Why Artists Are Failing Their Dreams

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Today, we're talking about your dreams of becoming an amazing artist. Artists are failing their dreams and if you want to be one of the one's who succeeds, most of the time, you really just have to get out of your own way. The simplest way to move forward is always going to be the answer to one question: what do you want to draw?
00:00 One of my biggest fears
01:12 The Pre-Project
03:21 Skillshare Sponsor
04:22 How we can learn from our childhood
06:40 What do you want to draw?
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[@vitormoraes8320]

worst thing is the grind. I refuse to draw what I like because it is going to look bad, therefore I will grind studies until Im good enough to draw what I want. I feel enslaved

[@NEREKA7]

such is our pain of learning to draw 😢

[@ZephyerArt]

haha that is the trap unfortunately. You gotta try to pull yourself out of it once, and then you know you can do it! I did that studies grind for a long time. I can tell you right now it doesn't work and it will leave you feeling helpless when you finally try to do something of your own and you can't because all you focused on were the studies. You can get out of that trap now. You just gotta be a little brave.

[@Lux-ray]

Yo this is literally me right now! I'm getting burnt out from all the studies but making my own project and seeing it doesn't look as good as I want to only further bums me out 😅

[@ZephyerArt]

@@Lux-ray lol I think the key for me there was getting more excited about all I had to learn than I was discouraged about sucking so much. It's expected that you're not going to get things right the first time, but you will get tiny wins that become cumulative over time (and it will bum you out less lol). And if you're really feeling extra discouraged I would recommend scaling the difficulty of what you're doing down a bit. You still want to have fun!

[@vitormoraes8320]

@@ZephyerArt why is that? Do you mean that studies skills wont carry over? Or that drawing pieces is another skill in itself that must be trained as well?

[@jajasi4752]

One of the worst things that I remember feeling is the realization that I was in my dream job, and it sucked. All my life, I was preparing to become a concept artist for triple A games only to get there and find out that it is soul crushing and boring

[@ZephyerArt]

It's like when people tell you never to meet your heroes, it turns out it's not as amazing as you build it up in your head. Sorry to hear that but I hope you find your own path forward and create the things you love!

[@frutfly]

oh woah, can i hear more about your experiences creating concept art? im aiming to do something similar in the future and thats a bit disheartening 😭

[@Absoluuttinen_Totuus]

@@frutfly I know you didn't ask me, but I'll give you one viewpoint on this: Ideally, I picture myself as a visual artist. Yet, the thought of turning my passion into a daily obligation makes me pause. Illustration is my shelter, my escape from the monotony of everyday routine. Turning this fun hobby into a full-time career could potentially weaken its magic, which is why I will never consider it as an option. If only there was a way for me to monetize my art while still engaging in it whenever inspiration strikes, not when I don't feel like drawing. But this is a struggle of all passions - the balance between passion and practicality.

[@LittleSilva422]

@@Absoluuttinen_Totuus Thats, rather worrying, see I wanna do freelance and concept art, also just making cool ideas on the internet like webcomics and stories for my OC's, etc, do some youtube on the side, gaming, build an audience that sort of thing, is that like a bad idea? I feel like it would be more comfortable and free space to express myself as an artist

[@Absoluuttinen_Totuus]

@@LittleSilva422 I don't want to discourage anyone from trying! We need real art now more than ever. From what I have seen and read, doing art as a freelancer poses a very unique set of challenges, since you are all on your own and you need to be good at marketing your art/channels. On the other hand it can, indeed, give you more freedom if you approach this world through youtube and monetizing social media platforms. You should at least try what it feels like🤷‍♂️ I mean, you can always change career plans - it's not going to be the end of the world.

[@amandac8836]

F**k it I’m gonna do my webcomic that I’ve restarted 5 times. I’m in my 30’s and have had a story in mind since I was 14 but was too afraid that it wouldn’t be received well and back then it was a much more original storyline than it would be today as I waited too long and now there are so many similar concepts. I’ll put my own spin on it and finally do it. :) Thank you I needed this video. Straight to the point and such a simple way to go about thinking of what to draw.

[@ZephyerArt]

F**k yea! I honestly have a comic I wanted to make too and was making a pre-project for it. Just gotta dive in with the original story you want even if it sucks. I'm happy to hear your pursuing your webcomic and please share it when you get the first chapter ready to go

[@sadyoshhours2769]

If you abide by storytelling rules youll be above everyone else.

[@straynekokami720]

Broooo I also would love to make a comic or graphic novel, but I’ve been too scared to do it. Honestly, reading your comment felt like reading myself hahaha. Go for it!! ❤

[@AnimeFreakpz]

DO IT!!! I’ve been slowly working on one too!! And I struggle everyday to find motivation to write and draw it but I try my best to keep pushing forward. We can do this!!!

