My Artwork Isn't Exciting

I've been expressing this on Twitter and talking it over with people in private but I wanted to write something here for reference.

Though going into this, I wanted to say that this in no way means I don't appreciate the support you all have shown me. There's a very bad habit of whenever I want to vent about certain things, the people that have done nothing wrong will leap to thinking that I'm talking to them. And the obvious perspective that this lacks is that my assumed audience is more than just this Patreon. At the time of writing this, there are 49 of you. While on Twitter I have over 2000. So relax. This isn't about you, this is about my broader interactions as an artist.

-- My artwork is boring.

Sure people my "like" it. But the engagement I get from any piece is virtually nonexistent when compared to the numbers of people allegedly following me. And this stands in stark contrast to other artists, many with a lesser view count, who can post a scribble had have a full conversation with their followers in the comments.

I believe this is because despite any perceived quality or tidbits of information I present my artwork with, the art itself at the end of the day just isn't exciting. It's the art you scroll past, its the art you can forget. My characters don't inspire intrigue. People aren't clamoring to know more or see more. And if I go literally years without drawing one of them, no one's going to come around and ask me for more.

So lore, stories, details, they're all a big waste of time in that front. Because if no one says anything then I have zero means to know what the audience thinks. 

If people don't say anything, I can't know anything. And people don't say anything.

This is a failing on my part, because if my artwork were better then people would say something. Simple as that.

So my goal now is to make art that is worthy of getting people to talk. I just don't know how to yet. My strengths are character inking, facial expressions, and comic construction. My weaknesses are backgrounds, color, and speed. But I also think that I play certain things too safe. I keep things too comfy, prioritizing my time drawing more so than the final product. This routine has allowed me to remain consistent in my output, but that consistency has also caused complacency. 

For to do more would mean taking more time, and I'm always afraid of taking more time because people don't wait. Every time I've taken slightly longer than advertised people leave. If I don't post something here this week, people who are right now reading this sentence will leave. Because why should they fork over their pledge money to only get less art? That's the truth. There are people who will read this and unpledge immediately from the suggestion alone, because that is also the truth. I've been doing this enough years to know how my audiences behave.

-- I'm not going to lean on anyone for suggestions because this is my problem to solve and mine alone. I have to break the mold somehow. And even then, I may not crack the code to what will actually get people engaging. Because its not enough for people to merely like my work, I need to KNOW that they like my work.