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Zettadragon

How do you keep yourself motivated?

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A question mostly for the artists out there, especially those who pump out tons of new drawings every week (though feel free to provide insight even if you don't consider yourself an artist) -- how do you manage to keep yourself motivated through all of it?

I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with the idea of an "art block" and to be honest I get those fairly often; sometimes I'll be in a mood when I just feel like drawing all day long, but the next day, or the next week, I'll open up a blank canvas and nothing will come to me, or I'll never feel totally satisfied with what comes out. It's not that I can't draw at all during those times, but it feels more difficult and probably takes a lot longer. Then I lose motivation and find something else to do.

The reason I ask is because I'd absolutely love to draw more often, with the ultimate goal of being able to support myself and live comfortably by doing art alone. I know it's a difficult path, but for personal reasons that I don't want to really get into here, it's somewhat difficult for me to hold a traditional job right now. Since I've been drawing since a young age, I'd feel a lot more comfortable if I could make a living from doing this.

Anyway! I'd like to hear some any insight you have on this topic, hopefully it'll help me with my ability to provide more content for you guys~
Viewed: 87 times
Added: 8 years, 2 months ago
 
20 Comments on this Journal
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KatsuFoxxy
KatsuFoxxy
8 years, 2 months ago
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What used to work for me is when I felt I wasn't motivated and hit an art block, I would take my oldest drawings and completely redraw them to show myself how I have progressed. The feeling that you have progressed so much will certainly motivate you to do more :p
KaloTheSkunk
KaloTheSkunk
8 years, 2 months ago
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Sometimes its a passion, other times it is a chore. Have to enjoy each the same way.
I can hardly make a basic skeletal sketch. But I would like to learn to do better!
Can't help that not everything comes out the way you want it to. And that is okay!
My uncle Shogo began drawing anime in the early 80's. And he'll say that he is still learning how x3
Motivation will always be an ongoing thing.
As long as what you do makes you happy just as much as it satisfies your followers.
Having a following that wants you to be successful should be motivation enough, I think. Kalo would like to see you succeed!
Zettadragon
Zettadragon
8 years, 2 months ago
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I agree that having followers helps with motivation a lot, your words mean a lot to me ^^ Must work harder~!
KaloTheSkunk
KaloTheSkunk
8 years, 2 months ago
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Mm! One step at a time. Those who skip often lose their balance x3
Hope it works out!
Clara
Clara
8 years, 2 months ago
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Sometimes I take 5 hrs(an energy drink), and by sometimes I mean every other day, they motivate me enough to give me that kick.
If not that then some days I just sit there drawing ugliness until finally something decent happens.
Looking at tutorials too, its like ooh I wanna try that!!
ah not sure if that really helps, I still have bad motivation problems too, like sitting at the computer for 6 hours but only drawing for 2 of them....
 
Zettadragon
Zettadragon
8 years, 2 months ago
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Haha, it's easy to get sidetracked especially when you're browsing art sites and go like "ooh, this person has nice art..." and end up just browsing other people's art instead of making your own, I tend to run into that pretty often
Clara
Clara
8 years, 2 months ago
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thats a problem I have as well, sometimes at the end i'll find myself on a completely different site like..wasnt..I suppose to be grabbing character refs..??
sorry it wasnt very helpful >.<!
Magnus
Magnus
8 years, 2 months ago
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For every artist or art instructor I've ever known, the answer remains consistent: Discipline.

Motivation may drive you to make your best piece, but it won't do anything for all the pieces which lead up to it. It's less passion and more rigor. Art block or not, you have to train yourself to draw every day, regardless of mood of circumstance. Our minds crave repetition and pattern by default, for the most part, and getting into a habit of drawing daily will ensure that you soon want to draw every day, in a sort of art-fueled feedback loop.

It's bothersome to be lacking in inspiration. My personal recommendation on days like that is to go to the countless "daily sketch" boards, or use a random word generator, grab three words, and draw it together. It doesn't have to be fancy, just a sketch or doodled rough. But it gives you your motivation for you. Don't even worry about quality or even about publishing it. Hell, delete i when you're done, no worries. But know that it is discipline and training. It's that much better your lines become, it's that much more muscle memory for pushing straights and pulling curves. It's that much better you'll become.

