How do you Anons retain motivation?

You focus too much on other people and need to focus on yourself. Just keep drawing.

>>3024570
what this anon said. it's okay to let yourself feel jealous for those small bursts of envy-fueled practice, but in the end you need to focus on your own growth and why you want to make art. shit, just saying that is making me realize that I need to fucking follow the advice i'm giving.

in the end, your hard work is going to mean something, you'll have slogged through your brain trying to stop you, it'll suck, but it'll be worth it.

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>>3024568
Motivation is a myth. You just need a slight spark to get in the habit and that should be all that's needed.

Your ego is a fucking problem, though. You need to seriously reexamine your fucking attitude. Good artists should make you feel hopeful, that your path is achievable, that it's all going to be alright.

Instead you're getting envious like a bitch. Dwell on this statement a while.

Just draw.
motivation comes when you're drawing, you need to force yourself to start and then your body kind of loosens up.

also eat and sleep well, get some exercise and walk around a bit. maybe try mediating for a short little while.
That and do your warmups, most times when I start drawing my art is so shitty that I lose all my motivation right there. Doing warmups kind of negates that because you know its supposed to be bad and its going to get good after you're done warming up.

also black list 4chan until you're done for the day.

i like drawing, do you anon?

>>3024568
The trick is to not spend too much time browsing places like /ic/.

>>3025849
>Motivation is a myth
wow profound
>You just need a slight spark to get in the habit and that should be all that's needed.
that's called motivation

>>3024568
Do you like drawing?
If no then quit unless you're already making money.
If yes then try to examine what is stopping you from simply enjoying the act of drawing.

Get into plein air painting by the way. Its fun and going out in nature helps mental health

If you focus your motivation outwardly ("get better than x" "be liked by y" "draw more than z") you're constantly running the risk of it crumbling under your feet. Either you'll stop caring about x y or z (either you surpassed them, don't follow them anymore, they stopped posting, etc), you'll never reach your goal (maybe y will never like you no matter what you do or how good you get, maybe you have a job and Z doesn't, so they can always put in more hours) or you'll just burn out and feel depressed by constantly measuring your success by how it compares to other people.

If you focus your motivation inwardly on certain goals ("Draw 100 heads" "draw for 30 hours a month" "make 20 posts to my social media" etc) they're attainable and measurable, and have very little to do with external factors. When you focus on personal goals like that you measure your success next to yourself. That doesn't mean completely ignore outside influences, it just means not making it a central part of what gets you picking up a pencil every day. From there it's discipline, I personally find I'm (usually) more motivated if I draw in the morning and keep a somewhat consistent routine, it helps if I decided what I wanted to draw the night before so I'm not wasting time trying to think of something. You also need to be reflective on what your end game is (do you want to be a professional? Draw smut you can fap to? Draw fanart?) and tailor your goals to meet that end. You could get really good at chopping down trees, but if you do it for years and realize you're clearing the wrong forest, it didn't do you a whole lot of good.

The basic thing is don't focus on externals, they're fleeting, they're shallow, and they're often outside your control. You need to reflect on your personal goals and how to meet them. Getting better than x person is a shallow victory if you don't know why you were doing it.

>>3025849

>it's another "/ic/ misunderstands valid sentiments and twists them into horrible monstrosities" episode

Every thread.

You probably heard 'inspiration is a myth' and now you're pretending inspiration and motivation are the same thing. Relying on inspiration is asking for trouble, relying on motivation is basically a requirement. If you're not motivated no amount of discipline will save you, because motivation and discipline go hand in hand. Motivation is your reason to act, if you're drawing without a reason to draw (whether it's "for fun as a hobby" or "to become a professional"), you're literally wasting your time.

The rest of your post is valid, though. His motive is shit.

>>3024568
You really need a good enough motivation to continue. A motivation that makes you happy and set tangible goals to keep that motivation up. For me it's fanart. I draw fanart because I love the media I consume, and I want to contribute to the fandom. I enjoy what I draw. That then drives me to be better and improve. So find something simple that you want to achieve with your art and just think about the positive things you can accomplish yourself.

Based danger dog

>>3026192
>Just draw.
>motivation comes when you're drawing, you need to force yourself to start and then your body kind of loosens up.

Agreed.
Just start, the rest will come easy. Starting is the hardest part.

I trace good art and I look at it and say
>there is nothing holding me back from doing this

its probably my strongest motivation

You don't, I became a professional running on fumes, just draw. Motivation can never truly come from thinking, its a byproduct of sustained effort and growth.

If you never had any sort of spark or aren't improving after trying hard then sorry its not the job for you.

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>>3024568
Choose a few artists you are inspired by, copy and learn from their works - reverse engineer/find interviews/old conceptart posts etc. Getting good to "Git gud" is enough motivation for you to get through, if you want to be a professional then even better. I think you lack direction.

Have a routine and follow it. Give specific time for work, play and sleep through the week. Haul your ass to work everyday - even if you dont feel like it, you can easily clock in 6-8 hours.

Games, anime, movies, friends, facebook, fun shit only on play time.Cut relationships if you can - includes family. Social media only when posting work.

Remember to reward (read:bribe) yourself so you can keep coming back. I get coffee and sweets on the way from and back home. After a while, you wont need it anymore. Btw sleep and diet is important. Try to average 6 hours a day sleep/week. Oats, beans and veggies. Bulk cook and microwave.

Without designated times for play you will burn out and slack off your work hours in a month. You will eventually min/max your schedule for least effort/most outcome.

Eventually, you'll be running on schedule, not motivation, passion or inspiration. Those things will become boosts rather than your sole source of fuel, making you want to draw even while on play.

This will take several months of consistent performance to normalise. Buy a calendar.

>>3024568
If I don't draw my waifu who will?