luck in the art industry - comic essay by funkybun < Submission

I guess you're right, it's just hard to find

orangebox

3 years, 10 months ago

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Tirrel nailed it: https://e621.net/posts/19848

funkybun

3 years, 10 months ago

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@ orangebox

essentially, if hornyness is the emotion you go after you definately can get away with a lot XD but even just hornyness is not gonna cut it, you'd need a little more context to images then just "naked"

Ravasker

3 years, 10 months ago

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This is a genuinely helpful explanation, thank you for this.

funkybun

3 years, 10 months ago

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@ Ravasker

thankyou! its been floating in my head for a while, I just had to draw it out XD

dahan

3 years, 10 months ago

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Look at my horse! My horse is amazing!

Informative comic!

funkybun

3 years, 10 months ago

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@ dahan

look at that horse though ;D

Polygon5

3 years, 10 months ago

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Edited 3 years, 10 months ago by Owner

I like how you pointed out the importance of using references, cause it's really underrated. So much so that it looks to me you only glossed over it.
Drawing from imagination doesn't exist, drawing from memory does, so if you've never seen something or are looking at something, how can you draw it?
A lot of artists forget this, even the better ones on this very website. It needs to be more stated or even overstated.
(Sadly though as I keep thinking about it, it seems only other artists care about that kind of level of quality.)

funkybun

3 years, 10 months ago

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@ Polygon5

a lot of artists want to be above taking reference when starting. some sort of "its cheating if you take reference". but yeah if you dont know what something looks like, how are you supposed to draw it? XD I know a loooot of how the body looks because I have taken reference over and over, but still if I look at reference, I find so many more things i've missed

RubisDrake

3 years, 10 months ago

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@ Polygon5

Drawing from imagination (creatively) is a skill or a talent, like anything else, and it can be honed into one. I also think references are useful, but a lot of good art I think does something more creative with the references, and doesn't necessarily replicate them.

But references are a good way to help artists out when learning to draw certain parts of the body, or figure, really well.

Polygon5

3 years, 10 months ago

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Edited 3 years, 10 months ago by Owner

@ RubisDrake

You don't understand. Drawing from imagination is not a thing. You can't "imagine" to know what something looks like. You can only have memorized it and then draw it from memory. If someone ever taught you to "draw from imagination", they've taught you a bold faced lie.
On top of that, drawing something that doesn't exist is you recombining memories into something new. Or recombining references into something new. It's very easy to mistake this for "drawing from imagination". But trust me, and literally every other professional artist when I say that "drawing from imagination" does not exist.

TGA5000

3 years, 10 months ago

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good job this is your first gallery to be General

bestbuds

3 years, 10 months ago

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This is so good!

Harleking

3 years, 10 months ago

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So making art is selling emotions. Guess that's the reason, my art is just a footnote :3

Sangy

3 years, 10 months ago

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You know, this is very interesting, but I do have some grievances with your last point about motivation. You place motivation and inspiration in there as if they were synonymous, but they are two very different struggles. Motivation can certainly be generated by the sort of generalized boredom you describe, but that doesn't equate to inspiration. An artist can be highly motivated and also completely uninspired, or vice versa.

There should've been a section dedicated to inspiration, if you ask me, because it is also not some random force, and there's a big misconception about that--in and outside of the community. A lot could be said about inspiration and it is often very personal, but it all boils down to one thing: experience. Whether it is taking a close look at your life experience, going back to something you already know, or intentionally gathering new experience, this is where artistic inspiration comes from.

Ultimately, what you actually choose to create is guided by what inspires you, and not every artist is even aware of their inspiration. Others experience flashes of the profound that they will never forget for the rest of their lives. Whatever it is that inspires an artist, without that "spark" you can not create. But you can also control this as well, with some introspection. If you know what inspired you in the past, you can seek it out again. Whether than means diving into your own psyche, traveling somewhere new, or just eating a good piece of pie. Whatever it is, as an artist you have the power to put yourself in the position to find it. You can't just wait for it or expect it will be there when you have the motivation.

bullubullu

3 years, 10 months ago

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You are not wrong, some of the best pieces of art are from made from inspiration.