Motivation is a fickle bitch of a muse. When she strikes, it is hard and fast with an energy that wanting only more. And when she's gone, nihilism sets in and it all seems pointless. Motivation is a lot like an addiction to Adderall or Ritalin, but with more frequent withdrawal symptoms. Choose Discipline as your muse instead.
Zettadragon
Zettadragon
8 years, 2 months ago
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Discipline is a harsh word. I think it's something that we are all aware of in the back of our heads, but at the same time it's something that we are afraid of hearing. But we need to understand that those who are successful need to push themselves and remind themselves constantly that success is the result of hard work.

It's interesting to hear about the comparison between motivation and discipline as driving factors behind drawing, but the more I think about it the more sense it starts to make. I should change my mindset so that instead of feeling like I have to depend on motivation to produce art, I should depend on disciplining myself instead. Having discipline is needed, while strong motivation is like icing on the top.

As for the idea about drawing daily, I should note that when I was younger, in my elementary and middle school years, I drew every day, mostly for fun. It was my idea of playing. But after I entered high school and college, I started seeing less and less time to draw and it felt like more of a chore to me. Mostly because of all the other responsibilities that I'm aware of as an adult, and the feeling that there's too much to do and too little time.

Anyway, thanks for your comment; it was very helpful and insightful to me.
Peony
Peony
8 years, 2 months ago
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I've found that a lot of people's motivation tends to coincide with their moods. When I'm happy, drawing is no problem. When I'm happy, even when my drawings don't necessarily look great to me, I keep trying. When I'm depressed, I've found that even if I want to draw, I know I have to take a break because I'll be too critical on myself and it won't end well for me.

Some people will swear by the "draw something every day!" lifestyle but for me that doesn't work. I know I need to take breaks that are sometimes a few days in a row to a full week. I know that if I don't take break and participate in my other hobbies, I'll burn out. Lack of motivation is sometimes just burning out.

I don't know if any of this applies to you but yeah, basically what works for me is knowing when to take breaks. This is pretty much what I've learned from drawing all my life, haha.
Zettadragon
Zettadragon
8 years, 2 months ago
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That makes sense, what works for one person will not necessarily work for another. I'm still not quite sure myself when I feel more motivated and when I do not.

I used to draw every day but that was when I was a kid; the older I got the less I feel like doing it. I feel like it's possible to go back to that mindset; I just have to get used to things. I guess there's a balance to be found between how much you can draw without burning out. But I've found that the previous commenter pointed out a lot of important things, to be a truly successful artist the most important part is knowing that you have to push yourself, even if it's something you'd hate to do.
Delicious
Delicious
8 years, 2 months ago
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I've still got no motivation for drawing personal art.  I'll probably be struggling with that for a while.

For commissions, though, I started off forcing myself to stream them every weekend.  The pressure of being watched initially just kept me from wanting to cut my drawing time short and slacking off while drawing.  I don't like disappointing people, so I used that to motivate myself.

Over time I got more comfortable around the people who join my streams, so that pressure wasn't there anymore, but the approach I'd developed to keep myself working remained.  In the long run it was a net gain, as far as consistent drive goes.  I'm not saying I don't get art block anymore, though--it does come in the form of very slow work nights sometimes, but at least there's still progress.  It's all a matter of how often I find time to stream nowadays.

Hopefully you find something that works for you!
Zettadragon
Zettadragon
8 years, 2 months ago
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Ah, streams. I've tried doing a small number of streams in the past but each time it's been very uncomfortable to me. Socially I've always been very shy and I'm the type who gets anxious easily especially in situations when I feel like I'm being watched. But I guess it's not that uncommon.