[@YamiCami]

Do it bro. I'm 25 today and had a story I wrote at 13. I'm practicing to bring that to life 🍻

[@mehmetyhallac]

Same realization hit me and drawing became more fun.

[@ZephyerArt]

hehe same here, it's like a new sense of freedom

[@Vanessa-ii7cc]

Two years ago I went into crisis and simply stopped making commissions. The rat race of social media, coupled with the difficulty of a then-undiagnosed ADHD, made me feel inadequate, anxious, frustrated, with the feeling that I couldn't rest, with the fear of being left behind and everything to survive badly. The mere thought of having to sit down and draw started giving me panic attacks. Eventually I came to the conclusion that it was time to give up, that working as an artist was not in my future. I recently started drawing again, with just a hobby in mind, and I'm falling in love with art again.❤

[@nxsleepr]

Not a 2D artist, but I was stuck in this trap for a long time... That, paired with working a full-time job, completely and utterly destroyed me mentally. "When am I going to start living?" I asked myself day after day, and I never listened to that little voice because I was recklessly determined. That recklessness has helped me discover and improve, but I wonder how much further along and how much stress I could've avoided had I just said, "Fuck it."

[@ZephyerArt]

lol I think most of us wish we could say F**k it and do and say the things that we really wanted. It’s takes a hell of a lot of courage but you’re capable of it. Even if it is a little reckless ☺️

[@chikage7790]

For me, it was last year that I realized I did not care about what i drew since all i did every day was practicing fundamentals, then someone told me that the good thing about drawing is that you can draw whatever you want however you want . it is so obvious but for me it was a game changer.😂

[@ZephyerArt]

Great advice and definitely a game changer! 😁

[@stevsteelen]

can the same thing apply for animation?

[@levvy7879]

last year I finally made the decision to pursue my dreams, but I realized as soon as I came into this industry, everyones warning me that its not a sustainable career. I'm crushed. I have people I want to take care of and it really feels like now you either pursue your dream career or you go take care of your people. You can't have both.

[@radicant7283]

Came here to post this. Artists aren't following their dreams bc you have to bust ass just to survive and then you're too exhausted to do anything.

[@hiddenwings91]

I'm in it for more then just the money. I LOVE art. People have no idea how much this means to me, to create, to be a creator. I literally feel responsible to do this. This I'll always be the dream I will follow at whatever pace.❤️‍🔥

[@TheBlackHatOutlaw]

You sir just pointed out the loop I've been stuck in and had no idea I was stuck in it, so THANK YOU.

[@ZephyerArt]

Hehe it's a sneaky little thing! 😲

[@Bond01_]

I too am learning to change my approach for the better in that regard. Gotta embrace the imperfection and pursue results with actions, not thoughts.

[@ZephyerArt]

Exactly!

[@thetra00]

after 2 minutes into the video I nearly cried because you are so right. I am a Teacher fulltime, and in my free time, i started programming Videogames. I crunched our over 45 Games in 3 Years. I participated in over 25 Gamejams (Contests) won some of em, and I didn t even start the Game I wanted to make back when I was starting, because I am afraid to be to bad at it. Your Words go deep, great video!

[@ZephyerArt]

Aww dang I didn’t mean to make you cry 🥺 That’s a crazy amount of games!! Congrats on the wins. I hope this sets you on the path of making the game you always wanted to make. Share it with your students as you get it going. I’m sure it’ll pump you up! 😤

[@karladiazcomic]

I'd love your take on artists that work in jobs they don't like but they provide money and want to do their own projects and be successful

[@ZephyerArt]

I'm always an advocate of leveraging what you do for work as an opportunity for growth in the things you actually want to pursue, it's one of the reasons I shifted to graphic design for work. Of course, that's not always possible so you do what you can. I don't like my job but I do love graphic design and art. And unfortunately, I rarely get the chance to leverage my work for creative growth opportunities either. The frustration of being there is usually motivation enough to work in my free time on my personal art and make videos like this lol. I'm hoping this video amplifies how precious your time is. If you're working on a "pre-project" in your free time and working at a job you don't like, that's gonna be very draining. The sooner you do the things you really care about, instead of trying to avoid them, the sooner you'll see those benefits across the many aspects of your life. It's a really great topic of discussion and it's hard to answer since it's a very layered topic. I hope that was a good enough take lol

[@mizzzombie]

I really want to draw splash art, like you'd see in a gacha! a cute simple character with a bit of background that gives them a ton of personality! 🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@ZephyerArt]

Omg splash art is so cool! You should definitely do that I really love the character art from Alchemy Stars, it's got that little bit of background and everything✨

[@neekomarina2782]

​@@ZephyerArtA fellow Navigator eh lmao

[@A3ONY]

"Until you try to convince yourself you never really wanted it in the first place" My whole life I've gotten praise from everyone I thought that I wanted to do art, I still want to create things but never got more support then words of encouragement it made me question whether or not I really deserved all the praise. I've worked hard to be where I am but I feel that it's nice being praised but its not what I need. I fell down a hole of depression and was at a stand still for progression. I have been questioning is this what I want? Do I want to do art for a living? Yes and no I want to do art but I want it to be on my own terms I don't want people to tell me want to do! When the video said this it felt like a brick, but that's right it doesn't have to be this way. Don't let anyone just praise you for your "talent" make them praise you for your hard work!

