Are you 'married' to your own webcomic?

[Jen_Babcock]

I think that everyone who does something creative and artistic puts everything they can into their work- art is something that has the potential to be deeply personal. I think the people that take their art the most seriously is perhaps those who make little to no money doing it. They may not feel like they're "married" to their work, but clearly it means a great deal to them.

I also think that writers always put themselves into their character's shoes. I dunno- I guess I feel that if they didn't, they wouldn't be very good writers.

[Salyavin]

Being married to my comic is an oddly scary thought.

But still seeing as that I'm passionate enough to at all times carry around a pad for writing down new ideas and practice drawing characters I might just be somewhat married to my comic.

[Cuendolin]

I try to not be very in love with it, because for me it's hard to accept criticism or make one character play fool if I'm very attached to it.
It's okay to be just friends.

[Yeahduff]

Not long ago I would spend more time thinking about my characters' lives than my own. Not sure if it's good or bad that it's no longer the case.

[TheSuburbanLetdown]

It's for the best.

[Rkolter]

I have two comics; I am not married to either of them. They are not the main focus of my life, nor of my hobby time. I put some time into them because I enjoy doing so, and I enjoy knowing some others like seeing the results of my work. That's about it. If I were to dedicate my life to art, I'd starve to death.

[Td501]

How much time? Not enough.

An artist's work is never finished - only abandoned.

No, not married. My comic is a hobby - granted, the one that occupies the most of my free time. I see it as a fun challenge. Every frame is envisioned as a particular scene, and the challenge is how well I can recreate and convey that scene. Then there's the challenge of getting all these scenes to tell a coherent and interesting story. Following that is the challenge of gaining readership.

But all in all I try to keep it a low priority. I made a promise when I started not to let the comic prevent me from doing other things. I think I've been about 80% successful at upholding that promise.

[Fishies]

We're so married... It's having the kids, though.

Anyways. I spend too much time on it. I think about it most of the time. When I pick up non fiction to read I think about if the information could help with the comic.

[Picatrix]

The work I put into my comic tends to be more analytical than emotional... I view it more as a project than a living entity or even as much of an extention of myself. If I approached it emotionally, I would really have a hard time taking criticism or processing feedback... I guess I feel like being too emotionally involved would make me close-minded to faults in my work.

I do have a side project I'm working on that's very emotionally demanding, though... a lot of direct references from my own life, a lot of dark stuff. But I've never had the desire to show it to anyone... it feels more like a diary than anything...

[Bustertheclown]

I think the people that take their art the most seriously is perhaps those who make little to no money doing it. They may not feel like they're "married" to their work, but clearly it means a great deal to them.

I don't know if that's wholly true. Making that financial leap takes quite a bit of commitment and dedication on an emotional level. After all, if a person is approaching the craft as more of a hobby, even a really hardcore hobby, they really don't have a lot of strings attached. Should they ever feel the need to drop out of the art game, there's no real reason for them to feel too bad about it. It was, after all, just a pastime, not their life's work, and you can't be a failure if it's just a pastime.

By the way, no, I'm not saying that all amateur artists are merely hobbyists. Of course there are artists out there who make little to no money on their work, and who take that work very very seriously. I'm just saying that crossing that line from "amateur" to "professional" means committing to your work in ways that are also quite taxing to the psyche.

If I were to dedicate my life to art, I'd starve to death.

Of course, the same can be said about a lot of people who do dedicate their life to art. It's a hazard of the trade.

[Steverules]

At one time I was. Years ago I wanted to be syndicated and I had put together packages and sent off. I actually got some interest in my original concept and was given advise and encouraged to retool and resubmit. When I was going through that I was writing, drawing, thinking of ideas, sleeping with a pad by my bed so when I woke with a great idea I could grab the pad and pencil it down, it consumed me. I would be out to dinner with my wife and in the back of my mind I'd be processing the next idea or storyline. I decided to focus on my degree and after that if I wanted to pursue it I would. When I finished college I got a great job that paid well and I lost the passion. Don't get me wrong, there was no better feeling than working on a strip. I would loose track of time. When I was putting packages together there were times where I'd get up at 6 am go to my studio and work on the light table only taking a break to eat and go to the bathroom and at the end of the day realizing it was 2 am and it seemed like I had only spent a few hours working on it. But once I was no longer a starving artist I lost that passion to pursue the dream. Then it felt like a weight was lifted off of me. Like I was freed from prison. I realized had I got syndicated I would always be working for the next deadline. Now its nothing more than something I do when I don't have anything better to do. I don't have the voices talking to me non stop, grinding out stories. Now I sit back and enjoy the work of others who grind out their stuff daily for my entertainment. For those who have that passion, great, but my passion has moved on to other things.
Steve Who?

[Garneta]

My comic and I were serious for a year or so, but then we decided to take a break from each other.

[Warren]

I was being serious. I work out my personal issues by drawing them out. If others want to read it too, then cool.

Seconded.

[Lei]

I'd be more in love with a comic if I wrote it... as it is, I'm just the illustrator for TP.

[Starline]

I wouldn't call it marriage... but a good friend.

[Jen_Babcock]

I don't know if that's wholly true. Making that financial leap takes quite a bit of commitment and dedication on an emotional level. After all, if a person is approaching the craft as more of a hobby, even a really hardcore hobby, they really don't have a lot of strings attached. Should they ever feel the need to drop out of the art game, there's no real reason for them to feel too bad about it. It was, after all, just a pastime, not their life's work, and you can't be a failure if it's just a pastime.

I think serious was perhaps too strong of a word (my bad).

Anyway, I see your point- before I was getting paid to do my comic, I thought of it more as a hobby. When I got signed, I started taking it more seriously (at least in terms of working heavily with an editor at the beginning and REALLY trying hard to write/draw well), though now it's something I kinda do on the side among other stuff (I think that I've gotten so used to drawing it everyday, that I don't need to work nearly as hard to make good stuff- I'm also not as self conscious about it). If my comic doesn't get any further than it is now, I'm still happy with what I'm doing and would never think of it as a failure. How can it be a failure when it's brought me and others so much entertainment?

Even though I'm being paid now, I dont' really see my comic as an obligation or something that I have to do to keep my bosses happy... but maybe that's b/c I don't get paid all that much for it. If I could live off my comic, perhaps I would start sweating bullets over it.

Well, I'm kinda talking in circles but I think my basic point is that if you love your comic- even if you aren't being paid to draw it, you definitely can take it just as seriously as someone who is.

I've met tons of artists who get paid nothing to crap for their work, but who create with the same fervor and seriousness as one who's "made it big."

Anyway, my comic has become so much a part of me that I probably consider it to be my conjoined twin. It's always at my side and I haven't been able to take a break from it since it's been born.

This isn't a bad thing though.

[Jackhass]

It's certainly an important part of my life, but I don't know if it's the meaning of my life or anything.

[Jim North]

Steve Who?

Oh noes, it's that Steve guy!

[MinekaC.]

No, not married. It's a completely one sided love here. No matter how much I love my comic, it just beats me down and refuses to love me back.
Where as I view my two main characters as a bit more substantial then simply pictures and words on paper, I have a grand old time just playing with them in my head.
My comic, you could say, exists for the children. I can enjoy my story in my head, but no one else can. So despite the cruelty that my comic creates for me, it is a nessecity to foreward the story from my head to others.

Besides, at least it smiles as it smacks me in the face.

[Tystarr]

Hell no I'm not married cause this relationship would of been over, lol. But seriously this comic is my brainchild, my time and my energy channelled through pencils, paper and the complexity of technology. I swear its more of a son cause you just can't quit on ya kids. Ya feel me?