In a Funk

Hey Derpibooru, Rainb0w Dashie here.
 
So I’m in a bit of a funk when it comes to working on my art, or any of my projects really.
 
I recently left a hostile pony community I spent too much time in (upwards of 3 years) and since then I’ve flatlined when it comes to my projects. The reason I bring up that community is because in between periods of arguments and self-loathing I’d enter this “I’ll show them” state and get some work done. But the mood would never last long enough to consistently churn out content like I want to and I end up doing nothing.
 
Now that I’m out I still feel stuck, like I can’t kickstart myself to work on anything. It’s not that I don’t feel good enough (although every artist wishes they could be better), the desire is there, the ideas are there, but the motivation isn’t. I’m like a ship at full-mast but the wind isn’t blowing in the right direction.
 
I really don’t know what to do to get myself out of this funk. And even if I do summon enough energy to work on something, it gets very little reception once it’s posted, so it’s like “I just wasted all the effort for nothing. what’s the point?”
 
I dunno, just felt like venting.

It also doesn’t help that I’m hungry, but my point still stands!

Dashie eat a Snickers you’re not you when you’re hungry but seriously make a doodle board and drawn on it whenever the mood takes you

If I can make a suggestion, try doing something completely different. Draw something you’ve never made before, or better yet, something you normally wouldn’t draw. Just throw all caution to the wind, draw something real crazy, throw it at this site, and see what happens.

@Badumsquish
 
I try to do stuff like that but I’m such a perfectionist that I’ll start a drawing or something and I’ll shut down if it ends up not going how I want it too. Like the perspective gets messed up or I make my figures too fat and I get embarrassed and want to stop.
 
@jakcspellgood said to make a doodle board, which I’ve tried, but I also have this problem where I keep making things serious.
 
My Ask Lonershy blog was supposed to be a “caution to the wind” blog but now that it has a chance to get on EQD I have to take it seriously.
 
I’ve also got really high standards for myself so 90% of my problem is shutting myself down in fear of looking stupid

Draw something crazy? Draw a map of something crazy.

I’ve been the same way a lot lately so I’ve actually been trying to change my behavior pattern by rewarding myself after getting some art done.

I have the exact same issues you have, I have made some subsided to a degree, but yeah, the motivation part is difficult, and i still struggle with it. I can be inspired but won’t feel like actually doing it, or too scared it’ll come out crappy.
 
But the only way I was able to beat that, was to just do it, and not care. Understand people aren’t going to walk you off a plank for making a bad drawing, it doesn’t matter if it’s bad, just do it. It’s the only way to make art is to keep doing it regardless.
 
You mentioned self loathing, haha, been there, especially last year. I hated myself and all my work, it was an uphill battle to keep trying anyway, and I required the support of friends to do it. But it was all worth it, because now I am more confident, I’m still not very good (and I still don’t really do ponies yet XD).
 
Just make sure to do it for the sake of creation and to express yourself. Maybe, rather, draw what you like, try something new YOU might like to do, maybe ponies are exhausting you, and the correlation of them with the bad feelings might be what’s janking your drive to draw. So come back to ponies later.
 
And looking at ur stuff, it looks GREAT. Keep working on it. Just looking at them chronologically and ur progress is crazy.

So how you holding up? Still in a funk?

@Rainb0wDashie  
stop making art for attention(for others) you will end up turning art into a job and a chore.
 
if you need isnpiration, listen to music, go out, take a walk, draw a tree, draw food. draw your toys. draw stuff from magazines. DO NOT force yourself to draw just ponies, or any one subject.
 
“My Ask Lonershy blog was supposed to be a “caution to the wind” blog but now that it has a chance to get on EQD I have to take it seriously.”  
fcepalm, it feels like you want to be great and go somewhere whit your art. before you can do that, you must teach yourself to do art naturaly. learn to draw before you learn to do art.
 
“90% of my problem is shutting myself down in fear of looking stupid”  
you are stupid and you will always be stupid, you will laways have stuff that looks weird and ugly and all kinds of dumb… to some people.  
you just gota find the right audience. guess how you do that? by putting stuff out there.
 
you must draw ugly shit before you can draw good shit, and remenber to practice poses and stuff.

Perhaps George Clinton can help you! Try listening to Parliament I found that Funk can sometimes get me out of a funk. Some of Parliament’s music-> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbkcWo5I_A8&list=PLU4bHU3OWDSmqbErfBUkx94cocr7chg3Q
 
Other than that, Just find some people who want to see whatever you’re going to turn out next. I know it helps me if I know I’m drawing for an audiance rather than an empty room.