Yet, many are made because the artist persevered, kept working even if not inspired, even if tired, or barely interested, or just wanted to get it done with.
You know, like a job, which is what I think is the point made in this little comic: getting something done so you can get to the next thing that will make you money/attention/followers.
I can't keep count on the amount of pics I've seen where the artist was like: UGHHH, finally finished this, don't really like how it looks, the angles were hard, feeling meh about it all. And like... It's an awesome piece, that the artist struggled to create while demotivated and uninspired, and yet the viewer, the consumer, ME, thought it looked quite decent and all.

That is, I think, what the point about motivation was about.

Sangy

3 years, 10 months ago

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I chose very specific wording, but perhaps I should've been more explicit. An artist can not create without inspiration. You can certainly produce a piece without inspiration, though. An animator produces images. A cartoonist creates art.

This goes back to point #1: Artistic Expertise. Simply making something which is technically sound and pleases the customer is not the same as creating art. What you're doing at that point is producing art someone else created with no personal reason other than it being your job.

You also may have misunderstood entirely, so I want to clarify what inspiration is. We're not talking about the fable of muses inspiring an artist to something the world will remember. Inspiration can be as simple and vanilla as deciding "I'm gonna draw a fox." Inspiration is simply having an idea. Any idea. Without ideas of your own, you're not creating. You're just...a biological robot fulfilling your programming.

bullubullu

3 years, 10 months ago

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Fair points all, tho there are plenty of tagteam cartoonists who divide up the story/editing/drawing and make excellent content.

And the way you put inspiration as the ability to create, that ability is nothing without the motivation/dicipline to finish it.
The main point of the comic is also coming from the perspective of an artist who tries to earn a living, commissions can be a part of that, some artists run out of ideas/inspiration, yet they can churn out commishes because the back and forth with the buyer creates an image in their head they put to canvas.

BigFatWeasel

3 years, 10 months ago

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This is definitely what I'm feeling with my current drawing I've spent days on. I haven't posted my art here yet but will at some point and I need all the help I can get.

funkybun

3 years, 10 months ago

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I do agree with you. what I wrote about is a specific problem when you already have a seed of an idea (that spark) and have the want to do art. without either you cannot start working, but I also cannot give any advice on how to get either.

however, inspiration is a large influx of ideas into your brain, not just the original spark. I do also assume that the artist in question has a world of experiences already to pull from, thats generally what i've seen around me in my artists circles.
the problem I focuss on is this: the world lives to destract you, and anything that makes you not think about your project, hampers both your ability to start work, and your ability to expand on ideas you have. you can wait till you see a good movie to expand on an idea you already have, if that sort of inspiration is your main driving force, then you will run out of gass quick.

so for a project that's built up a mental wall, and which you dont know where it goes yet, I would reccomend trying this.

(I did write in the caveats, but I still wanna say, its not gonna work for everyone, especially if you dont want to art or have no idea to work on. I specifically focuss on a big problem that hampers me and a few artists around me)

Sangy

3 years, 10 months ago

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I've just had a lot of artists complain that their main problem is not being inspired, and as a (former)writer that is definitely the thing I always struggled with the most. I know this was done from your perspective, and I never disagreed with your assessment, other than lumping together what I still consider to be separate problems--motivation & inspiration. How many times I've heard something to the point of, "I've been drawing for hours, but nothing's coming out."

But inspiration is a funny thing, and so often not what people expect. It may strike without notice and in the most surprising ways, but more often than not it takes effort. As you said, most artists have a wealth of experience upon which to draw their inspiration. That means introspection. Looking through your own head for inspiration. For me, I found that immersing myself in the community was always my best inspiration. Experiencing their art alongside the creators and witnessing their raw emotion always gave me little insights that allowed me to find my inspiration again. But that's just me. Everyone is different, but so many of us have more than enough motivation and just can't find the starting blocks.

bullubullu

3 years, 10 months ago

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I personally had what I thought (or think) was a great story idea for a NSFW story.
I kept thinking about it, I built the world around it, the charactes, the scenes, I was lying in bed, goddamn throbbing at some of those ideas, building them further, imagining them in pictures as well as words (like, "reading" the words aloud in my mind as I imagined the scenes), the dialogue, etc etc etc.

