At 3/24/24 02:59 PM, switzrr wrote:

At 3/24/24 02:22 AM, Blaznthekid wrote: What is it that you're looking for/to do exactly?

Basically to be good at something for once, as well as to contribute to a high-quality collab in some form

At 3/24/24 10:31 AM, DioShiba wrote: Then your problem runs a lot deeper than lacking motivation that may require you to seek a therapist.

I'm not saying that to knock you down, Rather its because having been down that path where I lost passion or interest in anything was because I was in a pretty big rough spot in life where I felt lost. To me, that's what your problem sounds like.

If you lack a passion in something then you need to start asking yourself some very hard questions that only you can get the answers for and some professional help might be able to promote you to figure out those answers.

Something to consider. But if you keep contradicting yourself by saying you want to do these things and don't put the work in to do it then there isn't much that we can do to offer advice and that's going to be counter-intuitive for you. That's just the reality of it.

I have talked to my therapist about this sort of thing, and his advice included "passions are built, not found" and "if your only interests are consuming media and you feel like you need to be a 'creator' of some sort in order to feel fulfilled then maybe you could consume media in a productive way by being a media critic" (which does not interest me at all)

At 3/24/24 07:44 PM, Blaznthekid wrote:
When I was personally at some low points in my life, I'd typically say "What's the use, I'm not good at anything." And my friend would pipe up and mention "Ok sure, but have you tried everything?" You can argue how pedantic it is all you want but he's right. I can't realistically and truthfully say I'm terrible at everything without having literally tried everything. There are very few absolutes in life, but to be dismissive on very open things like ideas, skills, or talent, is bunk. You absolutely have ideas, everyone does, it's just consciously or unconsciously some don't think they are worth sharing.

Being present in the forums and reviewing projects in the portals is contributing to Newgrounds. Using the site is contributing to Newgrounds. If you're on the site, actively engaging with others, and provide courteous feedback, you are already apart of the community.

To reach a level of experience and work similar to those collabs; what you're asking for is like playing pick-up basketball in your area and asking how to be in the NBA in the shortest time possible, and then getting frustrated because there's D1 players younger than you that have better odds.

At 3/23/24 09:05 PM, switzrr wrote:

At 3/22/24 09:03 PM, Awd91 wrote: Also really try not to compare yourself to the art journeys of other people because you're prolly only seeing the tip of the iceburg in terms of their body of work. I know for me i've been actually trying at drawing since 2009 and literally only the last couple years has it felt like i can make what i wanna

PewDiePie became better at drawing after 30 days of 10-20 minutes a day (5-10 collective hours) than I have after 3.5 years of ~1 hour a week (~182 collective hours); I feel like that's probably a sign of some sort and not a good one

At 4/5/24 03:08 AM, SeijiArt wrote:

At 3/23/24 09:05 PM, switzrr wrote:

At 3/22/24 09:03 PM, Awd91 wrote: Also really try not to compare yourself to the art journeys of other people because you're prolly only seeing the tip of the iceburg in terms of their body of work. I know for me i've been actually trying at drawing since 2009 and literally only the last couple years has it felt like i can make what i wanna

PewDiePie became better at drawing after 30 days of 10-20 minutes a day (5-10 collective hours) than I have after 3.5 years of ~1 hour a week (~182 collective hours); I feel like that's probably a sign of some sort and not a good one

This means you are not practicing correctly. And 1 hour a week seems low to me. 30 minutes a day is what I would expect to hear from someone trying to improve. You should also not spend all your focus on chasing the numbers.

At 4/5/24 04:02 PM, switzrr wrote:

At 4/5/24 03:08 AM, SeijiArt wrote:

At 3/23/24 09:05 PM, switzrr wrote:

At 3/22/24 09:03 PM, Awd91 wrote: Also really try not to compare yourself to the art journeys of other people because you're prolly only seeing the tip of the iceburg in terms of their body of work. I know for me i've been actually trying at drawing since 2009 and literally only the last couple years has it felt like i can make what i wanna

PewDiePie became better at drawing after 30 days of 10-20 minutes a day (5-10 collective hours) than I have after 3.5 years of ~1 hour a week (~182 collective hours); I feel like that's probably a sign of some sort and not a good one

This means you are not practicing correctly. And 1 hour a week seems low to me. 30 minutes a day is what I would expect to hear from someone trying to improve. You should also not spend all your focus on chasing the numbers.

I guess the issue is that I can never think of anything to draw. Once a week is how often I come up with something to draw.

At 4/5/24 05:00 PM, SeijiArt wrote: You're not going to get anywhere if you wait for an idea to strike you. You should be actively looking for specific subject matter. If you want to draw characters you should be studying anatomy and form. Gesture and shape language. You don't become a cook by putting random stuff in a bowl. In this internet age it has never been easier to find resources to learn from.

