How I Try to Stay Consistent || Webtoon Artist Edition

Any progress no matter how small still matters for the long run so to help me stay consitent I like to do one thing comic related a day even if that’s just brainstorming or 5 mins of drawing~

I’ve learned through burn out and lots of trial and error that the ket to stay consistent is to take breaks. I’ve heard this method before but it wasn’t until repellently that I finally decided to try it out for myself to see if this could work for me.

Stay Consistent by Taking Breaks

I’ve learned that their is an energizing power in taking breaks. I’ve adapted the 25-10 method to better fit my mental work capacity. I will work for 25 minuets and then I take my first 10 minuet break. I usually do this two times until I’ve totaled up one hour work load and by then my brain and body usually starts to signal to me that I need to take my 30 minute break now; either brain fog sets in or body aches start to kick in.

This week has been interesting in an exciting way.  I learned that my initial goal that I set for myself wasn’t quite the right fit for me, at least not yet.  I had wanted to finish the next episode of my webtoon by Friday but brain fog and bodily issues started to settle in, which for me is usually a sign that my body’s stress levels are getting too high and I need to call it a day. 

I’ve learned that less is sometimes more and if I allow myself to stop working and take breaks then that helps to reduce my stress and to help me ward off the possible resentment that builds up towards my art – which ends up leading to artist block and my last artist block lasted for a few years.

Stop Ignoring Your Feelings

I’m not a Jedi and I personally you saw what happened to a certain someone when they were constantly told to ignore their feelings?….Just saying…..I’m an emotional artist so if you’re a lot like me where it’s almost impossible to separate your emotions from your work then this might help you. If you’re the type of person that can easily do that then more power to you Master Jedi.

I saw a study online that talked about how the brain can stay consistent and focus on work for 4 hours straight but then the brian fog sets in and productivity starts to dip. So I implemented this with myself by paying attention to how I was feeling.

In the past I had pushed myself too much with my previous story and didn’t allow myself to have breaks or enjoy the process by working on it whenever I wanted to.  I’m not one that likes to be pushed to perform when I don’t want to otherwise I might become resentful.  I typically avoid people that try to force me to do that as they often cause me to feel guilty.

Set Healthy Boundaries to Stay Consistent

I usually liken it to working at a fast food store and you’ve been working the rush hours non-stop, high stress, fast pace, lots of mental and emotional strain and when things finally start to slow down you ask to go on your break because you’re exhausted but your boss/manager/supervisor tells you no and to keep working. Resentment, at least for me, starts to build up for that manager because I expressed how I was feeling and that I need a break to recharge and my feelings were disregarded. 

It’s difficult for me to want to work for someone that demands I put them as priority number one but they work me like a mule until I can no longer function and instead of caring they just guilt trip me and make me feel like I’m in the wrong for having human feelings of exhaustion. I know I wouldn’t want to work with a boss like that or in an environment like that and I’m learning to apply this same mindset to my comic work and art work.

Prioritizes Your Happiness and Enjoying the Process

I need to be kind to myself and that way I’m more able to stay consistent and motivated to want to keep coming back to work and consistently put my best foot forward because there is mutual respect of healthy work boundaries.

My main goal is to stay consistent in my pursuit of happiness and I’m most happy when I’m giving myself breaks and thus creating an enjoyable comic creating workflow.

So even though I didn’t reach my initial goal I did learn what works best for me and I was able to avoid artist block while also enjoying this week’s comic progress – which is a good because I’m excited to get back to work on Monday.

Stay Consistent by Prioritizing Yourself

Do any of you struggle with this or is this just me?  How do you overcome feelings of burnout, guilt, or resentment like this towards your comic work?  I’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject and any similar experiences you’ve encountered.

I also hope you guys will try to allow yourself to take a break! I know I get scared that if I take a break then I’ll fall behind but on the other hand if I don’t take a break I’ll burnout and end up falling further behind.  I’d rather go with the option that lets me to rest and start brand new instead of the later option that will lead me to dropping the project because I’m burned out and am no longer enjoying it.

What should you do next?

If you have any more questions feel free to leave a comment down below and I’d be happy to answer them!

I also have a free ebook where I cover how to make, publish and monetize a webtoon comic for beginners!

Also if you’re looking for a wholesome, fake marriage trope, AMBW manga webtoon to read to pass the time then you might want to check out Catch Me! Fight Me! Love Me!