Why can't I animate?

[slendertheman]

Hello when I try to animate I get bored after a frame or two and even though I draw really good my animation art is not up to par...idk why, I love to animate but I cant never get more than halfway done I just give up and I am sooo pissed off. I have tried everything and even taking breaks and coming back to it does not work. Would anyone know any possible way that I could actually finish an animation. I try to sit down and force myself but I psychically cannot do it and I know once I finally get one done the rest will be easier I just can't!

[QuietStealth]

Get rid of all distractions and stop playing video games so much (If you play video games) because they can be a huge addiction and take you away from animation.

Also, just relax, calm down, and watch many animations to become even more inspired.

[MasterSwank]

Try adderall.

[Sacros]

At 1 hour ago, MasterSwank wrote: Try adderall.

you people underestimate boredom

animation is boring and really intelectually demanding, a combination that never goes well

[QuietStealth]

At 38 seconds ago, Sacros wrote:

At 1 hour ago, MasterSwank wrote: Try adderall.

you people underestimate boredom

animation is boring and really intelectually demanding, a combination that never goes well

True. I don't find it boring, though. I find it like a video game. Makes me work harder when I think of it like that.

[ZombieMonkey]

Listen to music without lyrics, unplug your modem (or whatever way you are connected to the internet), and shut off all distractions. I know it's hard sitting down at first doing the same thing, but after yu get the flow going, it is really easy to get work done, and in the end it's really satisfying to see the result of your hard work.

[jqzjqz]

Staying motivated is what it's all about. Once an idea pops into your head, you gotta animate as much as you can in an .fla file while it's still fresh in your head. Listen to music, watch related videos for inspiration, and look for more ideas to get your creativity going. Don't stop until you get tired of it, so that when you save it and look back at it... you'll decide whether you want to finish it or not. Always look back at what inspired you to remind you of why you were animating this in the first place.

It's always good to finish what you've started because some people might be expecting a finished product.

[DillonBrannick]

At 6 hours ago, Ilssm wrote: Yeah, for me I have to have a REALLY good idea and support to make me animate, I won't do it unless I'm motivated, otherwise my stuff comes out as crap.

This, if you have a good story that your enthralled in, then you'll enjoy creating it.

[Jurgen]

Podcasts! I can't stress this enough.

Or music, anything to entertain you as you animate. It's a tedious process that can become boring within seconds if you're just sitting in silence save your own thoughts. Personally though, i can't do it with just music, too boring, i need a funny/interesting podcast. Usually i listen to the RoosterTeeth Podcast or the Wisenheimers (before it ended of course).

It's all about distracting yourself, while still being focused. I used to have HUGE problems with finishing animations, just like you i'd get like half way in, get mad at how it's not turning out right and how long it's taking and then give up.

Being entertained is vital to being able to animate for long periods of time. Find a good podcast to listen to next time you animate, it'll help I promise.

[slendertheman]

Thank you guys soo much I will tell you if it helped!

[QuietStealth]

At A few seconds ago, slendertheman wrote: Thank you guys soo much I will tell you if it helped!

Keep us all informed!

We're all here to help!

[Croire]

It's because you can't focus. Either that or you are unwilling to focus. Animation isn't something that can be done quickly. It takes patience and lots of blood sweat and tears. if you aren't prepared for that then get some adderall so you can focus for extended periods of time lol

[Croire]

At 37 seconds ago, Croire wrote: It's because you can't focus. Either that or you are unwilling to focus. Animation isn't something that can be done quickly. It takes patience and lots of blood sweat and tears. if you aren't prepared for that then get some adderall so you can focus for extended periods of time lol

Also to add to my last post if you've ever played an MMORPG like WoW you know what grinding is. Grinding is when you have to do a shit ton of boring repetitive stuff in order to advance in level or skill or whatever, generally when you grind you listen to music or a funny podcast or just anything to keep you from saying "Okay this is boring im going to go do something else."....Well....Animating is IRL Grinding.

[slendertheman]

I will be starting my animation tonight and I am putting out all the stops. I will hde my book, put away my phone, and listen to a nice podcast while I animate a pokemon spoof even though I dont like pokemon or any of those types of shows I had a really funny Idea and I will be getting my pen tablet pen back so we can only hope for a good rating and if I am somehow blessed the front page! Thank you guys so much I will put you all in my credits!

[slendertheman]

Haha do you do that?

[Zachary]

If you seriously can't sit there and animate, then maybe animation isn't your thing. It doesn't take THAT much self-control to sit down and start an animation. The problem comes when trying to finish it :P

[Tyler]

A lot of reasons. Animation is hard work, and it takes forever. In my experience, planning out everything is the best way to tackle projects. While just seeing where your frames take you is one way, its unlikely you will stay consistent, which can get annoying and make you have to do a lot of extra work.

When planning, break everything down into shots and give yourself goals. Be realistic and say to yourself, im going to complex X scenes this day, and Y this day. Writing this stuff down helps keep you on track and stay motivated.

[Noodle]

At 13 minutes ago, Tyler wrote: When planning, break everything down into shots and give yourself goals. Be realistic and say to yourself, im going to complex X scenes this day, and Y this day. Writing this stuff down helps keep you on track and stay motivated.

For Tyler's suggestion here you really do have to get comfortable with your limits. You might want to start with "I'm going to animate for X hours minimum today" until you learn what you can do in how little time. The thing here is that you constantly improve, and get more done in less time! Maybe that will motivate you? Knowing you WILL get better, more efficient and learn tonnes along the way!
Even if I animate 2 seconds of a project before I ditch it, then I still got some practice in and usually learn something new along the way.

You mentioned something about animating a Pokemon parody even though you're not a fan. This is your biggest problem already!!
In order to motivate yourself through the grueling task of animating hour and hours on end you need to like what you're doing! If you think Pokemon is stupid, DON'T animate Pokemon! Pick something that you do like, or try writing your own story. You need to like what you are doing in order to have fun with it. And when you are having fun with it, then animating is never a chore.

Another recommendation, is after you've gotten your feet wet, and are more comfortable with how to use flash and all that, then check out the collab forum! I was self taught to start, and as I improved I started joining collabs. It requires less planning and having a deadline can work as motivation. You will get loads of practice in, learn from others and usually have a lot of fun doing it! Make sure you pick the collabs that sound right for you though (again, make sure it is of a personal interest).
I still do collabs now for fun, but they were probably the biggest factor in getting me actually involved in the NG community and shaping me as an animator today :)

[JonHunter]

At 11 hours ago, Otto wrote: Get into reading more, get into long walks without earphones and try and spend your life focusing on one thing at a time. Don't eat a sandwich and watch TV, eat a sandwich, then watch some TV. Drink your tea, then log on to your computer. It'll change everything for you, man, everything.

Also start blocking out your animations before you go straight into finished frames. It's a bit of pop psychology there but just having SOMETHING with a bit of mass down really helps. Like before writing a paper I sometimes just write gibberish that takes up a page or two, just to get rid of that daunting white page feeling.

For some reason I picture you to be a communist, long walks without earphones.. Bah
Anyway, I think this varries from person to person. I for one, found it way easier to animate with the TV on. As long as it would show simple stuff, and only regular TV shows.