Then I finally went and wrote chapter 1, without any NSFW parts, exposition and worldbuilding up the ass (compared to my limited productivity, I would hardly consider myself a writer or something like that)

And that was that, I lost the motivation. The story is still there in my head, I can still recall the ideas and the characters and the scenes... Somewhat. But I stopped writing it. Instead of pulling through.
What I mean to say, is that I think there are many artists or writers, who simply cannot manage to pull their ass together.

Yet I fully understand your point of lack of inspiration to be a great hindrance as well. I mean, obviously, if you can't even get an idea it's hard to pen it down! Even if your skills are great.
It's just, anecdotally (that's myself and a few other artists/writers I have kept an eye on), the problem isn't inspiration, it's focus and commitment. Sitting your ass down and actually forcing out the myriad ideas in your head, even despite being demotivated or distracted or having other good or bad excuses for not just doing it

bullubullu

3 years, 10 months ago

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Also, I also think it's rooted a bit in some anxiety for my own case, like:
"why even write this down and post it if people may not even like it?"
"ehhhh, on second thought, this all seems outlandish, no one will suspend their disbelief for these scenes."
"ughhh, what was I thinking with X and Y character, they are soo shallow/copycatty/limited/boring/ridiculous."

There's a whole lot standing in the way of productivity that can lower motivation I think.

bullubullu

3 years, 10 months ago

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I want to add something that really vibed with me in this comic: "don't wait for motivation" "don't fall in a trap of postponing"

Because in about the last month I managed to pen down 50.000 words approximately on a story and then a text game.
(don't check my profile guys, it's very niche content lol)

Regardless, I actually managed to, like the comic suggests, to "make time" for writing.
I work shifts, so on evening shifts I would come home tired and shit, and I would say to myself: "no writing now, just wind down." Then when I woke up, I would sit down and spend a couple of hours on my project. Sometimes I would write when I came home, but I felt tired and less motivated, and let myself "have some time off"
But damn if I didn't force myself to write, because, like that other thing, I had all the ideas in my head, I just needed to spend the time and effort to actually pen them down. And some of it has been less a work of passion and more a work of perseverance.
So I guess my opinion is tainted because I just recently basically forced at least 30-40% of my writing

Maybe that was inspiration motivating me?

Sangy

3 years, 10 months ago

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Yep, it works both ways, which was my whole point. Lots of folks with great ideas and no motivation. Lots with tons of motivation and nothing to do with it.

bullubullu

3 years, 10 months ago

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Very good point, and I wholly agree with You ^^

May all the unmotivated find their motivation!
May all the uninspired find their inspiration!

RubisDrake

3 years, 10 months ago

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I think a big problem is that some people view the entire world as uninspiring (like me), and have a hard time finding that inspiration without being in my own world.

People with autism will definitely get me on this one. Hahaha.

MGlBlaze

3 years, 10 months ago

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Edited 3 years, 10 months ago by Owner

Well, this certainly gives me a few things to think about. Thanks for making this.

Though regarding the whole "selling emotions" thing, I have a bit of an uphill battle in that regard. Thanks, chronic depression.

pucey

3 years, 10 months ago

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Edited 3 years, 10 months ago by Owner