At 4/5/24 05:11 PM, switzrr wrote:

At 4/5/24 05:00 PM, SeijiArt wrote: You're not going to get anywhere if you wait for an idea to strike you. You should be actively looking for specific subject matter. If you want to draw characters you should be studying anatomy and form. Gesture and shape language. You don't become a cook by putting random stuff in a bowl. In this internet age it has never been easier to find resources to learn from.

Any resources you'd recommend? I've already tried videos by Jazza, Proko, and ModernDayJames, as well as drawabox.com, and they haven't really helped all that much

At 4/5/24 08:08 PM, SeijiArt wrote:

At 4/5/24 05:11 PM, switzrr wrote:

At 4/5/24 05:00 PM, SeijiArt wrote: You're not going to get anywhere if you wait for an idea to strike you. You should be actively looking for specific subject matter. If you want to draw characters you should be studying anatomy and form. Gesture and shape language. You don't become a cook by putting random stuff in a bowl. In this internet age it has never been easier to find resources to learn from.

Any resources you'd recommend? I've already tried videos by Jazza, Proko, and ModernDayJames, as well as drawabox.com, and they haven't really helped all that much

Tried them in what way?

At 9/6/23 08:32 AM, Thetageist wrote: Hello!

I was seeing a lot of threads in this forum related to losing motivation, impostor syndrome, and feeling like you’re not enough as an artist. Considering that a lot of the original posters struggled with the same emotions, I wanted to create one place where all the artists who are struggling can talk to each other and see that they’re not alone in their problems, and the others who have come out the other side of those problems can offer advice to every artist, rather than repeating themselves across different threads.

So please, feel free to vent or to share your experiences and advice. You never know who’s going to need it.

At 4/6/24 10:37 PM, Mazooe wrote:

At 9/6/23 08:32 AM, Thetageist wrote: Hello!

I was seeing a lot of threads in this forum related to losing motivation, impostor syndrome, and feeling like you’re not enough as an artist. Considering that a lot of the original posters struggled with the same emotions, I wanted to create one place where all the artists who are struggling can talk to each other and see that they’re not alone in their problems, and the others who have come out the other side of those problems can offer advice to every artist, rather than repeating themselves across different threads.

So please, feel free to vent or to share your experiences and advice. You never know who’s going to need it.

All I can say is I struggled with digital art for 2 years because it made me meet and befriend people which left me and I became an empty, skill-less shell of a bitch that just this year had the balls to upload some of her stuff. But on my own? Shit I can't even draw a flower. The worst part? It's what I always wanted.

At 4/7/24 01:48 AM, EmsDeLaRoZ wrote:

At 4/6/24 10:37 PM, Mazooe wrote:

At 9/6/23 08:32 AM, Thetageist wrote: Hello!

I was seeing a lot of threads in this forum related to losing motivation, impostor syndrome, and feeling like you’re not enough as an artist. Considering that a lot of the original posters struggled with the same emotions, I wanted to create one place where all the artists who are struggling can talk to each other and see that they’re not alone in their problems, and the others who have come out the other side of those problems can offer advice to every artist, rather than repeating themselves across different threads.

So please, feel free to vent or to share your experiences and advice. You never know who’s going to need it.

All I can say is I struggled with digital art for 2 years because it made me meet and befriend people which left me and I became an empty, skill-less shell of a bitch that just this year had the balls to upload some of her stuff. But on my own? Shit I can't even draw a flower. The worst part? It's what I always wanted.

I understand that feeling of yours related to interaction with people online. As much as I love Newgrounds and the people in it, I always remember myself I can't threat them as real friends since I haven't met them in real life, so they're just lovely people who make cool things. Might sound cynical, but is a sane approach: as much as you like some people, you really never know who's behind the monitor. If I were to recommend something, i'd recommend you to just go out with people u know in real life (we can give advice and support, but humans also need contact and physical interaction, something none of us can give in this format).

As for your art skill, what else? if you feel you're lacking abilities, the best you can do is investigate and practice, specially practice. If I have learned something after a lot of time drawing is that most of time you improve whenever you have the necessity, whether you know in what you improved or not ('til this day, I still don't know the name of many artistic techniques, styles and things, even though I use many of these and i'm really good at drawing as stated by others)

At 4/8/24 04:00 PM, Mazooe wrote: What's there left to do when all I do, I despise? When I can't work on getting better because I feel it will never be "good enough" as to share with the rest? The question is: Why should I go on? There's millions of artists better than me with the same ideas, better styles. What do I get? I don't feel like I accomplished nothing, I don't feel I'm doing good to anyone.

