Motivation...

[Logan Myrddin]

This one's for Mr. Sakai.
Mr. Sakai, when you were learning to draw (an aspiring artist, if ever you were one...) how did you stay motivated? I mean, I tried doing comics once, but gave up. Then I started reading Usagi, and I just had to give it another shot. But I'm finding that my drawings are still lacking in many areas. I know that this is what I want to do, but it seems like this is going to take so long to get good (enough) at. At first, I just read all the Usagi I could get my hands on. That kept me motivated, but I found myself rapidly catching up on you (I don't want to run out of Usagi [and on that note, you are forbidden to die. You must draw Usagi FOREVER!]). So, I ask, how did YOU stay motivated? What did you do? I know I'm not the only one who has gone through this before, so maybe someone like you can give me some advice. And, quite frankly, you're the only comic artist out there willing to talk with his fans this way. I find that even more admirable than your greatness with pen or story. Anyway, if you have any suggestions. This REALLY is the path I want to take... it just seems like such a long road before I reach the first landmark.
Thanks.

[digulla]

I'm not Stan but I have the same problem (I'm quickly frustrated if things don't seem move) and here are my 2 cents:

I can't motivate myself. When some task comes up which I shouldn't avoid, (learning for an exam, tidying my flat, reading all those books I should, finish some chore, etc) I find myself doing just that.

I still can't say that I have a good solution but here are some things that worked for me:

1. I accepted what I can't do. I simply lack the skill to motivate myself. I just stopped bothering about that and moved on to something more productive.

2. I usually try to do things which cheer me up, like finding a better way to do something. For example, I've started with an UY comic but since drawing it would take the better part of a year, I'm currently thinking about other solutions. It's kind of avoiding the chore but it keeps me going.

3. I try to reduce the load. Does it really have to be that good the first time? Sometimes, taking a step back and looking at the task at hand helps to see it in the right proportions. Then, I often find that I tried to overdo things and that I could in fact live with a much more simple solution (a less perfect one at that). I have to choose between my love for a work done perfectly and a work done at all.

4. I do something else when I'm stuck and come back when I feel like it. I've got all the ideas for the second UY book (I hope that wasn't Stan who said "Oh No!" just now...) but I find that the stories don't feel right. I could do many things now but I feel that letting it rest for now serves me better than anything else. Writing all those things down helped me a lot but now I need some time to rest.

5. There are a lot of people who sell motivation. I've found that I don't believe in them. They try to tell me that I'm at fault when I'm not motivated. I guess they are right but still, none of them could tell me how to fix that. It's simple to say when something is broken. How to fix it is the hard part...

Hope that helps,

[Stan Sakai]

When I started out, I hung out with other cartoonists. We got together regularly to show what we had done and get feedback. Whenever I left one of those get-togethers I always felt invigorated. A few of those guys have gone on to become professional artists: Dennis Fujitake is one of the most sought after freelancers in Hawaii. He also did a few comic books such as Dalgoda for Fantagraphics and ElfQuest. Gary Kato is an excellent artist and letterer, having worked on ElfQuest and Mr Jigsaw.

Nowadays, my big motivator is Editor Diana. When she says something is due next week, she better get it next week...or else.