[@ZephyerArt]

I feel the same way, I want to do art on my own terms. Don't need to work for a studio or anything, you can create amazing work for yourself and if you generate enough interest, you may find a team of people who align with your vision! 😁

[@ll2323]

My issue is that I don’t have time to sit and do art because was never a person able to finish something in an hour or a day. Some of my best works take years. And that’s just not possible in this grind and huddle culture economy.

[@Kaylasdaintydesk]

I want to be a landscape painter. So I set all these pre projects about “study skies” “study trees” etc. 2024 I decided to plein air once per week to hopefully break the pre-project loop you talked about 😊

[@ZephyerArt]

I love that! Landscape painting is a lot of fun 😁 You're totally okay to still study the sky and trees lol but don't use those studies to put off the landscapes you really want to paint. You try it and then do a study specific to what you struggled with. If it's the sky then aim for a sky that resembles what you struggled with in the landscape painting you just tried. You actively attack your weaknesses with specific knowledge and can try to do it better the next time! Good luck with the plei air painting

[@GoblinGate]

I wanna draw motorcycles like Akira Toriyama.

[@ZephyerArt]

Hell yea! I really love his vehicles too

[@tejvirmann]

Same, let’s do it together!

[@slik7700]

Let's go! Try!

[@morningraindrops]

I want to draw characters and backgrounds in cool perspective.

[@ZephyerArt]

hell yea!

[@tejvirmann]

Same, let’s do it together!

[@elisa48092]

I don't even know If I want to be a full time artist, right now I'm a real estate agent, but art has always been my passion. I just want to be able to draw what I have in mind but working and keeping my passion for art it's not easy.

[@ZephyerArt]

You don't have to decide right now. If it's a passion, you can still nurture it in small ways. There's no one putting pressure on you to be amazing at art so take your time and enjoy the process. It's not easy but that's part of what makes it so rewarding when you accomplish a piece you really enjoyed

[@jackfelldown1]

All my projects feel like preprojects. Even the comic I'm planning now is a preproject to the the one I wanna do, which is my sci-fi space opera fantasy. I feel like I'm not good with machines or environments so I wanna draw a supernatural manga(I've already started on the script) before that. But even before that, I'm working on improving my drawings. Yup. It's endless. Btw, we need roles on the server. Colourful roles. Preferably not that generic green one, but me want colours.

[@ZephyerArt]

Like I said in the video, I'm super guilty of the pre-projects but they end up draining you. Just jump into the deep end and try doing that sci-fi opera fantasy. Then study here and there when you can't get a handle on the machines and environments as you get going. It will all move forward together Lol I'll think about the roles for Discord!

[@MusicAutomation]

Oh man that part about doing pre-projects resonates so much. I'm literally doing it now. So many more ambitious projects that are untouchable.

[@homemgalinhagalinha8078]

oooffff! the precious project thing is real!!!! in college we had an exercise that was draw ourselves as a super hero, really create a concept. And I actually drew a character from my story that was supposed to be a comic. when I told that to my teacher she just asked "why aren't you drawing those comics?"

[@ZephyerArt]

Oof that teacher brought the real questions, eh?! Draw those comics!

[@darkblade47kv]

Do personal projects, do personal projects, I can't stress this enough. Even if it comes out looking like ass. Schedule a day or two in ur week if u have to. Don't let perfectionism ruin your life. It will not only sky rocket your growth, its good for the soul. Learning to apply the fundamentals of art to a project is a different skillet entirely.

[@zinzolin14]

I'm drawing right now as I'm listening to you! I'm working on a Tarot deck and I'm doing revamped designs for one of the older cards I made a while ago. My art, techniques, skills and vision for the project have all grew a lot over the years so I wanna give some of my older designs a fresh new look!

[@ZephyerArt]

I love it! Tarot cards are really cool to play around with. Even better to redesign your own ideas and see how much cooler you can make them

[@studio107bgallery4]

It’s one of the most difficult jobs in the world to be a professional artist. You have to be your own support system, most people do not take art as a serious business. It is a business, and if a person doesn’t approach it that way you will definitely have a more difficult time. I feel like giving up every month, and I’ve been doing it for 45 years.