At 4/8/24 05:15 PM, EmsDeLaRoZ wrote:

At 4/8/24 04:00 PM, Mazooe wrote: What's there left to do when all I do, I despise? When I can't work on getting better because I feel it will never be "good enough" as to share with the rest? The question is: Why should I go on? There's millions of artists better than me with the same ideas, better styles. What do I get? I don't feel like I accomplished nothing, I don't feel I'm doing good to anyone.

Of course, there are lots of artists better than you, but there are also lots of artists worst than you, and both groups have gathered a fanbase, some because they do cool things, and some others because they have the charisma to make everything good no matter how crappy. Also, not everyone improves at the same pace. Madness series is still improving many things up to this day, and that series is over 20 years old, and began as crappy as Marsh-mellow Madness could be

At 4/8/24 05:23 PM, Mazooe wrote:

At 4/8/24 05:15 PM, EmsDeLaRoZ wrote:

At 4/8/24 04:00 PM, Mazooe wrote: What's there left to do when all I do, I despise? When I can't work on getting better because I feel it will never be "good enough" as to share with the rest? The question is: Why should I go on? There's millions of artists better than me with the same ideas, better styles. What do I get? I don't feel like I accomplished nothing, I don't feel I'm doing good to anyone.

Of course, there are lots of artists better than you, but there are also lots of artists worst than you, and both groups have gathered a fanbase, some because they do cool things, and some others because they have the charisma to make everything good no matter how crappy. Also, not everyone improves at the same pace. Madness series is still improving many things up to this day, and that series is over 20 years old, and began as crappy as Marsh-mellow Madness could be

You're right, as I tell myself sometimes to push forward "I suck, but no one else can suck as I suck!"

At 4/14/24 12:52 AM, switzrr wrote: I sincerely apologize, but I'm gonna necro this thread one more time.

Don't worry, it isn't more pathetic whining like I usually do. It's just a question, or perhaps a request for a solution to a problem I've been having:

Is there a foolproof secret way to force myself to draw for at least a few minutes every day?

I've been told that if I start doing that, my art might actually start improving for once, but my brain always comes up with BS reasons to not do so. These include:

Last month I set a challenge for myself to draw for at least 5 minutes every day of April, but so far I've only drawn about 6 of those days out of 14 and counting.

At 4/14/24 12:52 AM, switzrr wrote: I sincerely apologize, but I'm gonna necro this thread one more time.

Don't worry, it isn't more pathetic whining like I usually do. It's just a question, or perhaps a request for a solution to a problem I've been having:

Is there a foolproof secret way to force myself to draw for at least a few minutes every day?

I've been told that if I start doing that, my art might actually start improving for once, but my brain always comes up with BS reasons to not do so. These include:

Last month I set a challenge for myself to draw for at least 5 minutes every day of April, but so far I've only drawn about 6 of those days out of 14 and counting.

At 4/14/24 12:52 AM, switzrr wrote: I sincerely apologize, but I'm gonna necro this thread one more time.

Don't worry, it isn't more pathetic whining like I usually do. It's just a question, or perhaps a request for a solution to a problem I've been having:

Is there a foolproof secret way to force myself to draw for at least a few minutes every day?

I've been told that if I start doing that, my art might actually start improving for once, but my brain always comes up with BS reasons to not do so. These include:

Last month I set a challenge for myself to draw for at least 5 minutes every day of April, but so far I've only drawn about 6 of those days out of 14 and counting.

At 4/14/24 11:02 AM, wolfatthedoor wrote: i'm stuck in a permanent cycle of "dream up ideas for art but never make them" => "feel guilty that i'm not doing art" => "actually do art and...its so clearly amateurish and far from the skill i want" => "ragequit due to perfectionism and go back to what i'm used to - games, music listening and social media - but it gives me ideas i never follow up on"

i hate it here ......

At 4/14/24 01:26 AM, EmsDeLaRoZ wrote: so my bestest suggestion is, if you've been facing this problem of lacking focus and motivation for a long time, consider going to a doctor, mainly a psychologist or a neurologist, specially if you've tried many things before and feel none of these have helped in any way.

At 4/14/24 12:52 AM, switzrr wrote: I sincerely apologize, but I'm gonna necro this thread one more time.

Don't worry, it isn't more pathetic whining like I usually do. It's just a question, or perhaps a request for a solution to a problem I've been having:

Is there a foolproof secret way to force myself to draw for at least a few minutes every day?

I've been told that if I start doing that, my art might actually start improving for once, but my brain always comes up with BS reasons to not do so. These include:

Last month I set a challenge for myself to draw for at least 5 minutes every day of April, but so far I've only drawn about 6 of those days out of 14 and counting.