I hope you don't get to that point, keep trying and try not to lose heart, as hard as that may be.

It is absolutely soul crushing. You start with high hopes and goals, aiming for where you want to be / where you feel you should be, but then you have to start slowly making concessions and widening that net until survival knocks and then you'll take ANYTHING even if it means debasing yourself.

It feels like everyone's support groups are either being fractured or worn down to the point of being unable to support each other, likely intentionally. Your point about everyone being too busy with their own fight is really resonant, it feels bad asking others for help when they're drowning too.

Hell yeah 💪

Nah, just a creepy lil guy I call a 'False Prophet'

Thank you, that means a lot to hear, especially from you! I'm still struggling to find a consistent style, but I'm glad that my attempts are at least resonating sometimes.

Social Media can suck a lot of joy out and make you second guess your wins. I would strongly urge you, for every piece of art you want to post, make at least one you don't. It doesn't have to be perfect, but make art that you aren't worried about making "audience ready" and just enjoy doing it.

I won't promise it will eventually turn you into a master artist or anything, because that would be a lie. But the only way you CAN get better is to keep drawing, and the only way to guarantee you won't ever improve is if you stop. Don't feel bad if it takes you a while to get out of this hole.

It's not an easy mindset switch, and it probably won't even be permanent, but if you try and keep going on sheer willpower, you'll burn out eventually and slide back into another valley. Once you love art for its own sake again, that's when you can take tentative steps back towards the climb. cont-