[@nyaoming]

Love this video and the whole message so much. The pre-project hell is so true lol...and the relationship between improving and fun was extremely well said. I haven't seen anyone put that to words and you nailed it

[@ZephyerArt]

hehe thank you I'm hoping I won't be in pre-project hell ever again lol

[@TLSauce]

For me it's just as simple as mental illness interfering. I have complex PTSD and my mind 'protects' me from being who I want to be. For the past I wanna say five years, almost all creative pursuits have fell apart, the ones that did succeed with at least just being able to publish it were flukes where I felt miserable making them. My motivation is extremely low, I don't get any happiness from working creatively (or from virtually anything in life sadly), and I get waves of anxiety when working on them. It totally sucks, it's like the most treasured aspects of me are trapped and I'm paralyzed to do anything about it. I say all of this, because I feel most artists really struggle with past trauma either generally or specifically related to art that makes them do things like procrastinate, be too hard on themselves, give up, etc. Plus I couldn't fathom how much harder this would be if I was struggling with financial garbage... My best advice is do a ton of research and implement psychology into your life to better yourself. It may seem really obvious, but initially I thought all of this stuff was completely unrelated to past events and getting distracted constantly is just an innate and immutable part of who I am. Best of luck artists, life is unfair to us all :(

[@K-Lowe]

failing upwards is some scary shit, you improve very quickly

[@thomasjoschko1511]

You absolutely nailed it! Great video, great communication!

[@akhilkumarm2009]

The videos keep getting better and better man ! As I said before its been months since I picked up the pencil(or the stylus), so it got to a point where I don't know if I will be able to reach my dream. This has happened to me countless times that I find myself where I started my journey. I need to get back to it.

[@ZephyerArt]

Thank you akhil! Ah yea I hate that feeling of needing to start over and over again because you spent too much time away from things. It gets really discouraging. But after doing it so much I realize you remember a lot more than you think and its usually a temporary discomfort. You'll get back into it smoothly so long as you keep up a positive mindset for your growth!

[@bhushan6665]

i want to draw characters and their world , your videos are very helpful

[@touchinspageteh]

Oh my god, this is literally my predicament. I’ve only realized my dream only after applying for different courses for the sake of money in college thinking I’d only draw as a passion/hobby. I’d only gotten started drawing 2 weeks ago and I’ve been struggling moving on from simple geometry and personally thinking it wasn’t good enough (still isn’t honestly). I dreamed of making a sci-fi animation series in the future, which I’ve been formulating since half a decade ago. Thank you for the wonderful video, I hope your path towards your dream be worth while for you and everyone you want to show it to!

[@IStartedAtThirty]

I love this question. I just started posting videos on my channel. I am trying to balance learning to film and edit, with practice, and finding joy in what I am doing. This was a great reminder. :)

[@Calamity556]

"Pre-Project", I am so glad you put a word to it. It's how I learned that DrawABox wasn't for me. I... struggle with balancing a drawing course with time to draw for fun and it made me feel trapped. I just can't do both because I always felt like "I CAN'T do the 50% Rule, draw for fun, until I've fully completed the entire course (The Pre-Project)." It put me in a year-long burnout where I drew NOTHING, so it's definitely not the course for me. I honestly don't know what to do. Whenever I doodle or scribble I always find myself deleting it because it's going nowhere. I JUST WANT TO DRAW THE CHARACTERS THAT ARE STUCK IN MY HEAD! 😭

[@LeeroyGoldmane]

Work hard study well eat and sleep plenty!

[@philsp26]

Great video, really appreciate the message and insight. Glad to hear it’s possible to beat the planning procrastination process!

[@ZephyerArt]

Turns out it's really rewarding too. You get a little bit of discouragement from the failure but you stack up little wins faster than you think 😁

[@andreanarvaez392]

😮😮 this is exactly what I'm going and never wanted to put a name to it, Side projects that become to big they need their own side projects. I needed this video 😅 thank you for putting it into words.

[@madslappers5913]

Thank you so much for this video it really helped me a lot to realize that I have been procrastinating on my dreams and my stories and that I let my doubts take control, but I just don’t know where to start and I always feel stuck because I haven’t drawn so long, I know what I want and I visualizing inside my head. I’m going to study and get better and allow myself to make mistakes cuz as an artist I need to accept that nothing is perfect and I could always do better next time.

