Keeping the Ball Rolling... How not to quit!

Hello fellow steemians,

Today I'd like to share my tips on keeping your project going and finally completing vision.

Some of you may know, I have been drawing my graphic novel, Shades Of Men for 7 years now.
You might be asking yourself... How come he never quit? How come the project is still on going, even though it takes forever?

Below are some of my answers to that. Hopefully those points will help you be more productive and achieve your own goals with time. That's all I wish for you!

Dream Big, Act Small

We all have dreams. You might tell yourself those dreams are too big! Well, they are not!
Just think of the ways to get there and write it down. Even if it's years ahead.

Dreams can be blurry and distant. You'll most likely have to complete several projects before achieving your dreams.
Projects are like stories and every story has an ending... So what will be the end goal of your project?
Before starting anything, it's important to set clear goals and objectives.

I like to set various kind of goals depending of feasibility and probability. Let's categorize them as below:

Wildest dreams - example: Being noticed to Netflix and getting a movie adaptation.
Dreams - example: Making a living from telling stories.
Goals - example: Finishing my comic.
Objectives - example: Drawing a page per week, reaching 100 visitors per day on the site...

This allows me to dream big while focusing only on achievable objectives. Objectives would always be a step toward the goal or dream.

Follow your Path

Everyone is different. We all have our own rythme. Some are more productive in the morning, some in the evening.
For me it also comes down to location. Drawing at home is difficult with so many distractions but alone in a coffee shop with nothing else to do, forces me to grab the tablet and get at it.

Find your most productive set up and recreate your productive conditions whenever possible.
You'll make progress in no time!

Stick to It

At the same exact time, at the same exact place... With enough time, your brain makes a habit of anything. That's how we structure our lives.

If you manage to include some project time in your daily routine... Bingo... You'll have a higher chance to keep at it in the long run.

It takes 21 days to form a habit. It might be hard to keep the consistent pace at first, but please don't quit, and remember it will become second nature to you by the end of the month.

Choose your Battles

When it's time to take a decision, always remember your end goal.
Does this decision takes you towards your dreams or does it steers you away?

Sometimes a decision feels right at first but when you analyse it a little deeper, the reason is not pragmatic but emotional. It's great if you can make the difference between the two. You can then choose consciously, evaluating necessity and efficiency.

Here's an example of a hard decision I had to take:

When I was actively updating Shades Of Men on the hosting site Tapastic, I would hang out in the forum and connect with the community. This was also a way to discover artists and spread the word about my work. We would often launch creative projects, like illustrations or stories combining heroes from several comics. With our limited time, there was always a subtle balance in between getting involved for our comic's promotion and working on our own story.

I had become the lead on new side project, an alternate version of Pokemon Go with comic characters. It did flatter my ego to hear positive feedback about my idea. Unfortunately, I had to pull the plug on this side project as I felt the outcome wasn't worth the time spent. It was taking way too much time, would only appeal to the participants and would hardly promote my comic as it was not directly related.

We can't be everywhere! Sometimes you have to choose your focus.
I try to follow the famous Pareto principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, stating that 20% of your efforts generate 80% of your results. Focus on those 20% for maximum efficiency!

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Keep the Love

Doing the same thing again and again can become tedious with time. So don't forget to keep your love for it.

Easier said than done! Just like a relationship, sometimes you have to let it breath a little. Sometimes you even have to spice things up. In the end, your side project is suppose to be fun. Don't stress too much about it. Just enjoy it.

People can tell when it comes from the heart. It's organic, it shines in a different way.
Nobody's noticing you? Who cares what people think! You do it for you.

Drawing for me is freedom. Freedom for limitless creativity , my own time to explore and wonder.