Hi guys! It's Jan Tre.
Welcome to my Youtube channel.
I finally decided to discuss what I’ve been learning
from drawing everyday for 2 years as my first video.
Specifically, drawing comics.
Anyway, I chose this as my 1st as this is
an amalgamation of topics that I will discuss
furthermore in future videos.
Also, this is a great way to introduce myself
as a comic creator. Initially, it wasn’t an easy feat at all
as I was in the stage of struggling whether to
pursue doing comics as a career or just simply as a
hobby. When I finally decided, that’s when I started drawing
everyday up until the present, which makes it 2 years
already. I started my comics last 2018.
I posted it just this last March of 2020 in Webtoon Canvas.
Let me tell you that what matters the most
wasn’t the art skill or the storytelling skill,
not that it isn’t important. Of course, that’s important
but before anything else, it is to strengthen your mindset.
This is especially important in the digital era
where our creations are out for the public eye to see.
We are surrounded by amazing professionals that are
way ahead of the game,
younger ones that have way more skills than you do
and even those who we may consider an amateur
but are way more popular than you do.
There’s always a reason to feel insecure
and to feel that you are not yet good enough to share
your works for everyone to see.
Having a strong mindset, which entails knowing and accepting
your flaws and focusing on your strengths
not minding other people’s opinions about you and your work,
knowing your goals and how to get there and many other
things. It is a skill. It’s not a personality.
Art and Storytelling is not only the important skills in
making comics that you should consider but also having
a healthy relationship with yourself, first and foremost.
It is a difficult skill to learn.
Much more difficult than art and storytelling, I must say.
Okay, next is related to making comics
and that is Self-discipline over Motivation.
I actually want to do a separate video about this
to elaborate more but I’m including it here
as this is really the main reason how I am able to draw
or make my comics everyday for two years.
It’s about making it as a habit rather than relying on
something as fleeting as motivation alone.
Motivation is unstable.
Not everyday do we have motivation to draw, make comics,
do storyboards and write dialogues. It doesn’t mean you
rest or do it like your life’s dependent on it
but making it as a habit just makes you feel like your day
isn’t complete when you don’t do it so in the end
you just do it.
The amount of time doesn’t matter.
If there’s a task, job or situation that you need to tend
that is more crucial than doing your comics. Do that first.
What if you’re the breadwinner of the family working
40 hours a week or you’re doing school projects or maybe
you’re studying in university and you’re working on a thesis
and you can only allot 30 minutes everyday to draw
or maybe not even everyday!
Maybe you can only draw once or twice a week.
Or maybe you can but you want to allot a rest day or days
or you want some family time
or you want to hang out with your friends.
It does not matter.
The time does not matter.
The age doesn't matter.
Numbers doesn’t matter.
I can totally understand.
I made this video not to make you feel bad about not being
able to draw everyday and put myself on leverage because
let’s be real, we all have different lifestyles.
It just so happens that I’m currently in a situation where
I could focus on doing my comics everyday because
I don’t have a heavy responsibility like some of you do.
Drawing everyday does not matter.
It’s not “a must”. You do it
because you love doing it not because you’re force to do it
enough to make you feel bad because
the professionals you’ve seen do it everyday for 10 hours
and now look at them at the top of their game. Making it as
a habit doesn’t have to be everyday
if it doesn’t work for you but considering making comics as
a part of your lifestyle that it becomes natural to
incorporate it in your life when you allot the time for
it is enough.
Some of you might not even want to become
a professional comic creator/artist and just do it as a
hobby.
That makes a difference too.
It all comes down with essentialism.
Drawing everyday without a goal isn’t great either.
It’s like you’re going on a path and you don’t know where to
go but it’s a road so maybe it’ll bring you somewhere.
What if you’re a beginner artist or you’ve thought
of a story and you want to make a comic out of it.
You don’t know what to draw. You don’t know where to start.
Drawing everyday won’t work.
You must also know what are your goals
and you know what you need to focus on
in order for you to be able to list out how you’re going
to reach your goal.
Drawing everyday for 2 years has been teaching me
to form a habit in drawing my comics, MonoKrome Paradox,
by facing myself despite the risks.
You don’t have to follow what I’ve been doing
by drawing everyday for 2 years but be aware of how are you
going to reach your goal
but be aware of how are you going to reach your goal without
making yourself suffer in the process.
