Is it normal that i'm afraid to start animating again

I've been animating since i was 9 on my DSi. Sure, i stopped for a few years but then i started again when i was 13 and got better.
When i was 16 last year i downloaded Flipaclip (a better animation app) and worked on 2 or 3 animations and loved it
I had to stop because the school year started and I got busy, so i promised to start again after school ended to get better...
But it's now late July and im scared to...
I know exactly what im going to animate, i have everything in my head that i want to do... I just can't get myself to open the app and start.

maybe it's pressure? idk man, i just want to animate , _,

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Based on 24 votes (20 yes)
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Comments ( 4 )
  • Boojum

    I think most creative people battle with these feelings. You have an idealised, perfect version of what you're going to create in your head, but once you sit down and start working, it's difficult, what you see in front of you isn't perfect, and it's tempting to just give up because it feels like it's complete shit compared to what you were aiming for.

    A five year-old can be very pleased with drawing a stick figure, because they have no critical facilities. As you mature and learn more, you can see the shortcomings in your work, and it's easy to be intimidated by the work of others which seems so much better than anything you can produce.

    My daughter is ten now, and she's into art. I know from my reading about art education for kids that it's very common for people around your age to give up on art, precisely because they know what they want to produce, but they're still developing the skills necessary to get their vision on the paper or screen.

    The only way to deal with this is to accept that you just have to sit down, force yourself to get on with it and produce _something_ concrete every day. You may think it's crap, but it's all part of the process of developing your skills. Nobody wakes up one morning, decides they're going to be an animator, and is churning out something that is likely to be nominated for the animation Oscar that afternoon. If you really want to be a successful animator, you've got to put in the time and effort, even when you're feeling disheartened and there are lots of more fun things you can think of doing.

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  • hungDaddy

    Maybe go back to the DSi for a couple of FlipNote animations to get back into the swing of things. Something light and easy to find your way again.

    My sister is an artist and she uses FlipNote to take breaks from bigger projects and just animate a loaf of bread on a skateboard, laugh for a bit, and get back to what she was doing while feeling a lot better. Good luck!!!

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  • RoseIsabella

    Sounds like some sort of performance anxiety.

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  • ghostsalad

    go for it!

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