You won't go viral

celliz8608 2016-10-23 00:39:31 UTC #21

I really don't see anything wrong with wanting to live off of your work. I spend tons of money on creating professional looking work. I would like to at least have my work be self sustaining. If it's not I cant continue to put money into it. I will never complain about my work not making money but you bet I am thinking of ways to monetize it.

tayo_rafferty 2016-10-23 00:47:25 UTC #22

@celliz8608 I never wrote that there was anything wrong with wanting to live off of your work, did you read the post in its entirety? I am criticising people who complain about not having enough subscribers and have unrealistic expectations for their comic.

celliz8608 2016-10-23 00:58:13 UTC #23

My bad I wasnt clear in what I was saying. I get the frustration that results in complaining. Its heart breaking investing so much time and effort and feeling like no one gaf. Thinking damn I was wrong Ive wasted so much time and effort, everyone was right. You feel comfortable complaining to people that you feel understand what youre going through. A lot of people have that field of dreams mentality not realizing making the comic is the easiest part, the real work comes in once the comic is done.

saerel 2016-10-23 05:55:01 UTC #24

There's two main types of authors for such " don't have enough subs" posts; creators that are only just starting - and I'd argue their worries have to do with not knowing the field they've entered (success seems so easy for everyone else!) and managing their expectations.

There is a second group composed of creators who have been at it for a while, have already invested a lot of time, effort, and their heart into their work. They're probably at a phase where they aren't reaching their goals, and then they do what people do in such cases : they turn to their team/friends for support and help. Because a comic creator is by definition working alone a lot, it's difficult to get feedback and Tapastic is great for that because people are friendly and helpful.

I can't pretend I haven't rolled my eyes at "What am I doing wrong" posts occasionaly. (I also believe that if one draws in the hope of being popular instead of just because they want to, they're following a wrong path.) But then I remind myself that every one of them belongs to someone who has been pouring their soul into their work and is, at that particular moment, badly in need of support and feedback. And I think it's great that this community has creators who will provide that, without judging.

mikeampao 2016-10-23 08:23:38 UTC #25

This is all true.. my 10 subs are True Fans from my comic. Creating Comics here on Tapastic is like a training ground on how i make my comic be improve as far as i can do. i won't discouraged my subs and views are low but i hope it can raise more. Thanks for all the inspirations and motivation advice here and i learn great things among you. ^_^

tayo_rafferty 2016-10-23 09:42:39 UTC #26

Again, if you read the post I am clearly talking about people who complain about lack of subscribers or views I am not talking about people who humbly ask for support or feedback from the community. I get where your coming from but I'm not sure you fully understand the original post.

There are creators on this site who have been working very hard for a long time and I have never seen them make posts saying "why don't I have more subscribers? I've been working for a year "

I think perhaps it comes from a sense of entitlement (i.e if I work hard then I deserve recognition) and/or unrealistic expectations.

And before another person says "there's nothing wrong with wanting to earn a living or build an audience," you're right. What I'm talking about is those people who create with the belief that recognition and an audience are not only inevitable but in fact owed to them for their hard work.

TrialAndError 2016-10-23 18:14:54 UTC #27

While I will agree that making comics isn't easy and you may not get 1 billion views in 2 days, I disagree with not making a lot money. What you get out of it, is what you put into it. Are you advertising? Are you confident in your writing (art is subjective mostly)? Are you maintaining an online presence? Are you actively updating on a schedule? Are you networking? Did you set goals for yourself?

People will complain on forums. People won't. What people need on forums like this are advice, friendship, constructive criticism and most of all a love for what they do. If you're making comics to just tickle your comic bone, then do it. If you're doing it because you want to share your vision with others, do it. If you really feel like honing your talents and making something of yourself, then don't stop working hard at it.

That's probably much better advice than putting a negative spin on people who voice their frustrations.

tayo_rafferty 2016-10-23 18:38:34 UTC #28

@TrialAndError I'm not putting a "negative spin" on anything or anyone. I am simply communicating my opinion about a group of creators on this site (in a salty way). It's not like I specifically called anyone out and I'm certainly not trying to target anyone specific I just think that some people need a 'spoonful of truth' every once in a while.

mayday 2016-10-23 19:09:25 UTC #29

I'm not tryna start a fight or anything but voicing your negative opinions about something in a "salty way" is literally the definition of putting a negative spin on said thing.

tayo_rafferty 2016-10-23 19:24:19 UTC #30

@mayday A 'negative spin' is different from an opinion. I'm sure you're not trying to start a fight, please feel free to disagree that simply means you're human.

mayday 2016-10-24 22:17:05 UTC #32

Yeah, a negative spin is different, you're correct. But I feel like the opinion you're voicing puts a negative spin on people wanting attention on something they worked hard at, and vilifying people who want subscribers and are curious about how to gain them.