You're not full of shit, but I think the really hard part that is difficult to overcome is trying to uphold your strength and motivation to continue and progress after many successive failures. Even though the percentage/chance of success is low, and objectively failure shouldn't be as discouraging as it is since it is more than likely to happen, especially when you are initially trying to break into creative areas which are inherently ultra-competitive, survivor bias still really messes it up since people mostly only zero-in and compare themselves to uncommonly successful artists they love and follow themselves, and when they try and fail, its immediately assumed there's a problem with their art and either go into hiding or just quit altogether because they feel the effort is not worth it if they believe they are inherently shit and bad without a chance in hell of the success they want, but rarely is the blame put on more years of experience/practice, the bullshit algorithms social media uses that favors already-popular accounts or trending topics, or even just the fact the person they're comparing themselves to have been posting for years before they did, so they have an advantage by already possessing a larger, preexisting network of dedicated patrons, fans, and mutual artist friends. So, I guess what I am trying to say is, if you're an artist, you're an artist; you know what you like, and you notice things people tend to overlook, and that insight is what inspires creation... BUT, creation is half the battle, the other half is taking the risk to share and release your art into the world; courage and persistence are the psychological tools you need to overcome this half, and you need a lot, and I mean A LOT, A WHOLE SHITTON of it, especially if you've already been dealt a bad hand in life and are up for a beating before anything gets even remotely good. But, courage and persistence is what gives you the means to overcome all of that and beat the odds to finally get that big break by staying on top of your game in the face of a seemingly endless lack of results or return. I'm speaking from experience because, I do feel I am pretty unlucky when it comes to sharing art and getting jobs/commissions, but at the same time, I can't blame bad luck on my failure since I quit very easily because I am extremely sensitive not only to negative feedback/criticism, but also to a lack of response/engagement, so when I fail, I fail hard to the point I see no value in myself or my art, and it puts me back further and further after every attempt that doesn't meet my expectations, which I shouldn't even be having in the first place! It's a vicious, torturing cycle, but your essay/comic helped me remember it isn't just luck, it's also about just being a good artist and a good person, and also just continuing the grind no matter what, so thank you for this, it woke me up a little and gave me the hope that I will find healthy ways to cope and re-frame the bad feelings to get past them, and just share my art without any reservations or expectations.

funkybun

3 years, 10 months ago

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@ pucey

to respond to the different parts;
yeah multiple failures is only gonna build up the hesitance wall you gotta climb over every time you want to start art. if you get successes, it breaks down the wall. I would reccomend being very selective to what you show off to others when you start, I for sure only drew sexy images for myself when I started, for something like 6 years before posting one.

ultra competative - if you pick the right markets it is not ultra competative, it's just medium competative. worse than say a supermarket job, but not any worse than any skilled labour. we are not astronauts, there is a pretty sizable market for the work I do. and we also have the tools and platforms to make easier first impressions than say streamers, to get people hooked. some platforms like tumblr or twitter will give you no views if you have no audience, but e621 or FA or IB do give you views if you have no audience, however I would reccomend crafting your work to be really catching/engaging. but yeah I do know survivorships bias, and I am also not going to blame people for it not working out, I just hope that the knowledge on what fields they can practise skills will help the right people.

courage and persistance - I do agree on this a lot XD I got the luck that my mind does not stop wanting to create, I have had my failures, but I cannot not create. its a blessing but also a curse, I am not good at holding any other job, because my brain will overflow ideas I cannot work on. however I cannot give persistence or courage to others, this is outside of my knowledge and also not really a pressure I want to put on others. it's ok if you do not have this. but yeah understanding the expecations of your art are a valuable tool, I know why my failures didn't do well, and therin it gives me strength and it doesnt hurt as much.

helped me cope a little - thats nice to hear! thankyou! I do hope it works out for you! remember you are your biggest audience, the one that feels the most for your drawings, if you can create something that influences you in a good way, thats worth more than any audience can give. but also if your drawing gives you strong emotions other than "well made" theres likely to be people out there that will also enjoy it

pucey

3 years, 10 months ago

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Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a thorough response, you've made me feel it is within my reach again. I'll never stop drawing, but I'm really going to work hard at being more open and actually sharing, finally get engaged with the community again! You are such an amazing person, much love!!

bullubullu

3 years, 10 months ago

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Edited 3 years, 10 months ago by Owner

There's a bunch of good information and advice here.

I would say it also applies to writers, many of the themes are the same, Quality, Marketing, Productivity.

There's a dark horse here as well, SFW vs NSFW, and there's a lot to be said about that when it comes to the PG18 side of things:
A quality writer, or artist, can be very selective in the themes they want to be commissioned for.
A productive writer or artist, with an "average-to-better" skill level (don't ask me what that is, I hope you get my drift), who is willing or happy even to branch out to less common/accepted themes or kinks, can earn plenty doing commissions if they are able to churn out enough pieces to stay "relevant"

There's also the "fine arts" take on it: certain artists who are not as productive, or who are dropping out of the scene for various reasons with low productiveness as a result, can rake up some impressive one-off commishes if their other work is cherished enough, for whatever reasons. So there is that. But this is only for quite established artists from what I have seen.
Same goes for quality artists who fall on a hard time and are willing to make just one or two commishes way out of their comfort zone and you will see them hounded by connoiseurs who want their niche fetish scalp pic from that artist.
This is mostly NSFW related as well I think.

