Growing pains...growing hurts

[ZOMBIE USER 2125]

I felt so bad when I read your rant , that I wanted to respond, hoping to put you back on your feet again. If not for the creator of Thermalyte, then for a friend and fellow artist.

What I'm really concerned is about how seriously you are taking all this. You're too young to be that serious! Well, at least I can say that you are more mature than most people our age, to understand what responsibilities you have set out for yourself. And you already know, drawing a comic and maintaining it is a huge responsibility. And you understand that. That is great. But don't get too depressed when things don't come out the way you want them.

To tell you the truth, I too sometimes lose the motivation to do certain things, and that causes me to feel bad when I don't update in a while. It is very frustrating.
Unfortunately, I think that the loss of what you may call "gusto" is something that we can't really completely rid ourselves of. There will always be some day when you don't feel like doing something? Then what is the way to avoid that?

Well, I don't have the answer. Sometimes, you can't force yourself to draw. Sometimes you feel crummy or feel like something else motivates you, and that's okay. Take the break. Quit if you really need. Do what is best for you. However, AC, I know that you truly hold comicing very close to you, and that's why when you feel crummy about it, you still feel the urge to not quit. I have hopes that you won't quit drawing.

So it's okay to take a break. Do so. You are not obligated to draw if it makes you feel crummy.

So how do you keep at something you know you want to do but sometimes feel like you don't want to? Well, that's the part of growing up that we all have to do, constantly figuring more angles to approach our comic from, and finding motivations there.

Like for example, I often feel real crummy when I come across awesome artists who are way better than me. It's that crummy feeling that makes you want to throw all your pencils out the window. But I don't do that anymore - I take what things I awe at and appreciate it and have it inspire me to do more. Then I try to use that inspiration to draw something of my own that takes on what lessons I've learned. It's hardly ever as good, but I appreciate it for having been opened to an artistic approach I haven't been opened to before...it's exciting. Sometimes you end up with something cool for different reasons. It doesn't matter, it's having your territories expand that is important, and never losing that sense of awe. I still feel crummy. It's a crummy that I really like.

And then there is the whole idea of getting better through practice. Practice always sounds so rudimentary, but in actuality practice is done in everything you do. I usually motivate my practices with some external factor, like instead of just making a graphic, do it so the end product can be a fan art for someone else. And being able to draw something for someone is a great motivational tool.

Sometimes someone is out there to take the motivation from you. That is really the most crummiest feeling out there. What to do? Feel crummy. Feel really really crummy. Feel awful and kick walls and stuff. Then a few days later, get out some paper and draw like crazy. You'll see that motivation is still in your hands, and if that motivation is true, then no one, no matter how hard they try, can possibly ever take it away from you.

Being yourself is definitely important, but I wouldn't say that that means you have to close yourself off from being influenced by others. Of course people shouldn't be imitating others, but drawing upon influences can be a totally different thing altogether. People get influenced by people all the time, art influences art. It's a fact, and a good thing if you use it correctly. You just have to know when being influenced by something else is expanding the space you work in, or if it's confining the space you work in, or confining you to a space that you don't feel you belong in. That's the main difference between being influenced and not being yourself.

So usually when one loses the motivation for something, either that something just doesn't give what they need to learn, or they are not learning the right stuff from something. Hopefully this will give you a sense of what to do when you find yourself without motivation. Sometimes it takes external motivations, and that is okay too.


Remember, no one expects you to make a grand production. No one should, at least. Make sure you are doing comicing for the reasons that you love. And almost without thinking about it, you will have improved, and things will become subconsciously easier for you, and suddenly you'll be able to make the big productions that you dream of doing.

Your friend,
Bryan

[Ghislain_WildCat]

Uhm...well... Bryan already said most of the stuff I wanted to say! ^w^;

Don't let yourself down just because you think you're not good (did you read harleq's post a little too much???(j/k)), in fact, you're very talented! Nobody would have found ideas like the ones you've found! You don't get to see a girl with burning hands with a leprechaun every day.