Maybe I should give it another go and see if I can toughen myself up over time, as it does seem like a good solution to force myself to draw often.
Delicious
Delicious
8 years, 2 months ago
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I was in that situation for a very long time--I still consider myself a very shy person.  I stuck to friends-only streams until as late as November last year, when I realized the only way to sustain myself on drawing would be to open myself up to the public.  Eventually you learn to handle people somewhat better, I've found.  

That being said I still get nervous whenever someone irregular joins or chimes in, but I live.  I'd say it's a good option to consider, and people like seeing their stuff as it's being worked on.
Grrrwolf
Grrrwolf
8 years, 2 months ago
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Perhaps have a trusted buddy there with you to greet and moderate conversation while you draw. Say hi when you can, but your work is most important, so concentrate on that. I think watchers are very understanding of this and realize you can't have your eyes on the chat window all the time.
Grrrwolf
Grrrwolf
8 years, 2 months ago
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But I forgot to say that I found myself working VERY fast. I agree with James, you cut out all the unnecessary stuff and get right to drawing. It's an amazing focus zone to be in.
Zettadragon
Zettadragon
8 years, 2 months ago
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That reminds me, since I don't stream often I'm unfamiliar with the details, but would multi streams be a similar thing? If there are folks willing to do this I might be up for joining in on a multi stream, it seems like a good starting point. Since not 100% of the focus is on you, but you're still a part of it so the pressure to draw is still there.
eeveefan
eeveefan
8 years, 2 months ago
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hmm... well if you want to know how I would motivate myself... heres a few about my motivations

1: making stories/ gifts for others.
getting gifts and making stories for others is a fun and rewarding thing. it gives the person you made the gift for happy and it also helps give you ideas on what to draw. receiving a gift also helps this because as you read though there can be a lot of interesting scenes that can pop into your head and there you got some ideas you can draw to go with a favourite part of a story or anything like that.

2: sharing ideas with friends/ asking a friend for some help.
asking for help is not a shameful thing. other people can have ideas and suggestions you can jump on in a heartbeat and start drawing some ideas. people often like to share their thoughts on things and often times it leads people to have motivation to draw.

3: seeing a favourite artist draw.
this one is a big motivator for me. when I see my favourite artist draw something it makes me want to draw as well. (heh this goes for you as well since your one of my favourites ^^) but seeing them draw and what the result is makes me want to draw even more.

4: streams!
there are a lot of people who stream and have a lot of ideas weather it be a new creature or just a simple drawing of scenery. motivation comes in many ways and it never hurts to try them all ^^

I hope this helped <3
LemmyNiscuit
LemmyNiscuit
8 years, 2 months ago
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I am not an artist, but writing and art are two sides of the same coin.

Sometimes to get past my blocks it takes a combination of walking away for a short period until inspiration hits, or just writing something fun that I know isn't going to go anywhere, but just to have written something.

I've found that my blocks sometimes come from thinking too quickly, and not being able to act quickly on my plans, and that sort of burns me out a bit. So I try to recognize when this happens, and sit down and just work on a piece of it until I get to a point where I can tell I'm not going to get much further. Just chip away at it. Do this enough times, and eventually I find that spark where it gets easier.

Again, writing is different. Sometimes I will open up my writing document so that it's there, and so that I have to acknowledge it's open and ready for me to work on at any time. Sometimes I'll have an inner talk with myself and say "okay, let's just see what happens."

Not sure if any of that really translates cleanly, but maybe there are some things in there that you can mull over.
SirBrownBear
SirBrownBear
8 years, 2 months ago
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Well I definitely don't pump out a constant stream of drawing to offer much in that regard, but like Peony was saying, it might just be the mood. When I used to come home from work and boot up SAI I could barely start drawing the outline of a head before just giving up. That or maybe it's the large workloads? (assuming you haven't already cleared out your commission queue.) I know for a lot of people having to go and look at the long list of people they owe art just kills all motivation. In that case maybe like James was saying, and making yourself draw those on stream, if anything just to keep you focused on doing and finishing it.

Another thing that might help is besides just working on commissions and alike, come up with some kind of storyline for your characters to follow. It'll make a lot of drawings that much more interesting to work on, and add some depth to your characters.  
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