funkybun

3 years, 10 months ago

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I will say, it's tough to make a living out of commissions. though the way to do it is with branding, it's a lot more stressfull than what I do. though none of the nsfw markets we are in come close to how messed up the high-arts market is.
we have honest pricing from people that want to pay. even if sometimes thats 500 bucks per character in a drawing, making 1500 a month is tough for an artist otherwise outside of patreon or merch. you can do the math on how many drawings you need to do each month if each is 100 bucks, thats unfeasible.

bullubullu

3 years, 10 months ago

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In general, I think it's tough to make a living as an artist at all. I do believe wage-statistics show that arts degree holders are among the lowest paid college-educated people of all, like McJob-tier yearly wages or just slightly above.
However, there are some benefits to digital art. You can work from home. That saves you a bunch of expenses from commuting for instance. You can live in a low-cost area and make the same income because your audience is worldwide, even out in the sticks with poor broadband because you only need to upload once in a while, whereas the rest of your work can be mostly done offline.
Then there's the international angle as well, a Venezuelan, Serbian or Philipino artist can comparatively earn quite a high wage because the costumers can be international, and pay international prices, whereas someone in mainland Europe or the US will comparatively earn a lot less.

But the Patreon/Subscribestar angle is correct I think, and the most "easy", once you break off and produce a lot of inspired content that people like to vibe with. Also because "eh, 5 bucks a month, that's just a cup of coffee at the gas station" VS "100 bucks! That's my electric bill for X months!" mindset of the costumers.

funkybun

3 years, 10 months ago

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I think the statistic is very much influenced by how art schools teach art students to be making high art. which is such a stupid unatainable goal XD I agree with the rest there, its a tough market, but it has really big upsides if you can get there.

lastly 100 bucks is 2/3rds of a month of heating. generally heating costs about 10 bucks a day for a single radiator. so 300 a month, but you only heat the winter months so its spread out over the year to about 150 bucks a month.

VoidBat

3 years, 10 months ago

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Welcome back from your break. It's well deserved and you were missed

Furlips

3 years, 10 months ago

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Yes.
I write, not as often as I'd like to.

Bunners

funkybun

3 years, 10 months ago

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@ Furlips

thank you for this beautiful poem X)

lyonmon

3 years, 10 months ago

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That was a wonderful glance into the world from the POV of the artist (as one who can only appreciate)

funkybun

3 years, 10 months ago

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@ lyonmon

thankyou!!

Tricksta

3 years, 10 months ago

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That's some popular "poop"

funkybun

3 years, 10 months ago

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@ Tricksta

you'd be surprised how popular some poop gets

RubisDrake

3 years, 10 months ago

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@ Tricksta

Poopufur.

Potsu

3 years, 10 months ago

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*gasp* You're back! yay!

newfer2222

3 years, 10 months ago

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I'll be interested to see some popular artists here transition out of NSFW. Several of you have the talent to do so, and funkybun clearly has the wisdom.

No rush though! I love the work here and would be disappointed to see you go. Bonus points if you're able to do both at once, but I can see how that might be difficult.

funkybun

3 years, 10 months ago

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@ newfer2222

I do have that want at some point, but I also have a pretttttyyy big interest in making sexy stuff XD the emotions are just so strong and rewarding! I am not doing this as a way to sell out, I genuinly love this stuff

Hokucho

3 years, 10 months ago

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This was a nice read! I have a friend that suffers from a very big ego-deflation because of some of these things.

funkybun

3 years, 10 months ago

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@ Hokucho

yeah its rough when stuff doesnt work out. but it helps to figure out why it doesnt work, so you dont take it too hard on yourself.

Tazer

3 years, 10 months ago

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This is actually pretty insightful. I'm in a bit of a long term funk, but this might be the inspiration for me to get back out of it. And well... if it didn't work, then at least I can say... welcome back!

I personally struggle with learning outside the classroom environment, but this might have what I need.

funkybun

3 years, 10 months ago

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@ Tazer

thankyou!! I hope something works out for you!!

