Best Daily Drawings: So I'm new here. I want to get back into drawing, but I don't want my reason to be "because I feel jealous to the point of anger at better artists". As such, I was wondering how I could motivate myself, because I can usually keep myself going for a few months before spontaneously losing interest (though it doesn't help matters that I very rarely show my work off). I'm also not sure if having a few "favorite" subjects or trying to draw everything under the sun would be a better idea.

It sounds like you’re experiencing a perfectly natural cycle of motivation and demotivation. Here are some things to consider in regards to that.

Finding something you like

In regards to whether or not you should find a subject matter and ‘stick’ with it: I feel that as long as you are just striving to draw consistently and not building up an audience, there’s no point in forcing yourself to draw one specific type of content. If you have a favorite thing to draw- then you’ll probably gravitate more towards that naturally, so I wouldn’t go out of my way to put your mind on a one-track kind of direction.

If you want to build a fanbase up, then yes, showing consistency in your content ( reoccurring characters, a specific style, or medium ) can definitely help you entice people to stick with you for a longer period. But since you mention that you’re not exactly showing anyone your stuff, I don’t see that as being your goal as is.

https://www.thoughtco.com/writing-instrument-history-4083355

Building up insistency

The reason I don’t want to lock you in a box is that it sounds like you haven’t built up what I’d like to call Artistic insistency ( although I’ve heard someone call it redundancy, both words work IMO ). Insistency is the regular, consistent return to your craft. Insistency is what makes professionals and highly active artists able to keep on producing art even if they aren’t feeling overly motivated.

Insistency is not something you have or get by default. As a new artist, your first goal is to build Insistency, which - if you’re very young, could be cultivated by your parents supplying you with paper, pencils and the time and freedom to explore the craft in order to build your passion to it. As an adult, cultivating it can be indulging in experimentation or invest in supplies that feed your curiosity.

Basically: it’s about finding that one thing about your craft that keeps you coming back, and then keep on doing that till eventually the fulfillment you get from indulging in it has you motivated to engage with the craft on par with your other hobbies.

It sounds as if you already have a certain amount of insistency build up. But that it could still use more cultivation to really spark your passion for the art. It’s completely all right not to have that insistency too by the way! There is nothing wrong with leaving art for a bit and then coming back. But of course, if you want to turn stuff out on the regular, this might be something worth looking into.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/drawing-memory-aid-1.4963432

The cycle of productivity

Something I’ve found that people talk about shockingly little is the natural pauses and the cyclic nature of motivation. Especially since in a field such as the creative one, we only have our motivation to rely on when it comes to churning out quality content. If we’re not feeling motivated, our minds can be scattered and inattentive when we draw, which results in a frustrating process and perhaps a product beneath our usual standard.

I didn’t learn about this until I spend some years in art-school. And it wasn’t anything anyone told me, but something I had to experience myself. I’ve later talked to more artists about it, and it seems that everyone has some kind of cycle to their motivation and growth. Typically consisting of periods of high motivation, medium motivation and no motivation at all.

For me, a cycle consists of about 1-2 months of medium motivation. I get stuff done, but it’s mostly commissions, comic pages, reference material, etc. I don’t typically go out of my way to produce anything that challenges me or explores new territory. After this, I’ll feel a short period of high motivation. Usually a week or two. Here I’ll be churning out art that consistently challenges me, forages into new experiments and generally resides above my typical standard. After a rush like that, my motivation tends to crash for two-three weeks again. Sometimes I’m able to crank something out, but its usually only the least required.

Your cycle is individual to you, so pay attention to how it fluctuates. And respect your downtime! If you’re experiencing fatigue or low motivation, don’t push yourself to draw. In fact, I highly encourage that you do something completely different. Start sculpting, knit, or just play video games and read comic books. Take the time to recharge your batteries, or you might actually burn out for good.

https://www.ps4.dk/2018/11/hvornaar-har-du-sidst-foelt-dig-virkelig-motiveret/

Community involvement

Undoubtedly, getting involved with a community that shares the same interests as you can help you stay motivated. Whether that be digital or not, both are useful. Though I must admit, to me at least - nothing really beats physically sitting in a room with other people, talking about art face to face. The internet is great and I love chatting with other artists online as well - but there’s something unique about cramming a dozen artists into a studio. So, if you want to involve yourself more ( whether by showing your own art or not ) I definitely recommend finding these little niché communities if you have the spoons for it.