Great comic on creative work in the Internet age

The Oatmeal's "Some thoughts and musings about making things for the web" really captures a lot of the joys and sorrows of working in a creative field in the age of the Internet, especially the toxicity of spending too much time reading nasty comments, and the difficulty of maintaining self discipline. My one quibble -- and it's a major one -- is the business about "inspiration."

For me the major turning point in my working life was when I figured out that the work I produced when I felt inspired wasn't any different from the work I produced when I felt uninspired -- at least a few months later. I think that "inspiration" has to do with your own confidence in your ideas, your blood sugar, the external pressures in your life, and a million other factors only tangentially related to the actual quality of the work. If creative work makes you sane and happy (and if it supports you financially), it's terrible to harness it to something you can't control, like "inspiration" -- it sucks to only be happy when something you can't control occurs.

Some thoughts and musings about making things for the web (via Neatorama)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE: Business • Comics • creativity • web theory • webcomics

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theoatmeal

I think ur a dumbshit fagpoop LOL
- http://forholyterra.hobbycore.net Paul Bagosy
  
  This reply is good but not as good as Bieber. BIEBS 4 EVER!!
  - theoatmeal
    
    Justin Bieber drinks my buttjuice ROFL
    - Antinous / Moderator
      
      Do not click the thumbnail if you’re at work.
- http://www.youtube.com/user/Freethinkersanon Christopher
  
  I’m going to bring a completely frivolous lawsuit against you for saying that. And if you use the lawsuit to raise money to pay for cancer research or resurrecting pterodactyls I’ll sue you for that too.
- http://twitter.com/amanicdroid Dr. Chronobiologist
  
  Unrelated comment attempting to leach attention from a prominent comment.
  - SumAnon
    
    My grandmother made $1,942,660.03 in three months while working at home, you can too!
    totallynotascam.com
    - Boundegar
      
      It’s the three cents that proves it’s legit.
    - https://twitter.com/#!/asirenblue lolwow
      
      CAAAAAAAAAAAAAPSLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCCCKKK!!!!!
      
      COCK!!!!!
limbclock

THIS COMIC IS GAY AND UR GAY TOO. HURR HURRRR
http://paniq.cc Leonard “paniq” Ritter

TL;DR
- Just_Ok
  
  Your comments interest me greatly and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
http://twitter.com/khaxan khaxan

Haha Matthew Behave! hahahahaha
PlutoniumX

UR MOM CREATES ONLINE CONTENT!

BOOBIES.
http://twitter.com/ErebusBat Andrew Burns

This sounds like it was written by a hipster goat… without pants on.
- Jared Bryant
  
  ^ STINKS LIKE A BAG OF TROLL DICKS
  - blueelm
    
    I’m in the weird part of boingboing again.
    - http://twitter.com/amanicdroid Dr. Chronobiologist
      
      Please show me the normal part.
      - DewiMorgan
        
        http://lmgtfy.com/?q=normal+part+of+boingboing
      - http://twitter.com/amanicdroid Dr. Chronobiologist
        
        If BB’s normal part is the human flesh butcher shop http://boingboing.net/2012/09/27/human-flesh-pop-up-butcher-sho.html then I’d rather stay in the wierd, thanks.
http://twitter.com/molbal Bálint Molnár

her face confuses my penis LOL
http://twitter.com/IfOnlyICanDraw Butter

This is shit. You are shit.
http://twitter.com/Strangeblades Strangeblades

There are times when I love the Internet. This is one of those times.
- acerplatanoides
  
  there’s an xkcd for that http://xkcd.com/442/
acerplatanoides

First!
- chaopoiesis
  
  no i m
Bink Binkerson

Time to blame something on Obama!
http://twitter.com/arzvi arzvi

Blame the war! Blame Obama! rofl
- Brainspore
  
  R0N PAUL 20I2!!!!!!!!!!
http://twitter.com/pilken Bob Sly

INMAAAAAAAANNNNNNN!!!!!
thejaymo

FAKE
alesloan

911 was a conspiracy! Why else would it match the phone number for emergency? WAKE UP PEOPLE!!
- acerplatanoides
  
  SHEEPLE, FYT!!!!!!11!!
http://twitter.com/vikkiorlando Vikki Fraser

All of the Oatmeal people look the same, be more creative huh
Gilles Duthen

This is a very buddhistic way of seeing things
Ito Kagehisa

Is it just me, or are Mr. Inman’s depictions of himself getting fatter all the time?
http://www.youtube.com/user/PipLagenta Pip_R_Lagenta

My personal experience is that I can avoid negative comments simply by working in obscurity. By avoiding the production of anything of popular interest, I have been quite successful at keeping the comments that I get on YouTube up on a positive level. But, yes, I do feel sorry for those people who can’t help but make things that many people like. On the bright side, popularity is fleeting.
- http://twitter.com/amanicdroid Dr. Chronobiologist
  
  but pauperism isn’t.
henreeG

lol the comments are better than the comic.
i like turtles.
- Just_Ok
  
  Me too. But I’ve found that if your interested in a good relationship with them, you have to go slow.
nixiebunny

If you read Questionable Content, then you know all about this stuff.
cellocgw

Sorry to post something serious here, but: this is not news, nor is it special to the internet. Anyone vaguely public used to risk scathing reviews in magazines and newspapers (see “Guy Fieri in NYC” for a recent example). It happened, and happens, to actors, politicians, athletes, performers, etc. About the only new-ish thing is that, thanks to software tools that let any 75-IQ or higher set up a blog or twitter account, all sorts of idiots are going public without a clue as to what happens to public figures.
- Brainspore
  
  tits or GTFO
  - Antinous / Moderator
    
    I was just about to say exactly the same thing. Maybe you should submit a resumé to Happy Mutants.
    - Brainspore
      
      How’s the dental plan?
      - Antinous / Moderator
        
        As good as you’re willing to pay for.
http://www.nothinginside.net mindysan33

This cartoon is sexist and all the comments here are sexist!

EDIT: Also, this place was sooo much better before all these hipsters started showing up… HIPSTERS SUCK!!! ESPECIALLYY SEXAISTS ONES!!!!
- petertrepan
  
  This comment is reverse sexist against me!!1
  - acerplatanoides
    
    your puerile position panders to the patriarchy perpetually
- http://twitter.com/amanicdroid Dr. Chronobiologist
  
  Why must you continue the illusion of gender? I protest your comment.
blueelm

BUT… JESUS!
Jellodyne

Christ, what a great guy!
http://twitter.com/chrnoble Chris Noble

Obvious shoop.
http://twitter.com/catspyjamasnz Joyce Seitzinger

MoRe Cats!!!!
mrtut

Definitely believe that which you stated. Your favorite justification seemed to be on the web the simplest thing to be aware of. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and defined out the whole thing without having side effect, people can take a signal. Will likely be back to get more. Thanks

Buy moar Louis Vuitoon goatse! http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7ZYqYi4xigk/Sfsj6VRePzI/AAAAAAAADsM/s9rdoy6ASS4/s400/Goats.JPG
http://twitter.com/artfulmanager artfulmanager

Visual artist Chuck Close had a similar perspective on inspiration and creative professionals:

“Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work.”
http://twitter.com/snarf Snarf

I was going to say something almost serious like : “I figured out that the work I produced when I felt inspired wasn’t any different from the work I produced when I felt uninspired — at least a few months later” is a very wise thing and I am glad that I have finally learned the same thing myself.

But this comment thread seems to be the wrong place so instead I’ll say :”Fake! It’s shopped!”