I mean, my passion has always been that of writing and drawing ever since I was a kid. I always wanted to become a cartoonist/animator and I'm working on it. I would like to be acknowledged in some way, but I know it's very hard, so I'm not relying too much on these hopes.
The reason I keep doing what I do is because it makes me feel happy, and that's what really matters.
Simple, it makes me happy and relaxes me. It also helps me feel like I've accomplished something with the idea (very much helps my mental health on bad days). I would love if people read my work, but I gave up on the notion of becoming world renowned for it a long time ago. I'm not a marketer/promoter. I have other things that are more promising for me, so this is a hobby while other things pay the bills.
because i wanted to let everyone know that even though your different than the norm. you still have things you can do. and no matter how negative or positive the outcome was. you give it your best. and that's that. that's how determined some of us be.
ps i have been hesitating to write this and i did it. so horray
Usually, a nice break refreshes me up when I am dealing with such frustrations. May or may not work, but I have a feeling you are probably just burned out. You may feel like giving up now, but later you will get that motivation back again. Who knows, right? Besides, we tend to criticize ourselves more than we deserve. So, anyways, whatever you do, I really hope you the best. I also hope that motivation returns back to you like fire.
I do it for the sake of keeping my sanity, my novel saved me from a really dark time in my life, I learned to love my characters and they feel real for me... If i never get acknowledged in my lifetime, that blows, but I'll still be happy I was able to make my characters known (provided an afterlife actually exists).
But I feel like I could never forgive myself if I gave up on these dear friends who did so much for me... The world deserves a chance to know them, and they deserve a chance to shine on their own, even if I never get accolades for it...
Don't get me wrong, I dream every day about being well know and recognized, of getting a comic, or gods bless me an anime... But if I don't, I'll know in my heart that I stuck by for what I believed in, and that I did my hardest and best to get there.
We live in a world where every piece of fiction and story out there talks about hopes and dreams, to never lose focus and remain true to ourselves... I guess I'm still a child at heart, and I still believe those stories... If I don't at any point, I know someone else who will be inside my head pulling me up and telling me not to give up, so I'll believe in them instead. ^^
If I didn't tell stories in the way I wanted, I don't know how my life would turn. It's one of the most important things in my whole life to create stories that people enjoy. I don't care if I'm a celebrity, but if at least enough people are following my work that I can make a decent living and maybe raise a family someday, that's more than enough for me. Without that, I don't know what in the world I'd do.
Exactly what Ranty-cat said, you may just need to take a break from comics for a while, but don't give up on it so soon. Remember why you started started making comics in the first place, it definitely wasn't to make it big in the beginning.
Comics is a terrible way to try and get rich anyway, lol. The thing that makes comic creators so awesome is that we do it because we love it, to some extent. Social media, likes, shares, and all that internet validation junk just makes it easier for us to forget that.
The long and short answer: For a Dream Come True
Even if no one reads it, even if millions read it, even if no one recognizes it, even if it wins awards. My core desire doesn't change. I want to create something that will exist beyond me, to prove I existed and that my life had some meaning and purpose. That's always been my dream, to make something that's unmistakably me and is the best I could possibly make it. Simply put, it's a pure, desperate desire: To Make this Dream Come True No Matter What.
If it's recognized after death, then I lived a proud life. My work can reach places and people I, while alive, can never hope to reach. Whether that reach turns out for the better, or leads to some dark ends doesn't matter in the end. I've accepted this reality years ago, I made peace then, I made peace before making the plunge and, before the almighty, I am at peace. My job is done.
I may be writer but I am currently following this strategy.
In my case, I wanted to keep my usual novel alive but I can't keep up because the worldbuilding is vast and the writing is shit. So, I've decided to create a small [but gradually going large] project that's related to my usual one. Whatever worldbuilding and writing style I got from making that secondary project, I'll simply add them all to my first project since its simplified and detailed already.
Breaks do help and you're the only one that can make them. Just be clear on what kind of break do you want! Good luck on your creative endeavors...