Kaittycat

3 years, 10 months ago

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Edited 3 years, 10 months ago by Owner

It's an interesting perspective.  I've creating in the furry community for 14 years now and it's hard to say success isn't mostly random chance.  Sometimes you hit the jackpot and get shared by tens of thousands, then you're cemented and have a following.  That doesn't go away unless you really mess it up.

Sometimes artists will dedicate their lives and work for years and years and years and still rake in less attention than artists that are just joining the fandom.  Even outside of art, success, depending on how you define it, is pretty random.  If it's money, you can be born with it.  If it's fame, you get connected to the right people.

If success is happiness and contentment.. then you figure out what's actually important to you, do that, and then everything else that is usually toted as being important gradually seems less like success and more like chasing some high.  A video titled 'Why You Don't Need To Be Exceptional' puts it pretty elegantly.

Overall, I agree with the message and points you've put here in the comic.

PS. I take damage when I read "Success is a livable wage."   ouch ooch oof urgh owww.

funkybun

3 years, 10 months ago

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@ Kaittycat

I will say, I have never hit a jackpot, my success from day one on this platform has been really consistent and directly connect to how I felt about my drawings at any given time. you can gamble and try and get a jackpot, but its probably better to put your efforts in stuff you can control.
and yeah you can be set up for success from the start. I am privilaged in that I had a good 7 years of art study in which I had all the time to work on my craft and managed to have 250 bucks rent and 2000 bucks on my bank account when I started out, so I had over a year to make my patreon work out.
that said, I had no connections, 2000 bucks isn't a lot of money, and my artskill was kinda crappy. I honed down on the one feeling that affects me the most: exhibitionism/nervousness and thats what sold my work.

I also absolutely agree with the success quote X) in the end, why you do what you do is to eleviate stress and work on becomming the best version of yourself, self actualization.

sorry about the livable wage thing XD I hate it, but its what a person needs in our world for it to be the work you do full time sadly.

nakedn

3 years, 10 months ago

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Basically every time you practice and work hard your buying a lottery ticket to success!

funkybun

3 years, 10 months ago

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@ nakedn

no no not at all. you craft work to attract people bit by bit. theres no lottery, theres no jackpot. you should not gamble

nakedn

3 years, 10 months ago

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hmm, maybe I'm thinking of this differently, I'm a musician and I'm translating this into making music which might not work entirely. But the way I think of it is, by working hard, practicing, and making stuff and putting it out there your "buying" a lottery ticket with the time spent doing so. The "Jackpot" is someone finding what you do and enjoying it and maybe connecting with it, and opportunities may arise if the right amount people or right the person/people find your art. And because none of that is guaranteed to happen, your taking a chance doing so.
I hope that makes sense haha

Edbun

3 years, 10 months ago

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One of my high school history teachers was a young man who'd tell us stories a lot to break the monotony of History. One of them was about one of his friend who was a stockbroker. Made his first million dollars before he turned 25. Teacher told us it was worthless. His friend could never take a day off, couldn't enjoy his money. His entire life was the stock market.

Lotta people would call him successful. They'd be wrong. Making enough money to get by comfortably is success. Not working 30 hours a day 10 days a week is success. There's a point where you simply don't need money anymore; you can live without that third house and new yacht every six months, you don't need a rare car collection, or your prestigious *illionaire certificate.

That's not success. That's morally bankrupt.

I think about my history teacher and his friend a lot. He's probably burnt out or dead, or he made the right choice and quit in his 40s if he's smart. The most important lesson I learnt in history class was to not be a stupid asshole who thinks a bank account is life's scoreboard.

funkybun

3 years, 10 months ago

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@ Edbun

oh absolutely XD but also, making a million is more than most people will make in their entire lives, its not an attainable goal, its setting yourself up for failure. and yeah it requires a rare breed of people to actually do it, but those often or not cant stop either, working themselves to death just for a number that means nothing at that point.

FrancisJCat

3 years, 10 months ago

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This is now my favorite comic <3

funkybun

3 years, 10 months ago

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@ FrancisJCat

thankyou!!

WoodsWolf

3 years, 10 months ago

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Your art is always so lovely. I wish I could convey that as more than just a quick impression to you and other wonderful artists out there. It is always amazing to see what you can create. I'm going to try and share this comic with my bf who is an aspiring musician and many of these points you have made seem relatable across many art mediums. Thank you for all your hard work!