[@lildiglit826]

I am In the exact same situation as you , you couldn’t of explained it any better , perfect !! You earned a subscriber

[@flyingteacup8369]

Thank you for the advice

[@Umelynz]

I was in love with making good anatomy a year or so ago and I would practice almost every day, but I felt like I was getting nowhere. Then, just a few months ago, I randomly started drawing after taking a break and my anatomy looked amazing! It takes a long time, but your dreams will always come true if you try hard enough

[@fredpallaya5316]

Currently studying to be designer for me to practice it doesn’t matter what I make, the only I have on my mind is to enjoy at the same time working on observation key of improving, I don’t confuse my self about style it’s just whatever i see or think I try to work the drawing, it’s just important to never try to draw as final piece as you get a fluid experience, in the end you rewarded with time management at every drawing u like to be final piece and indeed time is your friend to create

[@straynekokami720]

You put in words what I’ve known about myself for years, but never had the courage to admit (and never had a way to describe it). Thank you so very much for pointing this out, and giving it a name haha. I want to create Ghibli & Makoto Shinkai backgrounds… They look absolutely stunning and are imposing as fuck, but how am I supposed to do it if I’m scared of picking up my pencil? I have to remember my old self, that kid would be trying to draw those clouds as soon as there’s a pencil in their hand.

[@fancysmudges]

This video puts it perfectly into words!! I relate to getting stuck in that loop way too much. I've been putting off doing a key painting for so long - even though I can paint complex characters and environments on their own, putting them together has always felt too daunting to attempt. That being said, I think it's time to just do it scared and learn from the process.

[@ka4685]

I never really thought about it this way. I watch a bunch of art videos on how to improve and what to study, but never did I think to cut out the "pre projects" and to just not be afraid to fail. I really want to draw a scary mushroom creature that looks like a normal mushroom but raises out of the ground and becomes this big tall monster

[@BueskenArt]

This video spoke to my soul.

[@jpeckdraws3932]

Very good points in here I’ll have to try this out

[@ZephyerArt]

Good luck!

[@JaquilloStudios]

Drawing Characters, Landscapes of beautiful views, Cities, Cyberpunk vibes of a world, Knights, old stuff, etc!!

[@chrisyrulz893]

The planning stage and overthought, sucks. The past 3 days, I have made myself draw one pose of my main character for my comic, in a different pose, angle, expression, etc. Getting through the stuck stage and having a finished reference, feels tremendous. I’ll have a great reference sheet in no time. Love the video, and it’s such a relevant issue. Worrying about the end -reduction so much before we even begin, so we never create, then feel we haven’t expressed our creativity at all.

[@pkjose1343]

Wow. This was a great video. That loop thing you mentioned resonated with me greatly. Since I was 18 I took drawing seriously and wanted to create my own graphic novel series. Ive been drawing all my life but I knew I was nowhere near good enough for it yet but I still had fun coming up with so many ideas. It was simpler then. When I got to college so many things took over. Striving to build my social media brand up, learning digital art, and just life stuff in general happened. While I've made GREAT strides towards where I wanted to be, I look back and remember the promise me and my best friend made at the time: That we would have our first volume of our stories out in the next 5 years. I made that promise at 18. I'm 23 turning 24 and I haven't even officially started my story. Its still my number one dream in this world but time just flew. So many things happened but my overall progress in art in general was not as fast as I thought. Even though I felt sad at first, I realized that I still kept at it, even if I was slow. I'm WAY further in my story writing progress than I ever could have imagined when I was 18. While I wish I could just focus on my story and art for a longer period of time, Im pretty content with the progress I HAVE made. No one could take that away. I have a full time job now and other responsibilities so my time for drawing has been cut immensely. It sucks but i can still do it. And due to that lack of time I just draw whatever I want to instead of forcing myself to do things I don't want to draw like I did when I was obsessing over social media numbers. I like drawing my characters and things I'm currently into and I'll stick by that. And I WILL do my graphic novel one day. Even if that specific dream is precious to me I do want to start it one day soon. There's still a lot I need to do though in terms of writing, character creation, etc 😂! I'm far enough in the planning/writing that I can technically start though so idk lol. Sorry for the ramble.

[@smolsheriff]

Dang, this hit hard. I find myself notorious for having more WIPS than finished projects, more that I am indeed, very scared of messing it up! I think up of something cool, get excited and sketch it out and then!…. reality sits in. “how am I going to color this? I can’t draw environments well, what about rendering? Can this be a print? How will I produce this? I should set it aside when I’m ready”…. then it goes into the WIP folder never to be touched again 😅 I should trust myself more into diving into these ideas, cause you never know until you try right? And if it doesn’t work, you tried and made mistakes… but it’s worth learning from those mistakes and trying again. I’ll be sure to come back to this video whenever I can, thanks dude.

[@stratovolcano7813]

Right now I've been really interested in practicing my character design, particularly the iterative process and more imaginative drawing

[@cparth8]

Hey just came across your video and am feeling pretty much exactly how you described. I have this huge story I want to draw and/or write but I’m not sure what the best medium is, or if I should do a combination. I love drawing dynamic action poses but my anatomy still sucks after learning it for years. I think you’re right, I just need to stop thinking and saving references, and actually do the physical practicing of it. Thanks so much for this amazing video, I subscribed immediately and I’ll be sure to watch many more!