People want recognition. People want support. There's no "wrong reason" to make comics. Do it for yourself, do it for others... I don't think it matters as long as it makes you happy.

tayo_rafferty 2016-10-25 00:11:10 UTC #33

@mayday
I disagree. I think there are a lot of wrong reasons to make comics and they are a lot of right reasons. There is a clear difference between wanting attention and recognition and complaining about it.

Of course everyone wants an audience and all the things that come with it otherwise none of us would be on this site but there are people who complain about the fact that they don't have enough subscriber or enough attention and that is a self entitled attitude because no one deserves attention or recognition you have to earn it through hard work and perseverance, by showing your audience that you are a reliable creator, by showing that you care about the comic more than the money or popularity.

If the list of reasons you are making a comic look like this:

Money
2.Fame
3.Money again
4.Babes

Then yeah that is a great example of the wrong reason to get into comics.

Please quote me exactly where I specifically vilified any creator?

To sum up I am not talking about people who want things I am talking about people who complain about not having them and yes its normal to get upset every once in a while but almost every week I see a new post by someone with the same kind of complaints about how they don't have more subscribers.

When you don't have something you want it is a normal reaction to be upset but constantly complaining about it instead of solving the problem is redundant.

edmourabarbosa 2016-10-25 00:38:52 UTC #34

It's important to control your expectations. As many others have said, there's nothing wrong with wanting to earn money or go viral, but when that doesn't happen (and it usually don't) you can get very frustrated. The thing that was suposed to bring joy turned into a source of anxiety and disappointment.

AtaraxiaStudios 2016-10-25 01:35:46 UTC #35

Comrades.

We all have a different life purpose, different goals, and different stories. Some of you want to get more viewers, some of you don't care for viewers.

Regardless, there are practical steps one can take to get more views and subscribers.

Consider that it might not be in your best interest to be riled up about what someone else has to say about becoming famous or making money.

If your goal is getting a large following and money, then learn how to do that.

If you want to focus on improving your art and story, then work on that.

Both? Then do both. Ask for help or advice on this forum, there are a lot of nice comrades here.

Need emotional support? Comrades here for that too!

Want to take practical steps to gain views? Cross promotion :), especially if you both enjoy each others works.

Regardless if goals, we are all creators. We can respect the differences in goals, and even assist others in achieving those goals that are different from ours.

Keep up the good work, comrades. Let's enrich the world with our art

Shanny8 2016-10-25 17:12:03 UTC #36

I WISH I could get "babes" from making comics...lol- but the other 2 reasons are pretty legitimate.

youngaustin 2016-10-25 22:07:05 UTC #37

I disagree with you on almost all accounts.

tayo_rafferty 2016-10-25 23:13:32 UTC #38

@youngaustin That's because you're human. I would love to know why you disagree.

youngaustin 2016-10-25 23:31:35 UTC #39

People WILL like my comic, it WILL become successful, and I WILL make money off of it. That's why.

tayo_rafferty 2016-10-25 23:47:43 UTC #40

@youngaustin How is that relevant to anything I have stated previously?

UzukiCheverie 2016-10-26 00:05:17 UTC #41

I think what @youngaustin is reiterating is what has been stated by a few others before - the goal you work towards as a comic artist doesn't determine whether you're a "real" comic artist or not, and if you have the means to achieve your goal, you will work as hard as you can to get it. Some comic artists do what they do for self-fulfillment, others do it for profit, others do it for fame. Why should the reason matter? Yes, it can be annoying when someone shows up complaining about how they're not "famous" yet, but it would probably be equally annoying if anyone else showed up complaining about how they don't like working on their comic anymore because it's no longer fulfilling (hypothetically speaking). Believe it or not though, for some people, comic creating is a passion, for others, it's a job. Same goes for every other creative field out there, from knitting to singing to playing the piano.

I just don't think it's fair for anyone to call the shots on who is a "real" comic creator based on their goals. If they want to do it for fame, then that's their choice; whatever hardships fall on them are for them to deal with (the most common in this case being realizing that it's not that easy to become famous).

All anyone can really do is work their hardest to achieve their goal though. If they find they can't, that falls on them, having some imaginary force/person/etc. judging their situation isn't going to change it. So I agree in the sense that it's a pain in the butt what comic creators complain about not being rich/famous/popular/recognized/whatever yet; but we all face these hurdles at some point and it doesn't make them or us any less of creators. In the simplest definition, a comic creator is someone who creates comics - whether that meets your expectations or not is on you.