[Harsh] The reason why aspiring creators 'understand it in their heads but cannot accept it in their gut'

Sometimes, notes from artists about their struggles pop up in my feed.
What I saw a little while ago was

• realizing that despite all the effort I've put in, it hasn't actually amounted to anything

• I've publicly declared my goals to those around me and burned my bridges to push myself to work harder

• yet I haven't been able to repay those around me

• Effort without results should still be better than no effort at all, but I'm not seeing any results

• I actually wanted the results that come from effort

• I've poured so much time and money into this effort that I'm afraid to give it up now

• When my work is criticized, I feel like my entire personality is being criticized

• Even though I know in my head that criticizing my work is different from criticizing my personality, I can't accept it

...Something like that.
No, I get it.
It's a common thing for aspiring creators.
I understand the feeling.
I understand, but—and I think it's even worse because you're probably feeling burnt out—aren't you trying to want too many things at once?
That's what I also think.
I think wanting to repay those around you is a good mindset.
I think it's a noble spirit.
But I also think that's not the highest priority right now.

I think what this person needs most isn't 'drawing good pictures or manga, and taking various lessons or courses for that,' but rather knowing 'what they are lacking.'
Also, and I could never say this to their face, but their art is truly poor.
Even if they say they've put in the effort, in terms of years, it's less than 1/10th of mine, and before that,their input seems extremely weak.

Input, in other words, it seems they haven't seen enough good things.
There's a tendency that suggests they think they can get by just by looking at a narrow range of things and efficiently pursuing their own narrow fetishes.
That's why the range of what they can draw is so narrow.
They are trying to draw manga where human relationships are important, but their eye for observing people isn't refined.
Having an eye for people means their inner self, but I don't think they are properly observing their outer appearance either (you can tell when you look at their art).
They haven't stepped out of the realm of their own assumptions.

It's true that what's important in manga ultimately comes down to the story, but the power of the art at the entrance is significant.
So, I think it's a bit tough if you can't at least draw big panels, climax panels, covers, or single illustrations 'properly according to your fetish'.
This person thinks they are putting their fetish out there with all their might, but in reality, I don't think it has reached a level that can be perceived by a third party.

Fetishes and artistic skill have an audible range, and I believe they don't reach people's ears until they reach a certain frequency.
If you are only emitting frequencies at an ultrasonic level that doesn't reach the audible range, it's difficult for a total stranger to perceive it.
There are truly many people who seem to believe they are outputting at an audible range, but in reality, it's ultrasound.

And while this person's lack of artistic training is clear, they aren't even covering it up well enough to hide that they are just getting by on the spot using reference materials.
I'm not saying it's bad to draw while looking at reference materials.
The problem is the lack of high-quality input to notice that even if you force a shape by looking at reference materials, it's distorted, and the lack of doubt toward your own art—in other words, not noticing your 'bad mental correction'.bad mental correctionis the problem.

And I think the fatal wound right now is that because of this 'bad mental correction,' they cannot realize the difference between truly good art and their own art.
I can understand that they can't look at it objectively because they are too emotionally attached to their own work.
I can understand that, butas long as you are viewing your own art with a premium price tag due to that attachment, you will never be able to draw in a way that conveys the fetish you want to express to others—I also know that.

Why is that? Because to draw a fetish in a way that others can understand, you need objectivity.
Well, to put it another way,even to express a fetish, you need a certain realistic equationto do so.
It means that if you try to talk in a self-made fictional language that only you know, it won't be conveyed to others.
To communicate and have a conversation with others, you need a common language.
For a fetish to be conveyed to others, you need at least a common grammar to express that fetish.
It's like saying you can't communicate with others using a baby's babble.

Therefore, to be able to draw 'art that has the power to appeal to others',you need a moment where you 'discard your attachment and look back at your own art with the eyes of a stranger'.
A moment is fine.
It doesn't have to be all the time.
Butthe growth of your artistic skill afterward will be completely different based solely on whether or not you can do this.
If you can have a moment where you look at your art with the eyes of a stranger, you will be able to understand that your babble isn't being conveyed to others.

Next, you'll think, 'Okay, I need to correct this into a common language so I can communicate properly instead of babbling,' butwithout the awareness that it is babble, you can't even think of that.
That's whythe presence or absence of this one point changes everything that follows.

I think this person is confused because they want to satisfy many different demands at once.
'Repaying those around me' sounds good and is a respectable stance, so they'd want to say it, but I don't think that's their true desire, and in reality, I think it's a low priority.
And the feeling that they haven't been able to repay them is, I think, impatience coupled with the Concorde effect of 'having poured time and money into this effort'.

When demands get jumbled up,it's because a true desire is hidden beneath various demands, and even if the many demands piled on top were fulfilled, you wouldn't be satisfied if you couldn't realize your core desire.
I suspect that most core desires are things like past anxieties about being abandoned that you can't even realize yourself, but I wonder what the truth is.
For example, feelings like 'not being respected,' such as being sad because you were pushed away when you just wanted a little bit of agreement from your parents.

Therefore, when you feel overwhelmed by your many desires, I think it is better to become aware of the roots of old trauma deep in your subconscious, rather than the surface of your mind that is being stirred up (though these are just the roots, and since they must be distinguished from the storm of surface-level emotions, it might be difficult to do overnight).
In other words, in that sense as well

I believe that knowing 'what you are lacking' is, in the end, the fundamental solution.