Comic Fury Webcomic Hosting - Ever just thought about giving up?

Even though I update my comic a lot and I'm very enthusiastic about it, I still think about giving up all the time. If it weren't for a positive reaction from this community, I might have. But mostly, I am too critical of my own work to the point where I don't think it is worth continuing anymore no matter how much time and energy I've put into it. I might think something is good while I'm drawing it, but then I'll go back and overly scrutinize it later on and pick out all of the flaws.

Only recently have I realized that unless I stop doing that, I will never be a successful artist. So, I'm trying to just focus on the positive aspects of my work now and continue to push forward no matter what. Because if I don't, I will always regret not doing so.

Does anybody else have this problem? Or do you just push forward and not focus on the flaws?

I have never thought about giving up. I am a really obsessive person and when I get focused on a task that I was motivated to start I just don't give up...ever, to the point where it can be a problem.

But, even though I haven't given up yet, I have had my motivated come and go. The positive comments and what not here are the things that have mostly kept me focused on putting my best work out there and not just getting my comic done to get it done.

I have thought of giving up many times, yes. But then I think about how much unhappier I'd be if I weren't drawing a comic of some sort. I also think of how much my drawing & storytelling abilities have progressed in the last ten years and am excited to think of where they might be ten years from now if I keep at it...

Comments help, too. The best ones are from people suffering with depression who have told me that my comic is a tremendous support to them (I even had one person say "Thanks for explaining something I never could.") This reassures me that yes, I am doing my job. I once said that if I could help even ONE person with this comic, I would have done my job.

I was (and still arguably am) like you...I over-scrutinized my work to the point of not being able to see any of the good in it, just the flaws. And it was very hard on morale. I thought lots of times about quitting my old comic (this was some time ago), and actually ended up stopping entirely. I regret that, so much so that I have plans now to revive the old comic.

You personally may not feel like your work is good, but there's someone else out there who enjoys what you do and make. With my old comic, I had a family member who loved it so much, they went and had a cheap little book of it printed at Wal-Mart. I cringed every time I saw it, until, surprisingly, someone outside my family offered to buy the book. I was shocked that someone would want a comic that, in my eyes, was of poor quality. But this person loved it. She bought it and showed it to her two kids. And I now had two new, little fans of my work (along with some extra cash, with is always nice).

So, rather than give up, persevere. What what you might see as a poor-quality comic is another's daily laugh and entertainment. Besides, if you truly dislike the quality you're producing right now, the only way to improve is to continue to draw and work.

Keep at it, and best of luck to you.

I've thought about giving up before and how much more free time I'd have... but I just love doing it too much.

I have thought about that many times. I still do, but always force myself to stay positive about my comics. I am critical of my own work too, and on top of that I am easily influenced by what people tell me. (And they don't tell me very nice things) But Comicfury is a great place where I can actually talk about webcomics and have people like it. I would've given up if it weren't for my readers, comments, and subscriptions that I have. And I am always thankful :)

I'm too entreched in creating the world of my comic to ever thing of giving up. I even constantly try to revive old ideas, rework them.

I think about giving up hosting my comic here entirely since it's more popular/gets more feedback on other sites. :C

My story is something that I won't give up on for a loooong time. It's something I've been piecing together for years, so it's pretty ingrained into me. But the comic itself, I think about dropping some times. I don't think I ever seriously consider it, since it's pretty much my only past time anymore and everything else is uninteresting to me, compared to comic making, but I do think about it quite often. And, like you SmilingPsycho, it's often because I feel my work is substandard. When I'm doing something that is away from my desk, or just away from a creative space, I'm constantly thinking about my comic and its imperfections, and what I could have made stronger with the last page, or with the story, or whatever else. It really irritates me to the point of draining a lot of my energy. But at the same time, it helps me, because it makes me want to do better work and put more time and effort into the next page. I guess which side of the fence I'm on depends on how much sleep I got the night before.



Pretty much this. How far I have come in just five months really helps me look at things in perspective, especially because it got me out of one of the longest artistic slumps of my life and has actually pushed me to be more experimental and try new things with my art.

I think everyone who's been doing this for at least a short while has thought about giving up.

Being overly critical of your work is of course bad, but I wouldn't recommend just turning a blind eye to your flaws because then you won't improve. The thing you have to change is your attitude towards mistakes. Keep spotting mistakes, keep scrutinizing your work, but also understand that they are a necessary, unavoidable step towards improving. I sorta enjoy finding little things I missed in my work, because it means my eye is getting more trained to spot these mistakes which makes avoiding them easier next time. Finding flaws in your work also keeps your feet on the ground.

