Please take good care of yourself. It is never wrong to put your emotions into the ether, because I am sure people like myself care about you. These feelings are valid, especially because they are difficult.
Choices like these are never easy, and it is obvious that you have been struggling voicing these concerns.
The very least we as a community can do is to provide emotional support, and many of us are in this gig for it. No matter how big of a bear, they always need that comfort from other people.

Your art is great, and has been for a long time. But the path is not ours to make or demand. We will stand with you.🧡💚💜

I appreciate it a lot, thank you.

Grimm, i'm really sorry to hear that stuff hasn't been coming together for you.

You're a talented artist and you are far, far too hard on yourself. As far as the art goes, there is no place you are meant to be right now. Everyone is on their own journey.

Taking some time away to discover yourself is absolutely a healthy thing, but if you are going to step away then do so without torturing yourself over it. If taking a break is important for your mental health, then it's not a failure. If it means you never return to drawing then that too is totally fine. You haven't wasted your time.

You've been sticking your tendrils out and feeling out what works for you. That's not the sign of a quitter.

Ofcourse myself and many other artists and furries generally would love to see you come back stronger than ever too. My DMs are always open for you as well.

I want to wish you the absolute best in whichever endeavour you find yourself doing in future, and i hope after giving yourself some breathing space and finding some personal stability that you'll find yourself coming back.

You've got this big guy! One can never stop a bear for long! 😊

Thanks bud, it means a lot. I will see what the future holds. Knowing there are kind and lovely people like you is a bit of sunshine breaking through.

It is really tough to make living off of art only, no matter how talented or long you've been at it, majority of full time artists still make under minimum wage.

You are very talented at what you do n deserve more attention n salary.

I had a complete burnout at trying to force making money from art some month ago and now live at my parents, not paying rent.
Not everyone can fall back to family when money gets tight tho.
We artists have to make tough decisions.
I never want to stop pursuing creative work, I need to make art to express myself, but I am open for other work too.

Make the best decisions for yourself, take a break from art if you need it. Pursue what gives you bliss and flow, do enough other work to make a living.
We cannot decide our future, only make wishes. We can determine what we do and how we feel in the moment tho, nobody can take away our right to choose how we react to what life throws at us.

Great video on the subject:

https://youtu.be/JX-8-IYhQKk

And another:

https://youtu.be/dx4yW0mjezw

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the matter. I am sorry you had to go through that experience as well. It can be pretty rough, especially if you have to go through the darkest moments alone.
I hope you could take a break and recover. I love your work, and it has been such an interesting journey to watch you evolve as an artist, especially ever you leaned more into painting.
Thank you for the vids, I will definitely give them a watch sometimes. I really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts on the matter.

If you need to take time to analyze yourself, take all that you need. Like Winty mentioned, everyone's on their own path in their life, and I wish you luck where ever you go to next. <3

Thank you.

Sorry that you're feeling down and having trouble finding yourself. Unfortunately in life there is no set path with clear instructions on how to be happy, so we have to search for it ourselves. There is nothing wrong with starting your search on a new path. It's how we learn about ourselves and grow.

You may discover something else that makes you happy that doesn't include drawing. Great! You're happy and that is what's important. Perhaps you experiment with other things for a few months/years and decide that hey, I liked drawing art more than this. Great! You solidified the fact that drawing *is* something you enjoy after taking a step back.

Please though, don't be so hard on yourself. It's sad to see you put "art" in quotation marks when talking about yourself. The pieces I commissioned from you are one of my favorites to share with people, and I'm sure you've heard compliments from others, so hold onto those if you struggle to compliment yourself.

Whatever happens in the future, I hope you feel better after finding some stronger footing. Never feel ashamed to speak up and lean on friends and family for support!

Do what's best for you and take as much time as you need to feel better and to figure out what it is you want ?/

Yeah, easier said than done, but I will try.

If you think your art goes nowhere, you can try to change the style or to make evolve it. You'll find your way dude.

Thank you.

For what it's worth, I think your art is top notch. I really enjoy what you draw and I always love seeing your posts. Even so, perhaps there is other content you'd enjoy working on and that would broaden your audience?

Don't feel bad about taking a break if you wish to. We're here to support you in whatever you do and I hope you find your way forward toward something that truly makes you happy.

Keep your chin up. You do great work.

Thank you, I appreciate the kind words.

I'm writing this in my seat late at night feeling nothing but regret and shame for not having commissioned you back when the opportunity presented itself.

You were one of the first people who helped me get my bearings with commission work. The kind words you've shared in my works haven't gone unnoticed either. Among those first few steps, I still enjoy that piece very much.

Before, I could afford to work for much lower than what i charge now, knowing i have family to catch me if i stumble. But im quickly finding myself in a situation where i no longer have that safety net, and it might be time to consider a different line of work.

It wasn't so much as finding my own art style for me, but more so fueling my ambitions as a college dropout with a huge chip on my shoulder. The chip is still there and it grows every time i open twitter.

Its been a series of compromises one after another, and a constant ritual of self flagellation, looking at and realizing the success in what other artists do, but not being in a place to execute it myself.

This might be cold comfort, and too little too late. What little solace i can offer is that those feelings of inadequacy might just be there by design, and you're not alone in your grief.

You can choose to come back and contend with the unique predicament of freelancing furry art. Or, like what has been said here by a couple folks before, you can walk away and find fulfillment and security in something else.

If the time comes when i have to make this decision myself, i hope the answer comes easily.

Whichever you decide, sincerely, i hope you can look back at this moment from a better vantage point in life.

I just noticed your “artistic lowlife” label. Gotta say I’ve always considered you more of an “artistic highlight!” I think so many of us reach a point where we ask ourselves “What the f*** am I doing with my life?” We need to take a big step back, and embrace what brings us joy, and push away what does not. Every so often, we need to re-examine our lives and move toward the joy.

If you someday find your art brings you joy again, I would love to commission you, but I fully support you staying away. Your own health and well being are far more important!