Khaimera

3 years, 10 months ago

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By far my favorite post on IB, this is wonderful! <3

fwyrl

3 years, 10 months ago

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This is really helpful advice for life in general, not just art!

Thanks :)

DoaTheJackalope

3 years, 10 months ago

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This is amazing, thank you.

VoidNameDude

3 years, 10 months ago

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How to succeed with art:

1. Do porn.

2. Refer to step 1.

funkybun

3 years, 10 months ago

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Edited 3 years, 10 months ago by Owner

@ VoidNameDude

yeah, no XD the amount of porn artists I hear complaining for getting no views is high up there. the same principles work for nsfw art, its just that nsfw in itself is already connected to a passionate emotion, but it doesnt guarentee anything, and is easily out competed.

AkaiKitsune

3 years, 10 months ago

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This is amazing and a really good reference for artist out there,

thank you for making this <3

dadeotter

3 years, 10 months ago

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Hey, this is great! Resonates with creative work in general too

Vixel

3 years, 10 months ago

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What a gold mine of insight and encouragement, thanks for making this!! <3

Azimir972

3 years, 10 months ago

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What a delightfull comic!! There are so many great advices in this, and it really shifted my perspective a bit into how I can improve as an artist too!! ^^

sleepytoy

3 years, 10 months ago

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You're totally right, I think I became much more relaxed and satisfied with my work when I realized that much more than technical expertise, what really makes someone a beloved artist is making that emotional connection with your public . As long as someone's work touches you, the details of "are they the best artist in the market or not" doesn't matter . Much like a movie or show doesn't need to be the best one out there to be your favorite .
You're an amazing storyteller and I'm glad to see great infos being shared to help other artists, many of which you only learn in the industry or on university . The art world can be tough, but less because of you as an artist and more because of the hostility and gatekeeping of the industry, so I'm happy for the current online communities that allow artist to earn a living doing what they love ~
And watching Bob Ross is not only good for your art, but also good for your heart <3

Tavvycat

3 years, 10 months ago

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This has been a delight to read and learn from. I truly appreciate the insight and perspective you bring to developing one's art.

RubisDrake

3 years, 10 months ago

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Edited 3 years, 10 months ago by Owner

It is really hard to make a living from drawing art for yourself and others, and not having a second job.

But it is a lot easier for people in the "STEM field" to make money by honing skills that are a lot more useful for humanity, especially science and technology. You can even make money by being a professor in said field, but college is a huge investment, and is harder to do in the USA financially, and it's not for everyone. But being a teacher is usually a reliable source of income, and then people invest into passive income sources afterwards. Investors may usually live off of that income eventually as their retirement...

I think that's a smart way to earn money, not being a fucking artist, or musician, or whatever. My dad still wishes he was never a drummer nowadays, because post-Covid, it just sucks now getting his gigs, and he has no computer skills to compose his own music or play live music Online.

Artists should focus on drawing passionately because they want to, not to earn money. That's not the goal for most artists anyway.

One more note: If the wider furry fandom didn't suck so much when it came to their immature ethics about cub porn, a lot of us cub porn artists would get more attention, but the community is so small and so full of freeloaders wanting free art, that it sucks. The end. :p

funkybun

3 years, 10 months ago

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@ RubisDrake

making money in art is hard, its a lot more challenging than other industries especially if you do it on commission basis, but I do not agree with the rest you said.
The problem with markets right now is that automation is going to take most of the tactile value away, and what you are left with is new industries like entertainment to fill in the voids. I specifically also do not want to talk about the USA because thats not where I live, the US has problems period.
you should be an artist if you are an artist, this stuff lives in your soul, it is your being. I cannot stop creating. but im not in it for the money either, I do not care about money, I just want to not have to deal with dying from having no money, and this is a wayy more attainable goal.

I would slowly die in any other job, so the only other alternative is parttime work with art on the side. which is not ideal, but its livable.
artists should be in it for "money" in a sense that they should be able to live and be able to create their art. youknow, the minimum of livable conditions.

RubisDrake

3 years, 10 months ago

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