[@M32_722]

Holy Smokes Dude!! Your explaining exactly what im struggling with!!

[@masontoy1976]

he is right about drawing consistantly and being able to enjoy the process being the most important things when it comes to improving at art. BUT especially if your aspirations are more professional, do keep in mind that is important to be at a certian level technically. and you do generally want to get there sooner rather than later. Learn to love the process of creating and by extension the process of improving, instead of the result alone.

[@DreamingTabitha]

So helpful! Thank you💎

[@ZephyerArt]

You're welcome

[@FattyKung]

I was reaching my dream, but it changed me a bit while I try to stay, now I just try to , value what I love more

[@StephySketches]

So much this! I’ve been so focused on the fundamentals this year that I was forgetting to draw for me. So I started drawing video game characters (FF7 mostly 😂) and cute dogs on the weekends and studying during the week. It’s all about balance!

[@extremesubtlety]

Oh…oh, i needed to hear this. Thank you, sir

[@Tosmo]

I use to be a 3d artist, but something flipped in creatively after becoming a dad. I didn’t have much personal time to work at my computer but I could often draw and sketch. I got really into illustration and fantasy art; an assortment of characters, creatures, and strange realms. There’s a story there but im still finding it. My favorite thing however is when my 1yo looks at something I created, if she sees a creature she imitates a roar, if she see a friendly face she waves and says ‘Hi’ to it. I study and practice but I always bring it back to subject matters I like to create. I have essentially stopped thinking about social media, and Im enjoying the very personal process of creating art. Not sure where i’ll go with it but Im not quitting any time soon.

[@SleepyFella777]

Hello, so I never really comment on KZbin videos that much, but honestly I just wanted to say that your video has indeed been a wakeup call to me. Like a bajillion of other people here, I too want to make my own manga/webtoon series. There are so many characters in my head that I want to draw and stories to write, but getting started on that is really difficult. Right now though, I’m currently making a poster featuring one of my characters for fun. Perhaps maybe going with something like a poster would be a good way to start. Getting my own characters to shine sounds like a fun idea after all. May have to do some adjustments to their designs, but I’ll figure it out as I go. Maybe that’s what folks like Oda have been doing for so long, figuring things out yet making things count simultaneously. All I gotta say is thanks man.

[@TheCube31]

For me that endless loop weirdly works. It's kinda odd ngl, maybe it's because (I'm really lucky with this ngl) I'm improving quite fast, hence every drawing feels better than the last, better, faster etc... I'm kinda fine with not touching that 'big project' yet. Because, while it's true, I can start with it rn, it's also true that, if I wait just a bit more, something better WILL come out next time. And on and on... Maybe I'm just on the honeymoon period? The only thing I know is that, if I don't hit a roadblock soon... It will be great.

[@Pookiepookie20]

I want to draw all the stories in my head.

[@beenhere_]

im chasing it ! This was great thank u.

[@abdullahgymnastiars5782]

liked and subscribed cz this is what I actually need to hear tysm!

[@UncannyPirate]

Thank you so much for the video ! It really made me smile 😃I've been chasing that feeling of freedom in my drawing that i used to have as a kid. I didn't realise how simple the solution was until now ! I also just want to draw cute anime girls ! 😳 Somehow i only ever ended up working on study projects without realising it and eventually feeling discouraged before even trying... thanks for 'unstucking' me 😀

[@hillauch]

Hit the nail on the head

[@DeeJuusan]

I honestly did the whole switching gears thing back in 2010. When I graduated college I wanted to be an animator, when essentially I always wanted to tell stories more than anything and only thought of animation. However I was self-aware of my poor skills and lack of knowledge so I thought I'd try manga to hone my skills. Fast forward to today I'm working on chapter 74 of said manga. I love this video so much and I love your vibe. *subscribing*

[@danielomar9712]

I found this on my recommended and i have to say , the "pre project" is VERY relatable for me I suffer from extreme anxiety when i comes to decision making , i also have alot of traits that really stop me from actually drawing ( easily demotivated , envious of others , self hatred ) Im still struggling on getting the confidence to draw , but i'll try my best to get the ball rolling

[@Tachiharah]

i love backgrounds and landscapes and i want to get better at painting them, then i remember that anatomy is my biggest weakness and i draw more characters than backgrounds

[@soleilmole]

This video resonated with me so much! I want to draw my characters and make a solidified world around them because for ages! I’ve made these stories in my head into a comic and I want drop everything and work it now !!! Thx for the motivation However til then 😅 I’m still student in college and I’m working on other projects before I fulfill my ideas. I think right now I want to draw a really good desert background for the video game I’m working on

[@damianfarci6778]

I have several half baked characters that I would love to create and design but keep on delaying it saying to myself "You have to learn the skills first" and I am in constant loop of having something to draw and doubting my abilities so I go back to practicing.

