is an inward acknowledgement and acceptance of the decisions you made in your own life.
Not to derail the thread or anything, but like...this reference is a religion thing not everyone may know.
your work will never be critically acclaimed. Perhaps only a select few will read your works and enjoy them, but beyond that, you will only ever be acknowledged far after your death.
I don't see why that isn't already enough reason to work on it.
*Been Catholic for 2 decades and has never heard of this * o_O
If anything, I would assume it has different connotations in other religions, because usually when I hear Christians say things along the lines of 'you'll answer for this on judgement day' or something, they are talking about things with clear moral alignments and consequences...usually negative ones.
And that was the point of my question: if there is no immoral answer to give, there is no reason for a heavenly judge to ask this of you (they might as well ask what your favorite color is...not that I'd be opposed to that).
And if there is an immoral answer, I'd be interested to know what it is.
“Perhaps a select few read your work and enjoy them”
Pretty much that. If even one person out there likes something I create then it’s more than enough for me to have worked on it. Plus with how many stories, characters I have in my head, I can’t imagine not having a outlet to fulfill that need to tell those stories. Would drive anyone mad.
I mean there are as many different types of Christians as sands in the sea, so don't worry about it. 
But like I wouldn't say it's an immoral question, but a lot of people feel like failures when their projects don't turn out and really, really carry that blame and shame when there shouldn't be any attached, youknow?
"I liked doing it, sir."
What I do and spend my free time on should only be my concern. And even if I get acknowledged after death isn't important anyway. I mean, what does it bring me to have a huge fanbase while being dead? I just agree with most responses here that working for yourself is the most important thing.
I never went into comics with a specific level of fame as the goal. It's much more of a sense of "Let's see where it goes? How far can I get?"
Not to say the amount of attention I get on a story wouldn't effect my approach and motivation, it would, it does. There's a big difference between ten readers and zero comments, and 1000 readers, and a handful of regular commenters. The more attention and interaction you get, the more fun it is to share, the more motivating it is to keep going.
But at the end of the day I make comics because it's fun and exciting. I want to feel like I'm moving forward, growing, but I don't have a need for a specific level of popularity or acclaim to make any of it worth while.
Here’s how I would put it: I started because I loved the idea, my characters, the plot—I kept going because even though I have very little supporters, little is better than none.
Even if I had only one supporter that truly loved my work, I’d keep going for them. I don’t quit because people don’t like it. I’d quit because I don’t like the plot anymore, or I feel unmotivated—and even then, if I’m already chapters in, and I have some readers, I’ll keep going for them.
Really, it’s not a question of why, but how. How do you keep motivated, inspired, and interested? And even then, does the question really need to be answered?