Thanks for the input. Your comic is exceptionally well done. I'm reading through it now and really enjoying it.

Every time I go back to Chapter 1 or 2 of my comic, I spot new mistakes each and every time. I figured this was because there were so many mistakes that it was like casting a net into a school of fish a couple of times; you're bound to catch new fish and fish you've already caught. But now I'll just chalk it up to my eyes being more trained. :P

I have this problem, too. However, it's good that you can see flaws in your earlier work and can pick them out. It shows you have grown as an artist. I actually cringe to look at my earlier work a lot of times. (Hence why I'm reluctant to flash my DA account around, I have art I did on there I did when I was 12-13 years old! blech!) Best advice I can give is to not obsess on them but learn from it. Lots of people (your audience) wouldn't necessarily see it unless they were openly pointed out.

As for quitting... I've thought about it, sure. In fact, I've tried to start it several times. I started it once in 2005 and 2007. In fact, I've actually been drawing my characters since about 2004. So, I've grown pretty attached to it. I know they say it's not really good to get attached to an idea like that but it's hard not to. For me, it's a work of love. Even if it doesn't get Homestuck popular, it's still something I want to do.

I wouldn't use the phrase of "giving up" but somedays it crosses my mind to "give in" and just produce comics because I like drawing. Of course that means giving up the dream of doing this full time for a living. Right now I'm enjoying chasing that dream. I've gotten better at leaving the drawing table when things aren't going well so that I don't rush and screw the art up only to get discouraged. I think everyone has those days when we wonder why our comic isn't setting the world on fire. Like everyday.

Very true. The toughest part is just going to be finding that balance.

Yeah, I've had times where I've thought about giving up. In fact, I had a period for many years where I'd start working, go until I hit a brick wall and then start all over again (I think the version I'm currently working on is my sixth or seventh iteration). However, my artwork is pretty much all I have; I'm autistic, and with only a high school diploma and no way to pay for college, it's practically impossible for me to get anything more than low-paying part-time seasonal jobs, nowhere near enough to live on. It's doubtful I could even enlist in the military, what with my other medical conditions making my life quite a bit more interesting than I usually like. Once I realized that, I knew I couldn't give up on the only real skill set I have.

Now, I'm married to my work. While ours is something of an open relationship (I am allowed to entertain other thoughts from time to time), we have a commitment, and the only ways I'm going to stop are when it's completed or if I'm physically incapable of drawing anymore. Motivation is still an issue, but every relationship has its rough spots.

I push forward and not focus on the flaws so much. This is all purely a hobby for me and I have no ambitions on becoming succesful nor making money with comics - it's a way to express myself and get that special rewarding feeling when you complete a page and get to view the finished product, maybe even see some improvement in the quality of your work. And I suppose that as long as I feel that way, I will continue my comic.

I have thought about giving up, realizing that it's only the lazy side in me speaking that doesn't want to do all the work required in creating a page. I have plenty of ideas for my comic and it's so much fun to see an idea transform into a comic page that I would regret it a lot if I gave it up just because of lazy-assedness.

I think about it every day.

No, seriously.

Every day, I think about it. I ponder just giving up, and not going through the wasted time and effort of pulling through. (Not just on comics, mind you.)

Every time. The thought comes up. I'm not good. I'm not going to be able to do this. I might as well give up now, rather than later. I've abandoned so many projects, so what makes this any different? I can't do this by myself. I have not the skill to pull this off.

I suck. I haven't improved. I've lost so much, so why bother continuing when it's not the same as it used to be?

I've not done what I've wanted to do, so what's the point to continue?

Nobody cares if I were to give up.

Heck, even I might not care if I were to simply walk away and never return.

Nobody pays attention to the comic, because there's simply no reason to.

There's nothing unique, nothing astoundingly remarkable, nothing truly original featured in my comic, nothing of true note, nothing MEMORABLE.

My work doesn't have any lasting impact. It doesn't mean much to me at all, does it?

I have so many flaws which I will never be able to work out.
I have too few resources to be good enough.

I don't have the tools necessary.

I'm a complete amateur, especially compared to others who have done so much with what they have.

All this, and oh so very much more.

These are the kinds of thoughts I have. All the time, constantly. Always doubting, always critical, always extremely cynical. You'd think they'd be my undoing, eh? But no. To the contrary, it's these very thoughts which give me strength, for each and every one of them gets a counter.