[@ZephyerArt]

That's the trap I found myself in for almost a decade and every time you repeat that loop it gets harder to push yourself out of it becaues your studies are so much better than your own creations. The sooner you do it, the easier it'll be!

[@neekomarina2782]

I was in a rut lately cause of being over critical of ny illustrations, thinking that it wasn't enough. I'm so glad that I stumbled on this video. Its not about ticking the box but rather what I just want to draw. Basic but often overlooked cause of perfectionism and thinking big. Answer at the end of the video, I wanna draw fanarts of my favorite characters in Alchemy Stars format and potentially, illustrate a daily life of my fellow Filipino brethren. Thank you so much for making me realize that drawing can be fun and rewarding.

[@AlHyde1997]

I'm already there. I have achieved my dream, I can draw anything I want and it is a wonderful. My dream was to be the best at art in my own way but to mainly just have fun. it is fun.

[@angelagreen7388]

That cycle of not feeling worthy to fulfill a project speaks volumes! I'd rather do other things than tackling that one piece due to failure. I learned to do a side sketch right before starting my next piece, which could be an entirely different thing. Thank you for sharing.

[@Karika_ite]

When you talked about the pre-project it hit me like a truck. All I did these past years was to prepare smth and try to improve since I can only start if I reach a certain level or so I told myself. Since allowing failure was out of the equation I basically imprisoned myself with perfectionism, not moving forward. What I want to draw? Perhaps something that would spark joy in my younger self, something that makes me feel free and express myself... but it turned into "the grind" ever since I was 14 because I was afraid of financial problems and failure in the future. Thank you for making this video, I'll keep your words in mind.

[@Akisukaa]

This video reminds me to how i study for school. I used to read alot, but for the last year and a half i have left, i just start doing question and then read after i really dont know the answer or ask my teacher. And just like my art studies, it became a project instead of just "study". Wanna learn anatomy, find a reference and draw a character that you love or your own character. That being said, its really defeating when you cant reach the expectation in your mind. Even if you remind yourself, failures never felt good and its easy to spiral into some kind of art block because of it. Well, what a rant. To end this note, i'll just say this : Be strong for who you want to be and when you've become who you wanted to be, dont ever stop. Keep going until you die

[@Catsandbats666]

Perfectionism sets me back for sure.

[@all4cyrus]

This really spoke to me. I have to get out of the snare of pre-projects.

[@UnlimitedMrX]

I want to draw Alphen from Tales of Arise. His armor has such a cool design and the lighting from his blazing sword gives off such a nice contrast with his overall dark color scheme.

[@Coophack6584]

The thing that kills me is you grind the energy out for your art only to have people tell you to sit down and shut up 💔

[@Ani-yt4nf]

Thanks for this video! It's really helpful. I want to draw hands. Puppet hands, robotic hands, cool hands, normal hands, any hands! I'm sure I'll have fun with this, and when it gets difficult, I'll learn.

[@blissfulblues7489]

This perfectly describes how I've felt for the past three years. It's exhausting. I wanna draw art of my stories

[@Nex-oz]

I’ve always wanted to draw my own character into the story. I would call him a superhero but it’s not like he’d do heroic things. I’ve been wanting to create my Oc for the longest time and developing his story that I want to put but don’t know where to start. Now I’m just drawing how his official character design would be. Even if it isn’t perfect, I want to try.

[@chestnutters9504]

What your talking about is very real. Sometimes you want to execute the details of a project so much you go into recursive iterations in your head 🔁 🔃 🔄 it’s funny.

[@miredmind]

"everytime i start drawing, i'm reminded of how much i suck at it. i just keep doing it because i have nothing else" it's something i posted on X about 7 hours before watching this video. i left a decent-paying job to chase my passion and become an animator. almost 2 years have passed since then and im nowhere near my dream. i didn't make it into the company i wanted and never got replies from other animation companies here. worse, im also no longer qualified for the previous job that i left, so there's no way for me to move forward or to even go back. i've been stupid, and now i'm tired and starting to get scared of drawing what i like because i don't wanna fully come to the realization that the things i like won't get me anywhere

[@The_Hat_Art]

I love early 20th century art and anything with an old timey feel! I also love watercolors and ink and almost every other medium. I’ve been hating my illustrations and striving for realism but I enjoy the simplicity of the illustrations and realize I do really good ones. Now, hopefully I’m gonna lean into it and start drawing illustrations and comments and shit. I want to draw.

