#he dropped an absolute materpiece of a game and vanished from the internet to the point ppl started speculating he was dead

[skeletoninthemelonland]

since you are an artist I’ve looked up to for quite a while (roughly around july 2023), I’ve been meaning to ask; how do we keep making/drawing things we actually like but never see get any, like, attention? as if that attention helps with our motivation to keep making those things since i/we like it, and other people like it too so even better, right?

perhaps its not the right word but I personally find that personal/stylized projects are more enjoyable for me than drawing the new trending characters from insert fandom here, because a lot more people may enjoy it but the artist may feel nothing towards that artwork because its just.. another Popular Thing to appeal to the masses. so again, how do we keep making the things we like despite the slight demotivation on the fact that it gains little to no attention?

anywho this is just word vomit at this point so I apologize for that. have a good day and best of luck with your studies :)

Oops this was in my drafts since July 2024.

I understand where you're coming from. It might be discouraging to work on a personal project under the circumstances you described.

I think it's worth asking how you view the process of creating. Are you doing art for yourself, or somebody else? Is it a hobby, or a profession? Is it just a fun thing you do sometimes, or something much more meaningful? The answers may vary, and there's never an incorrect one.

The way I found to navigate these feelings of discouragement is going along with the ride — I like this piece of media, and said media is currently trending, so let's make art of it! Once I'm done, hop off and find something else to enjoy. Doesn't have be anything great. Maybe 2 or 3 mutuals are going to stay and see what other stuff you have in store, which means a lot.

Most of the time though? People will move on and you'll be quiet again. From experience, popularity can be disorienting, stressful and overwhelming. It can boost your motivation, but after a while you start loosing the connection you once had with your art.

My best advice is accept that popularity and personal interests flunctuate, and won't always coincide to create the perfect environment. Good surprises will come when you least expect them, so don't get stuck on the idea that your art's worth is based on how much attention it gets from others. Keep doing what you love, you're unstoppable.