I'm not good, but I am better than I originally was, meaning I could be worse. Not only that, but if I've progressed so much as an inch in ten years, I can still get better with time. I may suck now, but even if I were at rock-bottom, well, then, the only place I'd have left to go is up, improving. I may not notice that I've gotten better. I may always think that I haven't really made progress--but it's something which will with time eventually be proven to be true. And while I'll always find some new flaw which I missed before, all that means is it's something which I can practice to do better in the future.

I can do this, because when I set my mind to a task, I've previously been able to get it done, to devote myself to a cause worth fighting for, which my comic most certainly is. I've given up on so many things, sure, but what I've kept is all the more precious because of it--so I should fight hard to keep it, to not give it up as well, to see things through, following it to the end. I might want to give up later, but if I kept on going, if I pulled on through and refused to throw in the towel, wouldn't I feel better?

I'm never alone--there are always others there to help me. Even if I don't think about it, even if I don't realize it, they are there, supporting me in any way they can. And even if I never hear about it, there's always someone watching me, wanting, longing for me to keep on going. Nobody has expressed that they'd care if I give up, but that doesn't mean nobody would care if I did; plenty of people would never forgive me. And none more than myself, as I do NOT want to add this to the list of failures, an already massive pile. And while there may not be anything worth paying attention to yet...if I keep on improving, eventually, there WILL be. And there's always something in each and every comic which makes it special. Everything is unique in its own way; my comic is no different, having just as much place in the webcomic world as any other, if I know where to look. It may not look like it's anything special, but it has its charm...yet even if it didn't, all that means is that I need to keep on pushing until I find something which DOES attract people to it, make them want to come back. And as I've said before...if I've made so much as a single person happy, if I've made them laugh so much as once...then haven't I already done my job?

But even if I were to be alone...wouldn't the triumph of having pulled on through be worth it? Of having finally accomplished something by myself? Because when it comes down to it, it means more to me than it does to anybody else, and for that reason alone, I should continue.

And if I don't have the skill to pull it off now...well, then, I can still practice until I do. Hone my art, train my skills, do my best to get everything done which needs to be done, in order to better my craft. I have more skill to tap into than I could ever dream of, and if I fight hard and long enough, it will come to light with time. The skills simply need to be nourished a little to sprout and grow; they're already there, in waiting.

While I might have lost a lot, a great deal of what I no longer have was simply due to my inaction--it was the desire to give up which caused me to let go of those things, and had I fought to keep them, then I would still have them, so I don't want to lose anything else. I want to keep everything I've got, and gain oh so much more than what I ever could have if I just let go. It may not be the same as it used to be, but that doesn't mean it's worse. It can be a change for the better, and I can constantly keep on building and building upon things, to make it better and better.

I may not have done everything I want to, but I've already done far more than I ever could have hoped to have originally achieved--and there's still more time to get more done. I may never get everything I want to done, and in fact I really shouldn't be able to, but I should keep on trying, to continue the fight, to get as much done as I possibly can.

I have severe flaws which need to be worked out, yes...and while I'll never get them all, while in the process of fixing one I'll probably create two or three...the fact is that those flaws give me strength, as they give me a drive, forcing me to try and better my art, because it's not perfect and never will be. And I should be fine as long as I'm willing to accept that.

I may not have the tools others do, but it's the very lack of resources which makes what I DO accomplish as impressive as it is--sure, there will always be someone better than I am, who uses the same (if not less) resources as I do and still does better...but they only got that good by practicing, and probably looking up to others who they knew to be skilled, as I do for them. Meaning that if I continue on, if I keep on trying, keep on practicing, that maybe I can get as good as them eventually, and be proud of it even more than I already am.

I may be an amateur...but every professional once was. They were a newb at some point, and if I keep on going, I could be no different. Everyone good once wasn't as good, after all, even those who I look highly upon. I may not utilize everything I have to its full potential yet, when others I see do...but they were once in my position and managed to work it through.

And above all, the thing which drives me most? Knowing that in the end, regardless of failure or success, it'll all be worth it.


Everything keeps building upon itself. More and more is added to the tapestry of thought, and soon enough, what once was depression and an urge to give up has been turned completely around, renewing my vigor and increasing my determination to be greater than ever before.

I go through it every day, because I've become stronger every time.

Once. Then I just said "Keep doing it no matter what".

If I gave up on anything, it would be trying so hard to promote myself. Hard to imagine giving up the drawing part.