[@randomcake670]

I’m actually drawing right now and I’ve got your video playing in the background while I try to focus lol. Well, what I WANT to draw is my comic. I’ve been working on it for a while and I’ve almost finished drawing the entire “first” chapter. That’s what I’m currently drawing. I’m on panel 176 out of 180 on what was meant to be the first chapter. I think I might have to split it up. After I’m done drawing I need to color all of these panels, then I have to draw four more chapters and that will make up the introduction of my comic. I am so excited to get this done since this is a project I’ve wanted to work on since I was 15. I also want to draw a side comic I’ve been working on too.

[@CentaurWorks]

I want to do something I did back in 2020. I do my own social media event/project called "Month of OCs,' in which I try to not only make art but also get people excited about sharing their OCs. In 2020, I was able to make a backlog of art that I could release daily. They weren't all 10/10s but it not only helped with my art skills but also help just promote more OCs. I'm currently slacking/behind on that and I want to try to be able to do it again.

[@BaboonTeeth]

I want to make animated music videos more than anything else. Im finishing my animation degree in the next month, which is great, but I realized I'm bored while making an ultra high-frame rate animated short. Ive become apathetic despite adoring animation. But this was such a great reminder!!! I needed it so badly. Even if job prospects for animated music videos are not amazing, putting passion into something short will pay off!! Even if its just my demo reel.

[@kakkadasekazvam3968]

I just wanna say ,and i dont wanna imply or in any way sound like forcing you to keep doing this but, your videos are so therapeutic and chill so thank you for having shared them with us and I am just thankful for having them already and somehow dont feel the greedy need of having more P.S i wanna draw perhaps madara (naruto) or geto (jjk) or perhaps a comedic short story :D

[@OMNIDC13]

Landscapes, people, Space and esoteric weird things that are meaningful to me.

[@Emmortalgod21]

Once again the way u talk always help and I think u save me again now I want to draw a bleach character love your videos til de end

[@ZephyerArt]

thank you 😊 enjoy those bleach characters!

[@danieljamiesonillustrates]

I would love to draw creatures for a game or movie. you have some great tips in here. I always like listening out and finding new approaches for my art journey.

[@ZephyerArt]

Hehe thanks daniel 😁 I hope you get to draw some awesome creatures!

[@danieljamiesonillustrates]

@@ZephyerArt thanks :D.

[@eitsirkwonggedbbl]

Ive honestly spent years trying to get there where i think i should be. The problem is, you get more ambitious which each and every accomplishment so your end goal was always running from you in the first place. Right now i just want to make something that is meant to be its own stand alone thing. Something with a story, something with color, somethng i can print and put down. I used to want to do so much more but the years of practice and schooling have removed any hope that any of that is possible anymore. If only there was a simple way to remove my rational brain from the equation.

[@andymori9050]

Met Sir Ken Robinson in person and boy I was so inspired by his conversation that I am still a creative all those years later and not in some ”regular” job

[@keets7002]

Thanks for this video, I've been in "pre-project" mode on and off for 10 years. I like the way you put that. What do I wanna draw? Colorful women with swords, flowers, and food 😊😊

[@cynxmanga]

My phone has to stalk me or smth bc literally TODAY I'm facing this problem! I feel like I'm failing. I'm drawing my own manga. I'm basically done with all pages for the first big volume, all I have to do is to just sit down and finish them, eventually make some small changes here and there. But... something holds me back. There's many issues. I'm scared of commiting, scared that my effort will be unnoticed - or, it will be noticed by many people and I won't know how to handle this. Afraid that my final inking is still not good and not consistent enough. I'm scared of being shreaded to pieces by criticism. I'm also certainly addicted to social media. It's like a self-sabotage, like I'm scared of doing this last step, paralyzed by my hidden silly ambitions and hopes. Rn I feel desperate, I had 3 whole days free all for myself and I did almost nothing. It seems like I need to make some drastic changes, and finally commit myself, or I will just regret all of this later :/ I'll start today and idk, I don't pray but I need to find the will to push myself through this somehow. I think about dopamine detox and just quitting all sm for a few months...

[@Mangoekaki]

Last year and this year I made it my goal to let myself draw without logic and follow the rule of cool. Even though my art when I was younger lacked the technical skills I have today, it was WAYYY more expressive and visually interesting. I wanted to recapture that wonder. After years of doing only commissions and doing studies, I recently found my hyperfixation in the MMORPG FFXIV and within 2 years my art improved DRASTICALLY because I learned to fall in love with drawing again. For me. It doesn't matter what I draw, or how many views it has anymore. I'm enjoying the process and creating what makes me happy. As for actual projects like your Bleach illustrations......now That is something I definitely still struggle with 😂 actually sticking with a project past the growing dissatisfaction and uncertainty

[@outbackgearforu]

For me at 62 my motto is create or be consumed( by social media and the internet) ,so how bad my drawings are is no longer relevant ,it’s the journey to preserve my own mind ,get with the journey and stop focusing on an outcome ,then be pleasantly surprised