And don't give up with your drawings, you'll only get better like every artist. ^w^

Finally I must tell you that you may think that I'm better than you are but there's something really special you did a lot faster than I did. You had the courage to take the responsibility of showing your comic to a lot of ppl. But even when you're responsible of something, you have the right to take a break once in a while, it'll only help you to get better in all ways. ^w^

I really hope you'll get better! ^w^ *big hug*

[AnimeCanuck]

Aww... Thanks Ghislain! *hugs back*

Anyways, Bryan.. I never had any intention of quitting my comic. I had the idea in the back of my head- and I still did- until I read your post. What I meant by "I just give up" was that I give up trying so hard to copy other people, and I give up trying to be perfect. And I'm giving up with your crossover too. And its going to be all the better for it (most likely). And actually, today in my Fashion class.. I just came up with another plot thread that could take up to a half a year! So.. I don't know if and when I'll ever be done Thermalyte!

And I still haven't started my stuff for Nafta yet.. *grimace* I plan to this weekend.

Oh yeah! And the next Thermalyte strip (The first new one) SHOULD appear tomorrow! When I'm done all my Math homework, I'm going to go into Photoshop and doctor it up a little bit more.. than put it up into Keenspace! ^_^ YAY!!!!
New THERMALYTE!!!! FINALLY!!!!!

So.. I haven't really given up on the comic.. I've just given up on trying to look as good as (or like) other people's comics... I'm going to focus more on the story and facial expressions, I think.. And .. you know.. I'll try to work in more practice too. ^^

See ya! ^_^

-AC

[AnimeCanuck]

And Bryan,...
Thanks for feeling crummy with me.
*smiles, big hug*

-AC

[ZOMBIE USER 2125]

[quote]
On 2002-03-26 13:07, AnimeCanuck wrote:
What I meant by "I just give up" was that I give up trying so hard to copy other people, and I give up trying to be perfect.
I've just given up on trying to look as good as (or like) other people's comics... I'm going to focus more on the story and facial expressions, I think.. And .. you know.. I'll try to work in more practice too. ^^[quote]

Well, that's nice to know that you have not given up on the comic. But don't give up on trying to be perfect. Just don't obsess over it, because you'll never be perfect. And I don't mean that in a bad way. Nobody ever becomes perfect. It's like infinity, you can always get closer to it but never reach it. That's why learning art is fun. Be happy because the fun and learning never ends. Just don't obsess or go crazy when it doesn't turn out the way you want. Frustration is part of the game, but don't let it hurt you more than it should.

Well that's my take. Looking forward to seeing the next page of Thermalyte!

[Gillikin]

It's not fair... Bryan already said everything.

Hey, just know that we're here to support you, and like I've always said, just take some time and draw, just doodle. Work at your own style, not someone elses.

I don't really know what else to say... So, just keep your heart in the right place, and you'll do fine.
~Chris

[AnimeCanuck]

Thanks guys!! *hugs again*

I feel so loved!!! Well.. At least by you three!

Well.. Thanks a whole bunch!
Love ya!!!!!!

*huggles*

And.. Look!! Look! The next strip is up!

WHEE!! ^_^
And.. Er.. I've got to fix it when I get home after school...

(I'm in the school library in class.. supposed to be working on a project... Gotta go!)

-AC

[K-Dawg]

*comes out of lurker mode*
Okay I don't think I need to say this, but I think I should eventually say something. I've been reading Thermalyte since you started with the first strip. Even though you stopped updating for so long I still checked back, usually when a comic stops updating for so long I usually don't bother ever coming back. But, for some reason I kept coming back to this one. Your art and everything else you've been doing has really improved since you started. So from an unknown reader of your comic, just keep doing what you're doing, you'll always have a fan in me.
*returns to lurker mode*

[Pooki]

I'm so jealous! None of my readers (besides you and Bryan) have really come out and said ANYTHING to me about anything I've done... !!!